St. Andrews 2000 Golf Club

Working with a spectacular, undulating natural topography, English-born golf course architect Desmond Muirhead has created one of Pattaya's most exciting golf courses. St. Andrews, built similarly to a Scottish links course, is located in Rayong, about 45 minutes from Pattaya and 2 hours from Bangkok.

The golf course offers a formidable challenge, even for low handicappers, playing at over 7700 yards to a par 74. St Andrews features elevated tees and greens, tight landing zones, split fairways, huge putting surfaces, and, while difficult to accept for the true golfer, two par 6's, over 800 yards each! The back nine, in particular, has significant elevation changes and views of the surrounding hillsides.

While aimed at more accomplished players, all Pattaya golfers should play this course. St. Andrews is an extremely tough test of golf from any tee, and the two par-6 holes are a bit much for the golf course purist. The additional long fairway shot demands concentration and course management skills.

The two par-6 holes (Nos. 4 and 13) measure 878 and 861 yards, respectively. Both holes are 'strategic' rather than penal. In particular, at hole 4, rock out-crops act as the backdrop, and three ponds are exploited to maximum to ensure that playing the hole is pleasing to the eye and challenges the golfer to play their shots over the water to have any chance for par.

The course demands power and accuracy, with the strategic positioning of hazards forcing the player to remain focused on each shot. Even one errant shot can be very costly. This Pattaya golf course requires every club's use and will be the subject of many stories about a challenging round of golf. Bring extra golf balls and a hand phone, and expect to be otherwise beaten up by this course.

St. Andrews 2000 shares the same facilities as the Rayong Green Valley and Silky Oak courses. The clubhouse makes for an excellent 19th hole to reflect on your round. Green fees are reasonable for Pattaya, including caddies and golf carts. If just for the bragging rights to be the first on the block to have played a par 6 (actually 2), it's worth it. For those looking for a Pattaya golf package, St. Andrews should be one of the included stops