St Andrews 2000

Working with a spectacular, undulating natural topography, English born golf course architect Desmond Muirhead has created one of Pattaya's most interesting golf courses. St Andrews, built to replicate a Scottish links course, is located in Rayong, about 45 minutes from Pattaya and 2 hours from Bangkok. The golf course offers an uncompromising challenge aimed at players with handicaps of 18 or lower. Playing at over 7700 yards to a par 74, this is a tough course. St Andrews features elevated tees and greens, tight landing zones, split elevation 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 large elevation changes and views of the surrounding hillsides. While aimed at more accomplished players, this most challenging course in Pattaya should be played all golf tourists. The course 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 that must be played demands an entirely different dimension in concentration and course management. 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 not only pleasing to the eye, but also challenges the golfer to play their shots over the water to have any chance for par. The course demands a combination of both power and accuracy, with the strategic positioning of hazards forcing the player to remain focused on each and every shot. Even one errant shot can be very costly. This Pattaya golf course requires the use of every club and also will be the subject of lots of stories about a challenging round of golf. Bring lots of golf balls, a camera, and expect to otherwise be beaten up by this course. St. Andrews 2000 is under the same management, sharing the same facilities as the Rayong Green Valley and Silky Oak courses. The club house and onsite golf resort overlook the course, while the former makes for a good 19th hole to reflect on your round. Green fees are on the high side for Pattaya and with the compulsory golf cart; this course may not fit into everyone's budget. However, if just for the bragging rights to be the first on the block to have played a par 6 (actually 2) it should be worth it. For those looking for a best of Pattaya golf package, St. Andrews should be one of the included stops.