GOLF ATRAVEL Player’s Guide
Opposites Attract
Two dramatically different courses in Phuket offer the best of both worlds in one location, writes Charles McLaughlin.
Courtesy of Red Mountain Golf Club
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huket is one of the most popular short-haul destinations for Hongkongers, and it’s easy to see why. With some fine beaches, an assortment of first-class hotels and spas, excellent dining and the legendary hospitality of its inhabitants, the island, despite much development in recent years, retains all the ingredients for a relaxing sojourn from our fast-paced and crowded city. Thailand in general has a well-deserved reputation for the quality of its golf, and Phuket in particular has an enviable collection of top-drawer courses for the holidaymaking hacker. These range from challenging championship tracks such as famed Blue Canyon, host of numerous tour events over the years, to rather more straightforward and approachable resort courses. That’s the great thing about Phuket: diversity. These extremes can be found in a single location, Kathu, in the southwest of the island just 10 minutes from Phuket Town, the island’s main conurbation. A single entry gate leads to the Loch Palm and Red Mountain Golf Clubs and the courses share the same management company, MBK Golf. But there the similarities end. These are two very different tracks and represent some of the most exhilarating golf in the Land of Smiles.
The water-laced 10th hole at Red Mountain Golf Club
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tricky first time out, and it’s hard to convince oneself to take a 9-iron or wedge for a shot of such distance, but that is all it takes. The home hole is a breathtaking downhill par-five, and at 559-yards is the longest on the course, requiring three precision shots if the green is to be found in regulation. Danger lurks everywhere. Despite coming in at a relatively short 6781-yards from the Black tees, the course is rated at 72.7 with a slope rating a painful 136. Make no mistake, Red Mountain is extremely challenging and there are ample opportunities to lose balls. That said, it is short enough to allow for tactical placement off the tee and a focus on finding the fairway over striving for distance is strongly recommended. Your 3-wood or hybrid will likely see more of a workout than your driver. The beautifully-appointed club house has a well stocked pro shop and excellent food, and the caddies are well trained. Highly recommended for the stronger player.
Lakeside Retreat Loch Palm is the older sister to Red Mountain and has been a popular resort course since it’s opening in 1998. Designed by Dr. Sukitti Klangwisai (who also laid out the nearby courses at the Phuket Country Club) this is claimed to be “The Most Relaxing Golf Course in Phuket”. However, with water in play on 13 holes and
Courtesy of Red Mountain Golf Club and Loch Palm Golf Club
Into the Red Red Mountain is billed as “The Most Exciting Course in Phuket” and the only argument one would make to that would be to say its moniker is too limiting. This is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling tests of golf in Asia. Featuring dramatic elevation changes and a routing through crimson hills that give this course its name, there is never a dull moment here. Designed by Jon Morrow and opened in 2008, the course is beautifully maintained with superb greens. From the opening hole, a relatively gentle 398-yard par-four, the tone of the course is set. With a downhill tee shot to a visually narrow landing area (which is actually wider than it appears, a common theme here), then uphill to a severely sloping green framed by two huge red rock formations, the mix of challenge and scenic beauty is repeated on every hole. Built over a former tin mine, the course has numerous lakes adding to the requirement for accuracy. Take the 10th, for example. This long dogleg left has a knee-trembling view from the elevated tees as it curves around a lake along Clockwise from top: The most of its 440 yards. The tin mine legacy is view overlooking the 18th also reflected in the “Preservation Areas” found hole at Red Mountain from the stylish clubhouse; the 1st on half of the holes, featuring delicate rock hole at Loch Palm, with water formations and vegetation. A local rule defines these as lateral hazards. in play on 14 holes, Loch The signature hole is the 17th, a 169-yard parPalm still represents a good three featuring a vertigo-inducing drop of more test; the mighty drop at Red Mountain's 17th, a par-three than 130ft from tee to green. Club selection is 52
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strong breezes the norm, this isn’t always true. With a three-club wind howling the day I played, this delightful looking track bared it’s teeth and provided a good test of golf. Nevertheless, being rather more open and forgiving than Red Mountain, this 6,555yard par 72 is generally more suited to the casual golfer. The two nines are quite distinct, with the opening loop being played around the vast Crystal Lake, and the back nine heading into the forest and mountains and features some striking elevation changes.
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The good Doctor would appear to be a hooker of the ball, as eight of the opening nine holes have water or out of bounds lining the right side! Unlike Red Mountain there is less variety on this opening stretch, and the constant “water on the right” theme makes a few of the holes blur in the memory. The 4th, a pretty, 169-yard par-three over water was made more interesting than usual as it played straight into the wind. The back nine offers a more varied challenge with several strong holes. In particular, the par-five 11th is a superb hole. Played into the prevailing wind, a downhill tee shot leaves a second over a stream cutting straight across the fairway and a third to an elevated green which slopes sharply back to front. There are also two very good par-threes, the downhill mid-length 14th nestling by a lake and the tough 16th, a stout 200-yarder with water very much in play. The final hole, like at Red Mountain, is a tight par-five which doglegs quite sharply to the left and requires careful placement off the tee. The clubhouse has been recently refurbished, with excellent facilities and a decent restaurant. Overall, Loch Palm is a good fun course and relatively light relief compared to its younger sibling.
The par-five 11th at Loch Palm is a superb hole and requires a second shot over a stream that bisects the fairway
TRIP PLANNER WHERE TO PLAY
WHEN TO GO
Red Mountain Golf Club ***** redmountainphuket.com HK$1,600 including caddie and cart
Phuket has a tropical monsoon climate. It’s warm all year, but the two periods of April-May and September-October are the hottest. The September-October period is also the wettest. The best time for golfing is December through March when the humidity drops and cool breezes keep things comfortable. This is also considered a peak period and, as such, hotel prices soar during this time.
Courtesy of Loch Palm Golf Club
Loch Palm Golf Club ***1/2 lochpalm.com HK$1,050 including caddie
Getting there Thai Airways (thaiairways.com.hk), Dragonair (dragonair.com) and Air Asia (airasia.com) operate daily direct flights between Hong Kong and Phuket (flying time: 3 hours). While booking directly with the golf courses from Hong Kong is possible, it can be more convenient to buy a package (flights, accommodation and golf) through a Hong Kong-based golf travel operator such as Golf 007 (golf007.com). Golf Asian (golfasia.com), a Thailand-based golf agent, also tailor-make itineraries for Phuket.
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