Asia

Thailand extends a royal invitation to their country that boasts over 250 golf courses, Golf in a Kingdom covers Thailand’s six distinct geographical regions – from 8,000ft mountains in the north to limestone islands rising out of the Andaman Sea in the south, so choose your golfing poison, sea, sand, or sky-high and get swinging. Thailand is almost as famed for its golf courses as it is its beaches, and you can’t go wrong in Thailand for a good combination of both.

Bangkok has a number of notable golf courses, The Ronald Garl-designed championship Alpine Golf and Sports Club is a relatively rural option. The beautiful undulating course was originally created from flat rice paddy fields. It was venue for the 2000 and 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic PGA tournament and is about an 80-minute drive from the city. It has also hosted some Johnnie Walker Classics, and it is regarded as one of Thailand’s more challenging courses.

The refreshing and classy 7,097-yard Thai Country Club opened in 1996 and launched its credentials with the Honda Classic in 1997 that Tiger Woods swept.

There’s a lot of golf to be had in Hua Hin. If you get sick of waves lapping on deserted sand beaches take a swing at one of these – our pick of the best golf courses in Hua Hin, all within a short drive of the resorts mentioned here. Royal Hua Hin Golf Course has the accolade of being the oldest golf course in Thailand, opened in 1924.

Chiangmai Highlands Golf and Spa Resort offers an 18-hole course with paspalum fairways and eagle greens, which translate into greener fairways and faster more consistent plays.

Bunkers are deep and severe on errant shots. Mown grass areas surrounding the approach to the greens provide the option of playing either a chip-and-run, pitch shot or even putting the ball up onto the green. Chiang Mai makes for a great getaway too.

Indonesia allows you to play golf in paradise on the “Island of the Gods”.

The upgraded Bali National Golf Club offers a scenic 18-hole course designed by Nelson, Haworth Golf Course Architects, with the 17th hole playing out to the Indian Ocean and a beautifulul clubhouse overlooking the 18th.

The attractive Nirwana Bali Golf Club adjacent to the sprawling former Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort is set among the dramatic rice paddy fields on Bali’s west coast, with the 7th hole’s scenic overlook of the must-see Tanah Lot temple. Opened in 1997 as an 18-hole par 72 course, it is another multiple award-winning Greg Norman-designed course. Think verdant rice terraces, lush foliage, and Indian Ocean views with awesome sunsets.

The Bali Handara Country Club at 1,142m above sea level with spectacular Jurassic Park settings if you arrive early morning in the mist or with a low cloud overhead.

Golf in Japan is as unique as the country itself. Across the more than 6,852 islands – including the four main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu – there are no less than 2,349 golf courses, varying from revered top-100 courses to riverside pitch and putts. Japan could be Asia’s best-kept golfing secret!