Ban Rakat - Ballyshear

We ran a story in November 2020 entitled Gil Hanse’s recreation of the lost, legendary Lido to open in August 2021 which gave details of the American architect’s first Asian project near Bangkok in Thailand.

We then followed that article up with another in March 2021 under the headline The Long Lost Lido Found – Twice where we examined the rationale behind Tom Doak and Gil Hanse working on similar design projects at the same time in different continents.

The Hanse design at Ban Rakat Club outside Bangkok opened for play in October 2021 – only a couple of months behind schedule due to covid restrictions – with eighteen of the architect’s interpretations of original Lido holes built across what was formerly the Kiarti Thane Country Club layout.

Yokohama International is behind the new development and the firm has space reserved close to the clubhouse for a hotel in a future phase of work. Company chairman Takeyasu Aiyama was quoted as saying: “Ballyshear Links is of great stylistic and historical significance. Gil Hanse has created a vintage-style course that all the members – and their guests – will love.”

The course measures just over 7,000 yards from the back tees, playing to a par of 71, with holes arranged as two returning nines. It features “Channel” and “Cape” holes at the water-laden 4th and 5th, along with iconic par three “Eden” and “Biarritz” holes at the 3rd and 8th. On the shorter back nine, the lone par five – the 605-yard “Long” hole – arrives at the 17th.

Gil Hanse said: “The basis of the design is the ‘Lido Golf Course’ built on Long Island by Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor. While following the philosophy they adapted there, we will produce unique and theoretically excellent holes such as the ‘Redan’. The course will be carefully maintained, with hard and fast greens that are perfectly manicured.”