Siam (Plantation)

Since 1972, when the Old course made its debut, Siam Country Club has gradually expanded into the impressive 63-hole golf complex that recently came into operation with the unveiling of the 18-hole Waterside layout in 2014.

Six years earlier, Lee Schmidt had laid out the 27-hole Plantation course in three returning 9-hole loops on the site of an old tapioca and pineapple plantation so, with that former usage in mind, it seems rather appropriate that the nines were named Tapioca, Pineapple and Sugar Cane.

The Honda LPGA Thailand event was held on the Plantation course the year after it opened in 2009 (the women’s tournament has since reverted to the Old course) and it hosted the Thailand Open in 2015, with both competitions taking place on the Pineapple (1-9) and Tapioca (10-18) nines.

Interestingly, these two nines also feature Asia’s first triple green. The 178-yard 7th on the Tapioca and the Pineapple’s long par four 4th and 9th holes share the same contiguous putting surface which measures more than 20,000 square feet, divided by large swales into three separate sections.

It’s a pity the Sugar Cane nine gets overlooked in the professional tournaments as some would argue it’s the best of the three loops, containing the signature hole on the course at the par five 5th – this 596-yard monster, featuring 28 bunkers, plays uphill to a split fairway that leads towards a tricky two-tier raised green.