St Andrews 2000

Architect Des Muirhead and golfing convention have never quite gone together so it’s no surprise to learn that the Muirhead-designed layout at the St Andrews 2000 Golf Club is one that defies many of the accepted golf course norms.

It’s one of three 18-hole tracks operated by the St Andrews 2000 Company Limited at the same location near Pattaya, and it shares the same clubhouse with Rayong Green Valley.

An uncompromising course that’s certainly not for the faint hearted, it plays to a par of 74 over a distance in excess of 7,500 yards, thanks mainly to the two incredibly long par six holes at the 700-yard 4th and 910-yard 13th.

The scorecard recommends that only golfers with a handicap of 18 or less should play here and “prior to your round, be sure you have enough golf balls”.

It’s an extremely tough test – local rule 1 states “balls in heavy rough shall be played the same as lateral water hazards” – with combinations of different physical challenges on every hole; from large multi-tiered putting surfaces to sandy waste areas, from deep, punishing bunkers to rocky outcrops in the middle of the fairway. Then there are holes with severe elevation changes and those routed around water hazards.

Visitors should note that carts with caddies are compulsory when playing here. Using the back tees during a round is not mandatory however so – casting all macho thoughts to the side – teeing it forward is perhaps the best way to tame the beast that is St Andrews 2000.