Khao Yai Golf Club

Khao Yai Golf Club (formerly Life Privilege Country Club and before that Mission Hills Khao Yai) is worth a visit, if only to experience another fine example of Jack Nicklaus's design work. But don't expect the rest of the resort facilities to match the quality of the course layout. The resort has clearly seen better days, with many of the outbuildings and condominiums now eerily empty and derelict.

The resort does, however, remain popular with aficionados of well-designed golf layouts, and with large numbers of Koreans looking for a low-cost Stay&Play golf package. This pleasantly undulating layout, will give your game a thorough workout, while an immensely picturesque backdrop is provided by the cliffs and tightly folding hills of the Khao Yai region.

The natural contouring of the land gives good definition to the gently undulating holes, sometimes accentuated by additional earthmounding, and a light sprinkling of maturing trees.

Although the original bunkering seems rather modest for a Nicklaus design, there are some holes that do exude a sterner bunker threat. The excellent short par-4 7th is one such hole. The downhill 2nd is as good a par-5 as they come. From a wonderfully elevated tee box you'll play down onto the fairway, then risk as much water as you dare to get as close to the green as possible in two.

Reports suggest that maintenance standards have been somewhat variable at Khao Yai GC, but have not consistently matched those you would normally expect from a well laid out Nicklaus design.