Ballyshear Golf Links (Ban Rakat Club)

Hanse is one of the most sought-after world golf architects and designers who renovated three of four US Open venues: Winged Foot for the 2020 championship, The Country Club for 2022, and Los Angeles Country Club for 2023.

Located at the former site of Kiarti Thanee Country Club outside Bangkok, Thailand, the Ban Rakat layout houses the Ballyshear Golf Links. The site sits 40 minutes from downtown Bangkok and 25 minutes from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Gil Hanse has created for Ban Rakat Club a vintage-style course that all Thai golfers will love as the course is the first to leverage this particular style of a golf course in Thailand; Ballyshear will stand out as utterly unique in this market. Nothing but pure links golf is on offer. From giant water areas, rolling greens, and many blind shots, a caddie's advice is invaluable to score well at Ballyshear.

Hanse outdid himself with an 18-hole homage to The Lido Golf Club, a mythic layout from the hand of early American course architecture pioneers Charles Blair MacDonald and Seth Raynor. The original Lido had been flamboyantly carved from the similarly featureless ground in 1917 on seaside property outside New York City; it closed quietly and without ceremony during World War II. In between, The Lido Golf Club was considered the equal of any course on Earth.

MacDonald and Raynor operated in a specific way. They based the design of every golf hole on established 'template' holes – the famous Redan at North Berwick, for example; the Alps hole across Scotland, at Prestwick; the infamous Biarritz par-three in southern France. The original Lido featured 18 such template holes and all discoverable at Ballyshear in Thailand. Expect the swapping of holes two and six; Hanse also produced The Lido routing entirely in order.

Most golfers are accustomed to modern parkland layouts. Classic or vintage designs are rare in Southeast Asia. MacDonald or Raynor designs are unheard of, though the Hanse brand is already strong in Thailand and will only get stronger.

The new clubhouse, designed by the world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma & Associates, is an ultra-modern design in stark contrast to the Ballyshear traditional links layout. While Kuma's reputation and signature work are incredibly high profile – his portfolio includes the new Japanese National Stadium in Tokyo and the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group's Japanese headquarters – Ballyshear represents his first golf clubhouse commission.

As a golf club, Ban Rakat appeals to both existing members and new members. Strong play demand already outstrips capacity, and this imbalance in supply and demand will only grow as Ballyshear Golf Links gains in popularity.

Space, next door to the clubhouse, will house a future hotel development and state-of-the-art practice facility. All in all, a world-class links course and facility in Bangkok!