Plutaluang Royal Thai Navy Golf Course

Unlike modern Thai golf courses, which follow the trend of having a professional golfer design the course, and then a construction firm create the terrain, Plutaluang Royal Thai Navy Golf Course is an old school natural golf course, offering some of the best Asian golf available anywhere. The fairways and greens are of Zoysia grass, which while helps conserve water is more typical for courses in Phuket and Malaysia.

The four nines are named after the cardinal points, North, South, East and West. The first two are the core of the old course with East and West having only been constructed in the 1990’s. Each nine plays to a standard par-36 and golfers can usually select whichever two courses they wish to play at the time of check-in.  Each has a wide variety of obstacles, narrow fairways, well-protected greens, and hazards with very thick rough. 

The two most notable holes are the third hole on the North Course and ninth hole on the South Course. The former is a par-3 with its own lighthouse and island green. The latter is situated at the highest point on the course and this par-4 requires an accurate long downhill drive and a good second shot over water to a small green.

The refurbished clubhouse is well laid-out with well-maintained lockers & showers, although towels are chargeable.  The pro-shop is simple and has a small stock of basic golf items while the restaurant has excellent views across the golf course and surrounding hills. Drinks and Thai food are very reasonably priced as the course is essentially a public Navy facility. This is a great place to “finish” a round.

Though Plutaluang is one of the older Pattaya golf courses and definitely not first-class, it is nevertheless one of the most popular. The friendly attitude of the staff, natural layout, and low costs really make for an enjoyable day golfing in Pattaya.