Suwan Golf and Country Club is a challenging course set in the countryside outside Bangkok in a wonderful rural setting. Has won a number of awards and has hosted several major tournaments.A difficult layout with many elevation changes and well-placed hazards.It also made our pick of best golf courses in Bangkok.

The fairways ebb and flow with many elevation changes and uneven lies and once on the greens they can also present some different challenges with their bumps and hollows and variable speed.Accuracy off the tee is essential if you want to score well and you will need your caddie to help you with club selection in order to keep out of trouble.

The challenge begins as early as the 2nd hole which is a dogleg par 5 and you need to keep left of the coconut trees off the tee and you must find the fairway with your second as you need to carry the bunker in front of the green and be wary of the OB over the back. The 3rd is a short par 3 which is all about club selection which largely depends on the wind conditions. The 5th is another difficult par 5 and unless you can carry 250 yards you will need to play short of the fairway bunkers – be careful of the water on the right for your second.The front nine finishes with the most difficult of the par 4’s with water and bunkers all along the rights side off the tee and then a mid-iron approach across a lake to the green which slopes from back to front.

On the back nine, the eleventh is a beautiful and daunting par 5 with water to the right of the tee boxes and the left of the landing area and then you have to cross over the water hazard with your second and you need to take care with your approach as there is more water close to the right of the green if you over club.The 12th is a very pretty but quite easy par 3.The 14th is a sharp dogleg left with water protecting the tiger line and fairway bunkers lying in wait if you are too conservative.A very narrow approach to the green with bunkers both sides. The 16th is a mid-length par-3 with water all around with a mounded green that’s guarded closely by 6 extremely large bunkers.

What you also get at the Suwan Golf and Country Club are some excellent facilities, and the caddies are knowledge and reliable. They offer good guidance on those precarious greens.

Most golf course owners spend a large part of their budget on the club house and Suwan Golf Club is no exception and the practice facilities include 2 putting greens, a driving range that will accommodate the longest hitters in addition to areas to practice your bunker shots and short game.The locker rooms are modern and include rain-type showers, Japanese baths and even a Jacuzzi.The Thai restaurant which overlooks the ninth hole serves excellent local fare.