In recent years, there has been much talk about Lido in the golf architecture world. This summer, Sand Valley , in Wisconsin, opened a new Lido course, which attempts to recreate the original Lido Course, built in Long Island, New York in 1915, designed by C.B. Macdonald, which was closed for World War II.
Sand Valley is not the only company to do this.
Ballyshear Golf Links, located at Ban Rakat Club, just east of Bangkok , will open in 2021. Like its Wisconsin cousin, the design by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner attempts to recreate as many holes from the Lido original, sometimes in terms of principle, but also in details.
Hanse and Wagner have played many of the template hole designs that Macdonald created at the original Lido, and even beyond. Thailand offers the Eden, Channels, Alps and Short holes, among others. Macdonald identified the shot values and demands of these holes, which are now played around the globe. Many have been borrowed from classic links course. Golf architecture enthusiasts will recognize these holes immediately.
The back nine at Ban Rakat Club in Thailand near Bangkok (Jason Lusk/Golfweek).
Ballyshear is built on the site where the former Kiarti Thanee Country Club was located on a flat plot of land, less than a half-hour drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The old course was surrounded by rice paddies and featured fairways lined with trees.
Hanse and Wagner, the team responsible for several restorations, including Los Angeles Country Club in preparation for the U.S. Open 2023, removed the trees and shaped the land to resemble a classic links-style course. The land was shaped into an open parcel more reminiscent of a classic links course.
The course must be relatively fast and firm to make the most out of these holes. Their designs were created on links and they are best played in sandy conditions. To make the most out of these holes, you need to let the ball roll.
The Ballyshear private course was covered in a zoysia turf that is relatively fast and firm, compared to other courses in Southeast Asia. The conditions at Ballyshear are not the same as those on links in Scotland or Ireland. However, the ball will roll out more than usual, which makes the ground game more challenging.
The idea of using the Lido template for the Ballyshear project was intriguing, since the land there was flat. The original Lido site was created by dredging an expanse of saltwater and piling the land up until it dried, then creating interesting contours. Hanse and Wagner achieved the same results in Thailand. The template holes of the Lido were used to expand on this theme.
Ballyshear’s best feature: the greens. Hanse and Wagner created some incredible swales and valleys in these greens. Many of them were based on the traditional template. Ballyshear’s zoysia slopes will never have a putting speed that is too fast. This allows the slopes to do their job without becoming out of control. They play more like the classic greens of decades past, before speed became a factor and rendered many classic slopes unplayable.
Ballyshear’s par 71 course (6,690 yards), is a completely different golfing experience from Thailand. Thailand has become a popular golfing destination in the last few decades. The low-slung clubhouse is unobtrusive, comfortable, and a great place to spend the day.
Below are some photos of my recent Thailand trip, which included a visit to Ballyshear.
