I see that C.B. MacDonald designed The Lido (the long-lost Long Island course) not only impressed Mike Keiser’s two sons, Michael and Chris, but also the developers of Ballyshear Golf Links (Ban Rakat Club, Thailand).
The 18-hole Ballyshear Golf Links, the first Asian project ever undertaken by Hanse Golf Design (Gil Hanse’s company), was conceived as an homage to The Lido Golf Club.
The Ballyshear Golf Links itself, named for C.B. Macdonald’s ancestral estate on Long Island, is the other result of this redevelopment project.
The new course and clubhouse were both fully completed earlier in 2022, following an unusually painstaking construction process.
The Ballyshear Golf Links routing features…
The Ballyshear Golf Links routing features the identical 18 templates — each reinterpreted by Hanse and partner Jim Wagner, then adapted to the Thai landscape. But for the swapping of holes 2 and 6, Hanse and Wagner reproduced The Lido in order.
Highlights include:
- The dramatic elevations and contours at Ban Rakat Club’s Alps, Knoll, and Redan templates (holes 10, 13, and 16, respectively), prove all the more stunning for their canny presentation on such flat property.
- The Eden 3rd at Ballyshear Golf Links, a gorgeous and completely original sand-and-scrub take on the famous 11th at the Old Course. Golfers at Ban Rakat Club walk right off that famous green and onto the oft-celebrated-but-rarely-attempted Channel hole, with its peninsular/split fairway.
- The Short hole at 14, where, on the putting surface, Hanse and Wagner beautifully rendered one of the most dramatic-yet-functional “thumbprints” anywhere.
- The utterly epic finish where, as at the original Lido, the Redan 16th is followed by a bunker-strewn, 600-yard par-5 (Long) and a closing par-4 first dreamed up by Dr. Alister MacKenzie, whose design for the original Lido 18th won a design contest conducted by the English magazine, Country Life.
Ballyshear Golf Links – My comments
I couldn’t find out if the designers and developers of Ballyshear Golf Links have considered creating a golf course that fits the principles of sustainability and the GEO Foundation.
Currently, there are only 3 Thai golf clubs who became GEO Certified:
- Thai Country Club,
- Amata Spring Country Club,
- Pattan Golf Club & Resort (Chonburi, Thailand)
I believe in 2022 without committing to sustainability, nobody should start thinking of building, and redesigning golf courses. Not investing in sustainability is a business risk!!
According to GfK’s Consumer Life Global report 2022:
- 73% of global consumers think it is important that companies take environmentally responsible actions, and
- 36% of global consumers will select one brand over another specifically because it supports a cause they believe in.
This is why I am impressed by the Sentosa Golf Club‘s investment in sustainability.