Your Golf Travel - Extraordinary Golf Experiences - Flipbook - Page 17
Lee Westwood’s Favourite
Holiday Destination
Lee Westwood, Your Golf Travel’s Chief
Holiday Officer, has played in
almost every part of the world during
his 25 years on tour, but there’s one
place that he enjoys playing and staying
in above all others: Thailand.
You’ve travelled all over the world during
your career and visited a lot of amazing golf
destinations. If you could narrow it down to
one country, which would it be?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot and
see so many amazing places, which makes
it hard to narrow down to one. However, I’ve
always loved playing in Thailand and have
actually won a few tournaments there,
especially in and around Bangkok; the whole
country is incredible.
What specifically sets Thailand apart from
the other places you’ve visited?
More than anything, it’s the people and the
culture. The Thai people are just so
unbelievably friendly and welcoming
wherever you go. Not just at tournaments
and hotels, but whenever you’re out and
about.
Just an hour’s drive outside of Bangkok, it
has hosted the Royal Trophy a couple of
times and is a Ryder Cup-style tournament
between Europe and Asia, but I won the first
Thailand Golf Championship there in 2011. I
remember shooting 60 in the opening
round—a career best for me—and then I
won the tournament again at Amata in 2014.
The course is pretty flat, but there’s a lot of
water to contend with, so you need to hit it
straight to stay out of trouble and the greens
are super quick. The standout hole is the
par-three 17th, which features a floating and
moveable island green. It’s quite a novelty
and all presented in incredible condition.
There’s also a course called Alpine Golf
Club, which is 20 minutes outside of
Bangkok, which I really rate. It was originally
built on a flat piece of land, so all the hills
and elevations are man-made, but it’s a
really fun course to play. I won the Johnnie
Walker Classic there in 2004, and I
remember it being very lush, and made you
almost feel like you were playing around a
tropical garden. Once again, water is a big
feature of the course, and I recall a couple of
cracking par threes to semi-island greens.
The hotels and resorts are incredible, and so
is the food. And, if you like it hot (which I do),
the climate is superb too, so it ticks a lot of
boxes for me as a golfer and as a holiday
destination.
Which golf courses in Thailand stand out for
you?
Amata Spring Country Club, a venue I’ve
been lucky enough to win at a couple of
times, is obviously one of my favourites.
yourgolftravel.com // 0800 193 6628 // Thailand
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