Queen’s Cup Golf Tournament

The Queen's Cup Golf Tournament is one of the most prodigious tournaments in Thailand
Photo Courtesy Kohsamuiindex.com

The conditions of play better be superb if a tournament is being held in honor of a royalty, a situation more than satisfactorily met at the Queen’s Cup Golf Tournament hosted in the resort island of Koh Samui in Thailand. This golf tourney has been organized as a tribute to Thailand’s Queen Sirikit, and in 2009, it was included in the multi-leg Asia Golf Circuit with several country stops across the region.

The Santiburi Samui Country Club serves as the venue for this tournament that has gained the prestige it rightfully deserves over the years. The country club also operates in tandem with a facility tied to one of the Koh Samui beaches where the superb facilities are echoes of those in the ShaSa Resort, one of the top attractions at the opposite southern tip of the island. The Santiburi prides itself as having one of the most beautiful golf links in Asia.

A course with two faces

A round of play in this par 72, 18-hole championship course runs for 6,930 yards traversing the gentle inland mountain landscape of Samui always cooled by the sea breeze. Duffers will find this course forgiving, as there is no handicap requirement for players, although it would be advisable for these golf beginners to first hone their skills in the course’s 9-hole variant.

Honed to championship play, the defence formed by Santiburi’s sand traps, bunkers, and water hazards can be challenging even to the best of touring pros of the Asia golf circuit. Each hole presents a different kind of riddle with the uphill and downhill contour of the Santiburi fairways. The entire course is also most endearing for the long, winding features of some of the links’ stretches and the coconut groves so adeptly integrated into the tropical layout.  

Rounds of play can also be so inspiring with the spectacular views around Samui—coves and beaches, islands and bays, and the emerald expanse of the Gulf of Thailand waters. Even at the country club’s driving range and putting green, this entire incomparable island panorama can be enjoyed. Completing a round at Santiburi either as a player or spectator in the Queen’s Cup can perfectly wind up at the links’ clubhouse built in a distinctive Thai architectural style, which too gives more than subtle hints of royalty.