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| 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.
