We left Korat this morning and travelled to Pak Chong. This is only a 1hour 40 minute drive so we stopped at Mountain Creek Golf Club on the way. The people we met at Korat Golf Club weren’t very impressed with this golf course, but their main complaint was the beer prices, so we weren’t too worried.
The course consists of three 9 hole courses. We played the Valley Course and the Creek Course.
The Valley nine was quite nice, but all the greens were elevated and hence hard to land on and to keep your ball on. As you can see, Bruce got 2 Pars and 1 birdie, but then he also got 4 double bogeys.
After this nine, which the others didn’t like much, we swapped to the Creek nine. The first hole was a par 5 and we were advised to hit a 150m layup down the right hand escape fairway. We all did this successfully and then were told to hit a 100m layup to the left to avoid the rocks and creek line. We all did this. The next shot was another 100m layup so that you wouldn’t go into the next pile of rocks and shrubs. Did this successfully. Now we only had a 200m approach shot to make the uphill green – in your dreams.
Every hole after this had rocks and creeks all in your landing zone so you were constantly laying up. The course was also very long (given we were off the easy white tees), so nothing we did really worked. Bruce got a worse score than Rosie and Neil, but we all did pretty poorly.
The general consensus on this course was “We are not going back”.
After the game (and a very expensive beer) we went on to Pak Chong. Bruce picked the Ban Mai Vintage Hotel and as we weaved through the back street we were all a bit concerned. When we did arrive at the hotel it took us 5 minutes to find the reception, we went to one part of the complex and asked the cafe person where the hotel was. His response “I don’t know”. This was very worrying, except that you knew he didn’t understand a word we said.
Finally found reception and were taken to our rooms. This would have to be the quirkiest hotel we have ever seen. Lots of antiques and knick knacks every where. A rabbit warren of pathways leading all over the place. Had to get directions to the hotel restaurant, and then Bruce still got lost after he collected the rest of the group and tried to retrace his steps to the restaurant pathway.
Once we found the restaurant, it was fairly crowded and boasted a Michelin Star rating. The menu was great and the ambiance was fantastic. We were starving after a big day, so we ordered several meals and enjoyed them all. The Chicken Curry puffs were devine.
So far, the meal was great. The pool was very good and the rooms are nice, we have a lovely large outdoor balcony overlooking the waterway. Can’t wait to see what breakfast will be like.
