Navatanee Golf Course | Golf Course in Bangkok | GoGolf

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Navatanee Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-72 championship layout in the Kannayao district of north-east Bangkok. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 1973. The course measures about 6,902 yards from the back tees, 6,315 from the club tees and 5,333 from the front, so there is a sensible tee for every level of player.

No description of Navatanee is complete without the 23rd World Cup of Golf, played here in 1975. The International Golf Federation chose the course as its venue, and the United States won with a team of Johnny Miller and Lou Graham. Navatanee also hosted the Thailand Open in 1999, which places it firmly among the courses that shaped golf in Thailand.

The land was rice paddy before it became a golf course, and the result is a tree-lined parkland layout on relatively flat ground. It is comfortable to walk, but the deep bunkering and the way the greens are defended mean the scorecard rarely reflects how gentle the course looks from the first tee.

You can check today’s tee times and rates for Navatanee on the GoGolf app or website. What follows is a closer look at the design, the signature holes, how to get there and what to know before you play.

Rates and booking

Green fees vary by day of the week, public holidays, season and timing. The rates shown on GoGolf reflect these in real time as closely as possible, so please check the GoGolf app or website for current pricing.

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Course information

A course that hosted the World Cup

The shortest way to describe Navatanee is a single line: host of the 23rd World Cup of Golf in 1975. The course opened in 1973 and was selected by the International Golf Federation two years later, which tells you that it was built to a standard capable of holding an international championship.

The United States won that week with Johnny Miller and Lou Graham. The Thailand Open followed in 1999. There are newer and more lavish courses around Bangkok today, but for a golfer who values playing a course with genuine competitive history, Navatanee has no real substitute in the city.

That history is not just a plaque on the wall. The distances from tee to green, the placement of the bunkers and the way each green is protected all follow the grammar of a tournament course. Nothing here tries to startle you. The player who strings together accurate shots is the one who is rewarded.

Location and access

Navatanee sits in Khet Kannayao, in the Ramintra area of north-east Bangkok, along the corridor served by the eastern outer ring road (Kanchanaphisek). The full address is 22 Navatanee Rd., Kwaeng Ramintra, Khet Kannayao, Bangkok 10230.

A company car or your own vehicle works well, and so do ride-hailing services such as Grab, which are widely used in Bangkok. From Sukhumvit or Asok you will use a mix of main roads and expressway, and journey times swing widely with traffic. Bangkok’s weekday morning and evening congestion is real, so work backwards from your tee time and leave early.

Please note that GoGolf does not arrange transfers or shuttles. Travel from your hotel is by your own vehicle or a ride-hailing service. Cars can be harder to find at certain times on the way back, so it helps to have a rough finishing time in mind.

The design: how Robert Trent Jones Jr. worked the site

Robert Trent Jones Jr. has built championship courses across the world. At Navatanee the raw material he was handed was flat rice paddy. No dramatic elevation change, no sea, no mountains — which means the interest of the course could not be borrowed from the landscape.

His answer was bunkering and green-side shaping. The fairway bunkers are not simply obstacles to be avoided; they sit where they force you to think about which angle makes the next shot easier. The greenside bunkers are deep enough that getting out of them is a skill in itself. The course asks whether you can lay up when laying up is right, not how far you can hit it.

One more thing sets Navatanee apart: there is less water here than at most courses around Bangkok. Ponds dominate many layouts in this region, but at Navatanee water only bites at a few key points. That leaves the classical elements — the tree lines, the width of the fairways, the placement of the sand — to carry the design.

The layout and its signature holes

The front nine: short par 4s that lull you, greens that test you

There are several short par 4s on the front nine, and on the card they look benign. Standing on the tee is a different experience, because the greens are heavily bunkered and the assumption that a short hole means an easy second shot quickly falls apart. The run of the short 5th, the demanding 6th, the par-3 7th and the short 8th is a stretch of holes with genuinely different personalities, and one of the highlights of the design.

The 6th: water down the entire left side

The hole most often named as Navatanee’s signature is the par-4 6th. At roughly 445 yards it is long for a par 4, and water runs the whole length of the left side while another lake sits in front of the green. Steer away from the left and trouble on the right comes into range; chase distance and the water waits. Reaching the green in regulation is said to call for a draw, which makes this a hole that tests both technique and judgement.

The 9th: a par 5 that bends along the water

The front nine closes with a par 5 that hugs the water as it turns from right to left. The greedier you are with distance, the closer the water gets, so the second shot is where the hole is decided. The restaurant looks down over this hole, which means you can replay your round over lunch — a very Navatanee way to finish nine.

The back nine: the depth of the bunkers starts to tell

The thinking does not change after the turn. Fairway bunkers are deep enough to cost you a stroke, and some greenside bunkers rise up in front of you. Rather than aiming straight at the flag, decide first which side of the green you want to chip from. Getting that order right is what separates a good back nine from a poor one.

Reading how the bunkers are placed

Navatanee’s fairway bunkers are not scattered at random. They are positioned for particular carry distances — where a full driver finishes, or where a lay-up comes to rest. In other words, the moment you choose a club you have also chosen which bunkers matter.

On a first visit the quickest route to a good score is to ask your caddie how far it is to the bunker from the tee. Once you know the number, the choice becomes concrete: stay short, carry it, or stop in front of it. As long as you are thinking only about hitting it straight and far, you are not playing the course as it was drawn.

On the greens, read the slope before the speed

The ground is flat, but the greens are not. Play an uphill and a downhill putt with the same stroke and you will leave yourself three-putt distance. On the first putt, worry less about pace and more about leaving the next one uphill. Do that and your putts per round settle down.

How to build a score

The classic way to unravel at Navatanee is to get greedy on the short holes. It is tempting to drive a short par 4 close to the green, but the design puts deep sand where a miss finishes. Laying back to a comfortable number is usually the steadier play.

• Decide where you want the tee shot to finish before you swing. Angle into the green beats raw distance.
• Miss short rather than long. Back bunkers and run-offs are usually the harder recovery.
• Treat the bunkers as hazards to avoid, not features to flirt with. Their depth costs you a stroke.
• Keep an escape route on 6 and 9. Do not try to carry the water when the number is marginal.
• Use your caddie’s read. Every player has one, and on unfamiliar greens that is worth real strokes.

Even on flat land the greens have plenty of slope. Five minutes on the practice green before you tee off will remove a three-putt or two from the opening holes.

Facilities and service

Clubhouse and restaurant

The clubhouse has a restaurant overlooking the 9th green, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Being able to eat while looking out over the course suits the unhurried mood of a tournament venue.

Caddies and carts

Every player is accompanied by a caddie at Navatanee, and visitors are required to take a golf cart. These are charged separately from the green fee, so check the total for your date on the GoGolf app or website.

Rental and pro shop

Club sets, shoes and umbrellas are available to rent, so you can arrive with very little. That makes Navatanee easy to slot into a business trip.

About practice facilities

Sources disagree on the practice facilities here, so this page does not state anything definite. If your plan depends on hitting balls before you play, please check directly with the club in advance.

What surprises visitors about golf in Thailand

For golfers arriving from abroad, the first surprise at Navatanee is usually not the difficulty of the course but the way the game is played here. Knowing what to expect makes the day much easier.

Every player has a caddie

In Thailand it is standard for each player to be accompanied by one caddie, and Navatanee is no exception. They hand you clubs, read putts and give you numbers, and on an unfamiliar green that help is valuable. It is also customary to give the caddie a tip at the end of the round.

Carts are the norm

Visitors must use a cart at Navatanee, and the cart fee is separate from the green fee. If you would prefer to walk, check with the club first, because policy does not always allow it.

The heat takes more out of you than you expect

It is hot and humid year round, and from March to May daytime temperatures climb sharply. It is not unusual for a back nine to fall apart through dehydration and fatigue rather than technique. Drink regularly and bring a hat, sunscreen and a spare shirt.

Some tee times move more slowly

Weekends and public holidays fill up and play slows. If you want an unhurried round, an early weekday tee time is the surest way to get one.

What to bring

You can turn up with almost nothing, but a few items make a real difference.

• A change of shirt and a towel — changing at the turn transforms how you feel.
• Sunscreen and a hat — some holes have very little shade.
• Non-metal spikes — metal spikes are not permitted. Rental shoes are available.
• Insect repellent — useful around water and along the treelines.

Clubs and shoes can be rented, so you can travel light and still play.

Before you play

• Spikes: non-metal only. Metal spikes cannot be used.
• Dress code: a collared shirt and golf trousers or shorts. Please come dressed for golf, as at any Thai club.
• Caddies: one for every player, and a real help with reads and club selection.
• Carts: compulsory for visitors.
• Booking: weekends and group bookings fill early, so secure your slot in good time.
• Heat: hot and humid all year. Water, sunscreen and a hat are essentials rather than extras.

When to play

Thailand’s year divides into a cool dry season, a hot season and a rainy season. For comfort, the dry season from around November to February is the pick. Humidity drops and mornings and evenings can feel genuinely pleasant.

From March to May the temperature rises, so an early tee time keeps the day manageable. From June to October the rain tends to arrive as a short afternoon squall rather than all-day drizzle, so a morning round is largely unaffected — and tee times are easier to come by.

Whatever the season, the first slot of the day is the most comfortable. You finish the front nine before the heat builds, and concentration holds up better coming home.

The area and the rest of your stay

Kannayao and Ramintra are residential Bangkok rather than a tourist district. Shopping malls and local restaurants are dotted through the area, so there is somewhere to stop before or after golf. Because it is not a street built for visitors, it gives you a closer look at everyday life in the city.

Most visitors stay centrally, in Sukhumvit or Silom, and travel out to the course. Hotels, restaurants and massage shops are concentrated there, which makes the non-golf hours easier to fill. A ride out in the morning and a return to the centre for dinner is a realistic shape for the day.

Bangkok is one of the few cities where golf and sightseeing sit comfortably in the same itinerary. A round in the morning, temples or markets in the afternoon and dinner in the evening is an ordinary day here. Even half a free day on a business trip is enough for an early round.

Who this course suits

• Golfers drawn to history — a World Cup venue is a rare thing around Bangkok.
• Better players who want to test accuracy — precision and management matter more than power.
• Anyone who enjoys classical design — the interest comes from sand and trees, not from theatrics.
• Improving players — the front tees at about 5,333 yards make the course entirely playable.
• Corporate and group golf — the standing of the course and the restaurant suit hosting guests.

If what you want is a run of forced carries and island greens, Navatanee may feel understated. Its appeal lies in the consistency of the design rather than in drama.

Common mistakes, and how to avoid them

1. Judging the course by the yardage

At 6,902 yards from the back tees, Navatanee is not long by modern standards. But the difficulty is not in the length — it is in how the greens are defended. Play it off a tee that is too far back because the number looks modest and you will spend the day in bunkers. Choosing the right tee is the first decision of the round.

2. Aiming straight at the flag

The greens are guarded by deep sand, and when the pin is tucked near a bunker the centre of the green is usually the higher-percentage target. Simply accepting two putts will visibly reduce your doubles.

3. Forcing the 6th

With water down the whole left side, the long par-4 6th is where most scores are lost. Whether you can take your medicine here decides whether the front nine holds together. Playing it as a par 5 in your head is a perfectly good strategy.

4. Leaving the heat until it is a problem

Plenty of rounds start well and unravel on the back nine, and the cause is usually not technique. Small habits — a little water on every hole, a fresh shirt at the turn — protect two or three strokes at the end.

How Navatanee compares with other Bangkok courses

The courses inside Bangkok have distinct characters. Setting Navatanee alongside the others you can book through GoGolf makes its position clear.

What Navatanee owns in that company is history and classical design. There is no theatre of water here; the sand and the trees do the work, and accuracy shows up directly in the score. If your image of golf in Thailand is one forced carry after another, this course is worth a day of your trip.

Combining Navatanee with nearby courses

Bangkok’s courses differ enough that playing two or three of them gives you a much fuller picture of the city.

• Panya Indra Golf Club — also in the north-east. Twenty-seven holes by Ron Fream, with night golf available.
• The Legacy Golf Club — a Jack Nicklaus design, defined by deep bunkers and large greens.
• The Royal Golf and Country Club — right beside Suvarnabhumi Airport, which makes it easy to fit into an arrival or departure day.
• Windsor Park and Golf Club — 36 holes, so you can change the combination each time you visit.

You can see availability and rates for the whole area on the Bangkok golf booking page.

Fifty years on, why it is still worth playing

More than half a century has passed since Navatanee opened in 1973. Many courses have been built around Bangkok since, and several of them are newer and more lavish. The reason this one is still talked about is that the design itself has not dated.

What Robert Trent Jones Jr. drew on that rice paddy was not a course that rewards distance, but one that rewards thought. Fairway bunkers sit on the ladder of carry distances; greens repay an approach from the front and punish a miss long. That relationship still holds today, even with modern clubs and balls. A shorter hitter can compete here, and a long hitter cannot simply overpower it.

Visitors also remark on the trees. Decades of growth have given the fairways a frame that a newly built course cannot buy, and although the city is all around you, very little of its noise reaches the round. That calm is another thing time has produced.

If you only have room for one round in Bangkok, you may well choose something newer and flashier. But if you are playing twice or more, making one of them Navatanee changes what you remember of the trip. Walking the same route as the best players in the world is not something many courses can offer.

In summary

There are three reasons to choose Navatanee.

• History — the 1975 World Cup of Golf and the 1999 Thailand Open. A background no other Bangkok course can match.
• Design — a classical parkland raised from rice fields by Robert Trent Jones Jr., asking for judgement rather than distance.
• Setting — fifty years of tree growth have produced a calm that is hard to believe inside a city.

Navatanee Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-72 championship course of about 6,902 yards from the back tees, opened in 1973, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and host of the 1975 World Cup. Deep bunkers and well-guarded greens give a flat site its strategy.

It rewards the player who picks a target and lays up rather than the one who overpowers it. If you want one historic championship course in your Bangkok itinerary, this is a strong candidate. Check today’s tee times and rates on the GoGolf app or website.

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