Thana City Country Club | Samut Prakan Golf Course | GoGolf

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Thana City Country Club is an 18-hole, par-72 course in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan. It was designed by Greg Norman and opened in 1993, measuring roughly 6,966 yards from the back tees, 6,400 from the club tees and 5,615 from the front tees.

What defines the character of this course is its long, demanding par 3s and its high-lipped bunkers. Both nines carry a par 3 with real length, and the bunkers guarding the greens rise with steep faces. Here the precision of a single shot translates directly into the result.

The fairways are generally generous, but they narrow as you approach the green. And the semi-rough is genuinely punishing. You can hit the tee shot; the question comes on the approach — that structure runs consistently through all eighteen holes.

The course also has a competitive record. It hosted the 1996 Johnnie Walker Super Tour and the 1997 Thailand Open, and it once housed a David Leadbetter Academy. Check today’s tee times and green fees on the GoGolf app or website.

Green fees and booking

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Course information

Greg Norman the architect

Greg Norman is the Australian player known as the Great White Shark. He won two Open Championships and spent a total of 331 weeks at world number one.

What defined him as a player was an attacking style. Go at it rather than lay up. That attitude carries over into his design work.

Making risk worth taking

What Norman’s designs have in common is that they leave room for the aggressive player to be rewarded. At the same time, the cost of failure is unambiguous. The relationship between risk and reward is stated plainly.

At Thana City that shows up as a contrast between generous fairways and punishing semi-rough. Keep the ball in the fairway and the round is a pleasure. Miss it, and attacking the green out of the semi-rough is anything but simple.

Testing you on the par 3s

The other defining feature is that each nine carries a long par 3.

A par 3 is a hole with no excuses. Add length and it becomes a test of your long irons and hybrids — for most amateurs, the least reliable part of the bag. Testing that area repeatedly is the thinking of someone who came through serious competition himself.

The problem of high-lipped bunkers

The single biggest source of lost shots at Thana City is the greenside bunkering. There are a lot of bunkers here, and around the greens in particular the lips rise steeply. In other words, getting out means getting the ball up.

Get it up, and it does not go forward

Opening the face wide enough to clear a high lip sends the ball up but not forward. The result is that you fail to reach the green and need another shot. That is how a bunker costs you two.

There are two defences. The first is not going in at all: from the tee or from your second shot position, check the distance to the bunker and choose a club that either stops short of it or carries it comfortably.

The second is that once you are in, think only about getting out. Forget the flag and make the putting surface your target. Make that switch and a single hole will not fall apart on you.

Fairways that narrow by design

The fairways at Thana City are generally generous. Standing on the tee, you do not feel hemmed in. But they narrow as you approach the green. That is deliberate, and it is there to make you think about where you want to play from.

Angle over distance

On a course built this way, gaining distance off the tee is not automatically an advantage. The further you carry it, the more likely you are to land where the corridor has narrowed.

Playing from the wider ground short of that, with a good angle, actually raises your chances of hitting the green. It is not the player who hits it far who has the advantage here — it is the player who thinks.

The weight of the semi-rough

What waits beyond the fairway is genuinely punishing semi-rough. The ball sits down, the club does not come through cleanly, distance drops off and direction becomes unreliable.

So on this course the value of keeping the fairway shows up plainly in the numbers. On a day when the driver is not behaving, a 3-wood or hybrid off the tee will give you a better average over eighteen holes.

A record as a tournament venue

Thana City hosted the 1996 Johnnie Walker Super Tour and the 1997 Thailand Open. That international events were staged here means the course setup and maintenance met that standard.

Length, green quality, course condition. A course that stands up to competition still shows its good bones when an amateur plays it.

It was also once home to a David Leadbetter Academy. Leadbetter is the world-renowned instructor who coached Nick Faldo among many major champions. An academy being sited here also meant the practice environment was properly set up. Practice facilities remain today, so preparing before a round is no trouble.

Location and access

Thana City is in Bang Chalong, in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan, on the parallel service road of Bangna-Trad Road. Green Valley, Lakewood and Siam Country Club Bangkok all line the same road.

This stretch is the axis along which Samut Prakan’s golf courses are concentrated. It makes multi-course itineraries easy to build, and the area also lies in the direction of Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

For transport, use a company car or your own vehicle, or a ride-hailing service such as Grab, which is widely used in Bangkok. From the city centre the route uses the expressway and Bangna-Trad Road, and travel time varies with traffic. Congestion is common on weekday mornings and evenings, so allow extra time.

Please note that GoGolf does not operate or arrange transfers or shuttle services.

How to think about scoring

• Make keeping the fairway the first priority. The semi-rough punishes, so accuracy beats distance.
• Play from the wider ground short of the narrowing. The fairways tighten as they near the green.
• Check the distance to the bunkers. With lips that high, staying out of them is the best defence.
• Once in a bunker, think only about getting out. Going at the flag costs you two shots, or three.
• Middle of the green on the long par 3s. There is no need to hit a long iron accurately at a flag.
• Put the driver away on a crooked day. A 3-wood or hybrid gives the better average score.

The back tees measure about 6,966 yards, but the club tees at about 6,400 are set relatively close behind them. The front tees are about 5,615. Choosing the tee that matches your distance is the precondition for enjoying this course.

Common mistakes, and how to avoid them

1. Going at the flag on a long par 3

Put a long iron in most players’ hands on a par 3 with real length and they tense up without noticing. Aim at the flag from there and the miss finds a high-lipped bunker.

Aim at the middle and take your two putts. A bogey on a par 3 is not a serious wound; avoiding double bogey or worse matters far more.

2. Going at the flag from a bunker

Out of a high-lipped bunker you have to concentrate on getting the ball up. Add the desire to get it close and it usually goes wrong. Get out first. That single decision protects several shots.

3. Forcing it from the semi-rough

From punishing semi-rough neither distance nor direction is reliable. Rather than attacking the green, put the ball back in the fairway and hit your third from a good angle. That construction produces the tidier score.

4. Trying to hit it too far

The fairways narrow as they approach the green. Because carrying it further means landing in a tighter spot, there are situations here where distance does not help. Decide where you want to play your approach from first, then choose the club.

Facilities and services

Practice

As you would expect of a course that once housed a David Leadbetter Academy, the practice facilities are well set up. With long par 3s waiting, there is real value in checking the feel of your long irons and hybrids before you start.

Caddies and carts

As is standard at Thai courses, a caddie accompanies every player. They can tell you the distance to the bunkers and how far up the fairway remains safe. Carts are available for hire.

Spike policy

Non-metal spikes only.

What to bring

• A sand wedge with bounce — with this many high-lipped bunkers, a club that gets out easily is reassuring.
• Sunscreen and a hat — essential.
• Non-metal spike shoes — metal spikes are not permitted.

Best season and time of day

The dry months from roughly November to February are the most comfortable: humidity drops and mornings and evenings can feel genuinely cool.

In the hot season from March to May, daytime temperatures climb, so an early start saves energy. On a course where getting out of bunkers costs you, choosing the cooler hours matters more than usual.

The rainy season from June to October is mostly short afternoon storms passing through. A morning round is less affected, and tee times are comparatively easier to get. Note, though, that the semi-rough gets heavier after rain, which raises the value of keeping the fairway.

Who this course suits

• Golfers who choose by architect: a chance to play a Greg Norman design close to Bangkok.
• Anyone testing their accuracy: this is a course where keeping the fairway shows up in the numbers.
• Competitive players: host of the 1997 Thailand Open, with bones that stand up to tournament play.
• Anyone working on bunker play: high-lipped bunkers double as a practice ground.
• Improving players: front tees at about 5,615 yards; lay up rather than force it and it is thoroughly enjoyable.
• Anyone staying near the airport: on Bangna-Trad Road, easy to reach from Suvarnabhumi.

On the other hand, if bunkers and rough are your weak points, there will be moments that feel severe. In that case, simply choosing clubs on the assumption that you are laying up short of the bunkers changes how much your score can unravel.

How it differs from other Samut Prakan courses

The courses along Bangna-Trad Road have distinctly different characters. Here is where Thana City sits among the main courses in the same area bookable through GoGolf.

• Thana City Country Club — 18 holes, par 72, about 6,966 yards. Greg Norman, opened 1993. Long, demanding par 3s, punishing semi-rough, high-lipped bunkers. Host of the 1997 Thailand Open.
• Green Valley Country Club — 18 holes, par 72, about 7,028 yards. Robert Trent Jones Jr., opened 1988. Railway-sleeper bunkers and water on roughly two-thirds of the holes.
• Summit Windmill Golf Club — 18 holes, par 72, about 6,964 yards. Nick Faldo, opened 1991. The island green at the 12th, and night golf until 10pm.
• Lakewood Country Club — 27 holes, par 72, about 7,145 yards. Mike Poellet, opened 1992. The Lake, Wood and Rock nines, plus a pool and restaurants.
• Siam Country Club Bangkok — 18 holes, par 72, about 7,250 yards. Toby Cobb. Zoysia fairways and turtleback greens of up to 1,000 square metres.

What makes Thana City distinct within that group is a consistent insistence on accuracy. It does not startle you with water or confuse you on the greens; it simply separates players by whether they missed the fairway. If you want to measure the precision of your own ball-striking, this is the ideal place.

Pairing it with other Samut Prakan courses

If you are playing several rounds during a stay, pairing nearby courses keeps travel time down.

• Green Valley Country Club — on the same Bangna-Trad Road, memorable for its railway-sleeper bunkers.
• Summit Windmill Golf Club — a Nick Faldo design with night golf until 10pm.
• Lakewood Country Club — 27 holes, so the nines can be recombined each time.
• Siam Country Club Bangkok — a newer course defined by its large turtleback greens.

Availability and green fees across the area are on the Samut Prakan golf booking page.

Summary

Put simply, there are three reasons to choose Thana City.

• The design — Greg Norman, opened 1993, with the relationship between risk and reward stated plainly.
• A test of accuracy — punishing semi-rough and high-lipped bunkers make the value of the fairway explicit.
• A tournament record — host of the 1996 Johnnie Walker Super Tour and the 1997 Thailand Open.

Thana City Country Club is 18 holes, par 72, about 6,966 yards from the back tees. Each nine carries a long, demanding par 3, and the fairways narrow as they near the green. It is a course where the thinker, not the long hitter, has the advantage.

One to choose on a day when you want to face up to the precision of your own golf. Check today’s tee times and green fees on the GoGolf app or website.

Frequently asked questions

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