Hole by Hole
Hole 1 – Par 4
The opening Par 4 is a gentle warm up hole to ease you into a most enjoyable round of golf. Don’t overcompensate for the imposing water on the right as a sand trap waits for drives on the left. Two large bunkers protect the small green, laying out a simple hole strategy; the longer you drive, the easier your second shot will be.
Hole 2 – Par 5
This hole is a short Par 5 dogleg right around the corner of Crystal Lake. Bite off as much as you can chew – with a great drive, you may reach the green in two. Most will lay up the ball on the second shot to ensure an easy par. Don’t be overconfident, this hole sees few eagles but many double bogeys!
Hole 3 – Par 4
A short tricky Par 4 where long driving is less important than club selection and accuracy – a feature of many holes at Loch Palm. Beware the wind that blows from the left, it pushes many balls into the water. A two-tiered green requires precise control of distance as approach shots should stay below the hole. Putts from above the hole are extremely fast.
Hole 4 – Par 3
The key to a good score at Loch Palm is precise iron play and this hole is no exception. A straightforward par 3 over a large lake that is a simple pitch from the front tee and a much more difficult shot from the back tee. Anything hit weak to the right will find the water and anything long will present one of the most difficult chips on the course.
Hole 5 – Par 5
A straight forward drive to a wide fairway will leave a slightly downhill second to a reachable par 5 for long hitters. This green is one of the narrowest and longest on the course so the smart play may be to lay up to your preferred pitching distance and make a birdie from there.
Hole 6 – Par 4
A dogleg right around another large lake. The smart play is to hit a well struck tee shot just left of centre to 100 yards and go at the pin from there. Anything struck weakly will find a large depression and make hitting the green in 2 a very difficult task. A large flat green poses no problems and this hole should yield a good score.
Hole 7 – Par 4
The seventh hole is drivable par 4 down the hill to a green protected by water front and right, with sand and large palm trees on the left. A small inlet just before the green makes this hole a difficult decision for long hitters, but a great birdie chance for accurate players.
Hole 8 – Par 3
A very straight tee is required here shot over sandy wastes and through a tunnel of towering palms to a flat green. Beware of a deep grass hollow left of the green as up and down is difficult from here. Putts are very fast from behind the hole.
Hole 9 – Par 4
A dogleg right par 4 played out of a chute of palm trees makes finding this fairway difficult for some. Drive down the right side to shorten the hole, but beware of the Out of Bounds to the right of the mounds. A good drive is a must to get it close with your second as the raised front and sheer length of this green will trick many players into under clubbing on this hole.
Hole 10 – Par 4
A drivable par 4 that plays a long way downhill. Be careful if going at the green as anything slightly left is most likely lost to the jungle. For the safe play aim at the bunkers to a wide landing area at pitch onto a narrow green with contours that should feed the ball back to the centre of the green. This Par 4 may be short but it will test all levels of players.
Hole 11 – Par 3
A slight uphill tee shot to the longest green on the course leaves many players short of the pin. Take plenty of club and trust the yardage not your eyes.
Hole 12 – Par 5
A straight away par 5 that with a downhill tee shot and an uphill second shot. There is Out of Bounds both left and right so the challenge is to drive as far down as you can off the tee in order to carry the creek for your second shot. The slope on this green has seen many players putt off the front of the green in Summer when coming from behind the hole it is best to leave your pitch short of the hole.
Hole 13 – Par 4
A left to right par 4 with a very landing area should allow for good scoring on this hole. Play straight up avoiding the bunker on the left and you will have a short iron second shot to a relatively flat green.
Hole 14 – Par 5
A long straight drive to this par 5 should allow longer hitters to reach in 2. Beware of the Out of Bounds that sits extremely close to the right edge of this green – it will catch any second shot hit right of the green. However, the green is nice and friendly and offers a good scoring opportunity to those with an imaginative short game.
Hole 15 – Par 3
Strategy favors the brave. Merely hitting the green will not guarantee par. The closer you stay to the water the easier your putt will be. Take a moment to enjoy Loch Palm’s panoramic views. At this point you are truly enjoying ‘The Most Relaxing Golf Course in Phuket’. One of Phuket’s best par 3’s is guarded by water all around and a long bunker in front, lies 60 feet below the tee. Wind and elevation play havoc with club selection and merely hitting this large undulating green will not guarantee par.
Hole 16 – Par 4
A good drive is the key to this testing hole. The raised landing area is set between clusters of bunkers. Stay as close to the right as you dare to create the best angle of approach over the creek. Green is tightly guarded by sand and water.
Hole 17 – Par 3
This challenging par 3 runs along the North end of Crystal Lake and many find tee shots find the water or the bunker on the right that is 2 meters deep. The contoured green requires precise distance control from the tee to avoid 3 putts. Best to leave it below the hole at all costs
Hole 18 – Par 4
An extremely narrow tee shot that has many players hitting an iron short of the second bunker to avoid the jungle on the left and the water on the right. If you decide to take the hole on the drive must be kept as close to the trees on the left as you dare. A relatively easy second shot from about 150 yards for the safe player and a simple pitch if you manage to find the fairway with the driver.