Laguna Phuket course reopens for play following Jansen’s reworking
The reworked course at Laguna Phuket Golf Club in Thailand has opened for play.
Canadian architect Paul Jansen has led the work, which has seen the reversing of the front and back nine holes, as well as the introduction of new contours and water features.
The original course at Laguna Phuket opened in 1992 and was designed by Max Wexler and David Abell.
The redesigned course is not long by modern standards, playing 6,719 yards from the back tees and has a par of 71.
Some fairways were regraded and raised as part of the work in a bid to improve drainage.
Other work has seen improvements made to tee boxes, bunkering, green complexes, and playing surfaces.
Speaking to GCA back in November 2014, Jansen said that the amount of grass area has been reduced drastically, helping the club reduce the number of sprinklers by almost half.
“We have also planted the tees, fairways and rough areas with manila grass (zoysia) which grows well in the conditions and requires minimal input whilst still producing a very high quality play surface,” said Jansen, who previously worked for Nick Faldo’s design firm. “We have designed and graded the ground to help with surface drainage and to create strategic interest. We have used fairway tiers, mounds, swales and ridges to promote the ground and make golfers think a bit more. The zoysia grass will also give us the best chance of getting run during the dry months.”
The work to the course complements a series of upgrades to the club’s locker rooms, pro shop, and practice facilities.
“We knew many local Phuket, Thailand-based and overseas golfers were keenly anticipating the re-opening, but the enthusiasm and participation last weekend far exceeded expectations,” Laguna Phuket’s director of Golf Paul Wilson told Phuketindex.com. “The comments about the course redesign have been especially pleasing. Everyone has remarked how much more visually interesting and thought-provoking it has become, and how much they love the new holes.”