Summit Windmill Golf Club – Championship Test in Bangkok's Heat

Gunnar Kobin
Feb 1
5 min read

Updated: Mar 23

Summit Windmill Golf: Bangkok's Most Under the Radar Course with Championship Quality Difficulty

You can find a plethora of golf courses in Bangkok, but most don't offer the thought out design and challenge at a championship level that the Summit Windmill Golf course provides.

This course, located only a few minutes from the Suvarbabhumi airport, is not about creating a fun and easy golfing experience with cocktails included, it is about testing all aspects of your game with their many mental and physical water hazards.

The Bangna location of the course begs for an airport run with a few hours to spare, and with a few hours spare to actually play the course, the city sounds will all but vanish as you enter the course.

The sprawling, landscaped property features wide, palm tree-lined golf fairways and large lakes, masterfully organized and carefully manicured. The clubhouse, looking more like a European estate than a Thai golf clubhouse, is large and very elegant. Along the course are massive, French-style villas that look more expensive than small countries.

Sure, it's impressive and offers a reminder that it's Asia's largest city, but the property is, after all, an urban oasis.

A Good Surprise from the First Tee

It's supposed to be a Nick Faldo design, but when I played it I would have bet money that it was Pete Dye. The style, the strategy, and the way water is used all screamed Dye to me.

It was a good surprise from the first tee. I knew I was going to enjoy the course. The gently rolling fairways were entertaining and the strategically placed water made for good risk/reward thinking.

From the tee boxes, the fairways may appear large, but that is extremely misleading. Being on the 'wrong-side' of the fairway can turn an easy approach shot into a carry over water, which can be stressful. There is a type of risk-reward scenarios on almost all of the longer par 5s, and shorter par 4s waer you have to decide whether to go for the green, or play it safe.

Summit Windmill is all about water, and it's designed that way for a reason. The water isn't just there to look pretty, it runs along the sides of the fairways of almost all holes, and impacts nearly shot you can take, while giving you a realistic chance to birdie or just trying to get through the hole and survive.

The first hole cements the fact that you will need control and patience on this course. The 9th hole really highlights the personality of the course, as long hitters can try their luck and go over the water and leave themselves a wedge shot to the green, but for those who choose to lay back and take the safe option will actually be facing a much harder second shot. Neither are easy options, and that is the whole point of the hole.

I like that the course, on the surface, creates an easy and calm feel, but in reality, it is instilling pressure and discomfort. The water is where it all seems dangerous, but in fact, there is no real safety and that is the real psychological difference that sets this course apart from resort golf.

Excellent Conditioning, Fair Greens

The subtle slopes on the greens require speed and proper control, however the slopes aren’t extreme and unreasonable . The putts will require some reads and judgment but there won’t be obnoxious man made breaks that are more of a guessing game than a skill game.

The bunkers look nice and are positioned nicely, but how well they are kept depends more on your caddies standards (we’ll touch more on that shortly). Overall, conditioning is impressive and on par with busy courses.

The Caddie Situation is Unfortunate

After playing several rounds in Hua Hin where the caddies are consistently great, Summit Windmill was a huge disappointment.

There was a lack of caddie engagement in general. One caddie in our group openly said she has no idea how to read greens. Mine needed to be asked to tell me what lines were, multiple times, which was annoying on some holes. At one point I chipped to within a foot of the hole and she was unaware that I had even finished. What on earth was she doing?

As for the worst moments? Driving into one bunker, I had to cover my feet to not get sand all over my shoes. Most courses don't have rakes for bunkers, but each caddie carries one, and that clearly should have been used. But for the one bunker that was clearly un-raked, and the sand was clearly disturbed. I won't say it's elementary, but clearly it was done, or a lack of attention to detail was present.

When coming from Hua Hin, which is known for its attentive caddies, and professional and knowledgeable caddies, to here, it's a stark contrast. Paying top dollar for a championship golf course safes attention to detail isn't unreasonable.

The heat in Bangkok is unacceptable, but there's a way to get around it.

Playing golf during the say in the heart of central Bangkok is a test of endurance. With buildings, a lack of breezes, and only blistering heat, it certainly isn't treat for even the most seasoned tropical golfers. Protection from the sun, and steaming losses is a must.

The biggest positives of Summit Windmill is that the whole course is lit for night golf.

When the sun goes down, and the temperatures drop, you can of course start your game at either 6 or 7. When it is now bearable, or even enjoyable, it creates an amazing atmosphere, and under the lights golf is a whole different ball game. Very few championship courses offer this, and it is a game changer in Bangkok.

Summit Windmill had some good design and great strategy. Overall, the course does come with great architecture and good overall conditioning. However, the poor experience does stem from one place: the caddies, which is unfortunate, as the standard down at Hua Hin is set much higher.

Having access to play at night, as well as being one of the very few championship level golf courses in Bangkok makes it easier to place golf in your itinerary.

Everything else from the course, clubhouse, and all of the facilities to the restaurant, and even the complete and spacious lockers is all high end, good quality and well maintained.

Most of the time that I spent in the course, I would play at night and really enjoyed it. It doesn't make sense to play in the day when it's so much easier to play in the night.

Overall, SW is one of if not the best course in the city. There are so many things you can work with and play in your own head.

The most frustrating thing of the whole place is the quality of the caddies, which at best can be described as inconsistent. However, with the ability to play at night and with the quality of the course, it does take care of one of most the significant issues that the city has.

The caddies just like many other things at the course come with good quality and high end experience.

For professional golfers who come to Bangkok, this is a must. One of the finest championship designs in the city—and playing it at night is a pretty special experience, as you’ll have the lights on the course, and it will be cooler. The golf is tremendous, and you may want to lower your expectations on the level of assistance a caddie will provide.