Gil Hanse’s homage to a famous New York layout of yesteryear opens near Bangkok

By Kent Gray
Given it opened in 1917 and closed its doors during WWII with the prime land on New York’s Long Island unceremoniously repurposed by the U.S. Navy, you may not be familiar with fabled Lido Golf Club. Know that it was the masterpiece of architect C.B. (Charles Blair) Macdonald and construction engineer Seth Raynor and considered, prior to the Depression anyway, to be one of the game’s most magnificent achievements. A faithful recreation is in build in Wisconsin but there is already a nod to the Lido open for play in Thailand. Ballyshear Links is the latest work of Gil Hanse, the American architect of Trump Dubai fame. The centrepiece of the newly redeveloped Ban Rakat Club, Ballyshear features the same 18 templates imagined into life by Macdonald and Raynor, each reinterpreted by Hanse and adapted to the landscape on the outskirts of Bangkok. The layout includes replicas of the famous Redan at North Berwick, the infamous Biarritz par-3 in southern France and the ‘Alps’ at Prestwick.

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

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