Ayodhya Links
Formed in 2007 by a handful of Thailand's wealthiest families and kept almost entirely private ever since, Ayodhya Links is the country's most exclusive golf club. Designed in a links idiom by Peter Thomson's Thomson Perrett firm, a par 72 of 7,639 yards laid out across the plains near Ayutthaya, it is a course most golfers only ever read about.
Photo via Google.
The verdict
Ayodhya Links is unlike anything else in Thai golf. While most of the country's celebrated courses are lush, tropical parkland resorts open to the world, Ayodhya was built as a private retreat for a small circle of Thailand's most powerful families, who formed the club in 2007 and have guarded its exclusivity ever since. Membership is by invitation only, the tee sheet is rarely busy, and the conditioning is maintained to a standard that few clubs anywhere can match.
The course itself is a statement. The Thomson Perrett firm, the practice founded by five time Open champion Peter Thomson with Ross Perrett and Mike Lobb, was given a flat site on the plains north of Bangkok and chose to build a links, moving vast amounts of earth to create rolling contours, sandy waste areas and a treeless, windswept character entirely at odds with its tropical surroundings. Stretching beyond 7,600 yards from the back tees, it is a serious, big scale examination, and one regularly rated among the very best courses in Thailand despite being seen by so few.
Ayodhya Links at a glance
- Opened
- 2007
- Designer
- Thomson Perrett
- Type
- Inland links
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 7,639 yds
- Access
- Invitation only
Designer, opening year, par and length verified June 2026 from leading course databases and golf travel sources. The course was designed by the Thomson Perrett firm of Peter Thomson, Ross Perrett and Mike Lobb, opened in 2007, and plays to par 72 of about 7,639 yards in a links style near Ayutthaya. Ayodhya Links is an invitation only members club formed by a small group of Thailand's wealthiest individuals; visitor access is extremely limited. Any access arrangement and fee is indicative for 2026; always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The defining decision at Ayodhya was to build a links where nature provided none. The land north of Bangkok is flat rice country, so the design team shaped every contour by hand, raising fairways into gentle ridges and hollows, carving out broad sandy waste areas, and leaving the course largely free of the trees that frame most Thai golf. The result is a course that looks and plays like the seaside layouts of Australia and Britain, exposed to the wind and asking for the bump and run creativity that links golf demands.
At more than 7,600 yards from the championship markers it is a long, muscular test, but the multiple tees make it playable for a member's guest, and the strategy is classic Thomson: wide fairways that invite a bold line, with the better angle into the green earned by flirting with the sand. The greens are large, firm and full of movement, rewarding an approach landed short and allowed to release rather than flown all the way to the pin.
Because so few golfers ever set foot here, Ayodhya carries a mystique that few courses in the region can claim. For the rare visitor who secures an introduction, it offers a genuinely unusual experience: world class conditioning, a bold and original design from one of the game's great champions, and the quiet of a course built for privacy rather than volume.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Invitation only members club. Visitor play is extremely limited and generally requires the introduction or accompaniment of a member |
| Green fee | Not openly published given the private status; treat any quoted figure as indicative for 2026 and confirm directly |
| Booking | The only realistic route for a travelling golfer is through a member connection; a specialist trip planner can advise on whether access is possible |
| On the day | Caddies are standard and conditioning is immaculate; recognised golf attire expected; the open, windswept layout rewards a controlled, low ball flight |
| Getting there | At Wang Noi near Ayutthaya, about an hour north of central Bangkok by road |
| Best months | The cool, dry season from November to February is the most comfortable time to play golf around Bangkok |
Access guidance verified June 2026; this is a private, invitation only club, so always confirm any arrangement and fee directly before travelling.
Where to stay nearby
Ayutthaya, the former royal capital with its famous temple ruins, has a growing range of riverside hotels and boutique stays, and makes an atmospheric base if you are combining golf with sightseeing. For most travelling golfers, though, central Bangkok an hour south is the natural choice, with its world class hotels, dining and the easy onward connections that make the capital the hub of any Thai trip.
For a fuller golf itinerary, the courses around Bangkok form one of the strongest clusters in Asia, and they pair well with the resort golf of Hua Hin down the coast or a flight south to Phuket for a varied week that mixes championship layouts with beachside relaxation.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Bangkok and Ayutthaya.
Build a Thailand golf trip
We build trips around the best of Thai golf, from the championship courses near Bangkok to the resorts of Hua Hin and Phuket, and arrange the stay and transfers around them. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Ayodhya Links questions
Who designed Ayodhya Links?
Ayodhya Links was designed by the Thomson Perrett firm, the practice of five time Open champion Peter Thomson with Ross Perrett and Mike Lobb, and opened in 2007. The links style layout near Ayutthaya plays to par 72 of about 7,639 yards.
Can visitors play Ayodhya Links?
Ayodhya Links is one of the most exclusive clubs in Asia. It was formed in 2007 by a small group of Thailand's wealthiest individuals and membership is by invitation only, so access for visitors is extremely limited and generally requires the introduction of a member.
What kind of course is Ayodhya Links?
Despite sitting inland on the flat plains north of Bangkok, Ayodhya is built in a links style, with vast sandy waste areas, rolling man made contours and few trees, a dramatic departure from the lush parkland resorts that define most Thai golf.
Where is Ayodhya Links and what else is nearby?
Ayodhya Links sits at Wang Noi near the historic city of Ayutthaya, about an hour north of Bangkok. It anchors the cluster of championship courses around the capital, which can be paired with the resort golf of Hua Hin or Phuket for a wider Thai trip.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and length verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.