Opening in 2021, the Ballyshear Links were designed by Gil Hanse and his team as a tribute to the famous lost Lido course by American golf pioneers C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. The Hanse course will feature the same 18 template holes that were built on the original Lido.

Ballyshear’s location, on the humid outskirts of the Thai capital Bangkok, is as far removed from the Long Island coastline as one could imagine but the design and shaping of the typically geometric features are fairly authentic.

Interestingly, prior to construction of Ballyshear concluding there was an announcement from the Sand Valley Resort that they were building an apparently exact replica of the Lido course on their vast rolling sand dunes of central Wisconsin. While comparisons between the courses seem inevitable, the Sand Valley Lido will feature a more faithful replica than Ballyshear of the actual Macdonald/Raynor routing, and also enjoy a climate and ground conditions that are more conducive to the firm, bouncy ground game of the original links. Bangkok seems like one of the hardest places in the world to grow lean, tight, links-like turf.

In describing the Ballyshear concept, Hanse noted that in following the theory and philosophy of Macdonald and Raynor at Lido, they will “reproduce unique and theoretically excellent holes such as the "Redan" and “Channel”.”

He added that he wished to “see a course that is fresh and interesting for Thai golfers. The completed course will be carefully maintained, with hard and fast greens that are perfectly manicured. There is no doubt that courses that do not cut corners on maintenance, an important aspect of the golf game, will have a greater asset value.”

While no doubt a new and unique design concept for Thailand, building Ballyshear was a gamble for the Ban Rakat Club and it remains to be seen both how authentically the course will play, and whether Asian golfers come to appreciate and enjoy the Macdonald/Raynor template holes as much as many American golfers do.