Laguna National (Classic)

Andy Dye (in collaboration with Pete and Perry) set out the original 18-hole Masters layout and he would return again to construct the World Classic course over a three-year period, prior to its opening in 2010. Billed as “Asia’s Toughest Test,” this stadium course features over two hundred and fifty bunkers, a number of “waste bunker canyons” and “generous greens which often feature three or more tiers”.

Also dubbed “The Remarkable One,” the Classic course is said to consist of eighteen holes that are “reminiscent of,” “similar to,” or “not unlike” some of the most iconic holes in British and American golf. The gargantuan par three 3rd measures all of 305 yards from the back tees, the postage stamp green at the 7th is said to be the smallest in Asian golf with the putting surface on the 13th reputed to be the largest on the continent.

With descriptions and statistics like that, it’s easy to see why a layout that can play to almost 8,000 yards attracts a rating of 76.4 with an eye watering slope of 162. Is it also no surprise that recent professional tournaments hosted by the club – such as The European Tour’s Championship at Laguna National – have been played on the more forgiving Masters course.

In 2017 The Classic course was reconfigured and re-routed, including the addition of two new holes, the objective of the project was to make the course more user friendly.