Aquella Golf & Country Club, north of Phuket, Thailand, opened in August 2021 after a construction period restricted by the pandemic. With only the initial design work done prior to border closings, the principals of Pacific Coast Design had to change gears and oversee the completion of the project remotely. Drone footage from the onsite team and mobile video technology enabled golf course architects Phil Ryan and Paul Reeves to inspect progress and manage changes from a distance.
The championship-standard Aquella was built on the site of an older course that closed over a dozen years earlier. The new design followed a slightly different route but retained elements of the previous course, including timber-faced bunkers and most of the existing trees.
“Platinum TE Paspalum grass was selected by the team for the entire golf course, wall-to-wall, for a range of reasons, including superior golf surface, salt tolerance, and its quick establishment.”
Phil Ryan, Golf Course Architect of Aquella Golf & Country Club
Aquella is not as close to the beach as the previous course but does run nearby with beautiful views of the Andaman Sea. Only the 11th hole is actually on the sea.
Platinum TE Paspalum is the turfgrass of choice at Aquella and is featured from tee-to-green.