Eastern Star

Ban Chang sits on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, roughly 20 kilometers south of Rayong town along the Gulf of Thailand coast — a stretch of shoreline that has transformed dramatically since the 1980s into one of Southeast Asia's busiest industrial and resort corridors. The area draws a mix of expats working in the petrochemical sector, weekending Bangkokians, and tourists passing through en route to Ko Samet. Golf has taken firm root here, and Eastern Star is one of several courses that cater to this eclectic, year-round golfing crowd.

I don't have reliable specific details about Eastern Star's architect or design history to share with confidence, but Rayong-area courses generally benefit from the region's relatively flat coastal terrain softened by tropical vegetation — palms, flowering shrubs, and water features that are as much hazard as scenery. The climate is hot and humid most of the year, with the wet season running roughly May through October, though morning rounds remain popular and playable even in peak summer.

As a course in this part of Thailand, Eastern Star likely draws the kind of relaxed, social golfing culture that defines the Eastern Seaboard scene — competitive enough to satisfy serious players, but with the unhurried pace and hospitality that makes golf in Thailand genuinely distinct from almost anywhere else.