In an interview with The Nation yesterday, Srithas Prungrith, senior marketing communications of the club explained: "The Alpine Golf & Sports Club is a long name and difficult to remember.

"The old name also confused our members as they always asked us if there is a also sports club that offers fitness centre, jogging machines and dumb bells inside the golf course.

"We then decided to change it from the Alpine Golf & Sports Club to the Alpine Golf Club, just to remind our members that we provide them only golfing activity," she said.

"I think the name change of the golf course will help the public know our actual standing.

"During the past 10 years, our club has undergone all aspects of improvement and development, including qualitative improvement in the tee-off and change of fairway grass to meet the standard of a championship golf course," she added.

The Alpine Golf Club was chosen to be the venue for several world-class tournaments including the 2000 Johnnie Walker Classic, which featured the world's top golfers including No 1 Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Michael Campbell, Nick Faldo and Sam Torrance.

Srithas said the club had been conducting a feasibility study to organise an annual international tournament.

"We staged a world-class competition in 2005."

On its 10th anniversary, top local golfer Thongchai Jaidee praised the golf course and the role it had played in his development as one of the best golfers in Asia.

"In my golfing career, when I started out for the national team, I spent endless hours honing my skills at the Alpine golf course in order to prepare for the Asian Games.

"I also practised at the course to enter the Johnnie Walker Classic tournament. Needless to say, I have a deep relationship with the course and always think of it as my home course, which took me to where I am today," Thongchai said.

He said the golf course is very modern with beauty and challenges "all bundled together to give golfers a truly world class touch".

"I would like to congratulate Alpine on its 10th anniversary and expect it to expand its horizons in the following years to give golfers the best experience possible," he added.

The Alpine Golf Club kicked off its construction project in 1993 with a design from the eminent Ronald M Garl, who received the Golf Designer of the Year Award in 1996 from the International Network Golf Industry.

The course took three years to complete.

It is a private course spread over 180 acres of prime land and located on 770 rai of land in Pathum Thani, covering 7,100 yards long with a par of 72.

Preechachan  Wiriyanupappong

The Nation