Driving to the Thai Country Club on the outskirts of Bangkok, one could be forgiven for thinking that Google Maps had the incorrect coordinates.

Turning off the main highway, my faith in GPS technology was pushed to the limits, as the road wound its way through an industrial estate before suddenly – like a mirage – the entrance to the club mystically appeared.

And within seconds, I was transported inside the tranquil oasis of the Thai Country Club, one of the most respected golf clubs in Thailand with a rich pedigree dating back to when the club first opened in December 1996.

Designed by Dennis Griffiths, the former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (yes, I had to look him up as well), Thai Country Club is a prime example of a golf course that is world-renowned due to its playability, and not because of a famous named architect. The 7,097-yard course was first seriously tested a year after opening, when Tiger Woods won the Asian Honda Classic driving the par 4, 10th, an impressive feat celebrated with a plaque on the tee box.

And the man currently tasked with running the club is equally impressive… 35-year-old Jack Hedges.

Hedges, who hails from Berkshire, took over as general manager at the beginning of 2023 replacing John Blanch who returned to the UK to assume a similar position at Wentworth, before moving to Loch Lomond.

With extensive experience working in Asia, Hedges has an impressive CV having worked in Cambodia, China and Vietnam previously. Yet, things could have been quite different if, aged 20, he had decided not to follow his gut, and shun the PGA Management programme in favour of real-world experience in Cambodia as he explains.

“Growing up I played all sorts of sports, but golf wasn’t one of them for a while. I picked it up about 13 years old from a friend and his Dad going to the driving range in the summer holidays.

“I lived ten minutes from Blue Mountain Golf Club and just got hooked immediately and was there pretty much every day. By the age of 14 I was helping them pick-up balls on the driving range, and in return, would get driving range cards, so my practice was paid for.”

Hedges quickly got down to scratch, and by the time he was 16, was working part-time in the evenings on the range. And with a career in golf uppermost in his thoughts, it was suggested he attend Merrist Wood College, not knowing what the future held.

“I went through the whole process not really knowing if I wanted to be a player or a coach. I wasn’t that clear. I just knew I wanted to be in the golf industry.

“I played in a few tournaments here and there, but I ended up focusing more on the work side of things than I did on the playing side, and I really enjoyed that.

“I then moved to Sand Martins Golf Club in September 2008, and that’s when it was time to start looking at the future. And as usual for a young man in the golf industry, I was encouraged to do my PGA training and that’s when it all kind of changed,” he continues. As an assistant professional at the time, aged 18, Hedges was encouraged to go away for a month in winter so as he could work on his game, with the intentions of returning to complete his PGA qualification.

“I was searching for places to go, and Thailand came up. A family friend who was based in Thailand put me in touch with the general manager of a resort three hours from Bangkok, and I trained in the morning with Thai golf professionals, and then in the afternoon, helped the GM which was my first experience of golf operations.

“When I returned to the UK, I realised very quickly that I wanted to be overseas, and that I was more interested in the management side than I was the playing side and that was when the seed was kind of planted.

“I started my PGA at The Belfry and recall them asking: ‘who wants to be a coach, who wants to be a player and who wants to be in management’. And I was the only one out of a class of 50 who put my hand up for management,” he recalls.

Hedges decided to cease his PGA training – returning the fees paid by Sand Martins – and to the surprise of his head pro, announced that he was resigning to pursue his dream of a career in golf management overseas, in of all places, Cambodia.

“They obviously thought it was not the best idea, which I can kind of understand, but I stuck to my guns and thought that at some point it would come back to haunt me. That was 14 years ago.”

Aged 21, Hedges moved to Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort in Cambodia as golf operations manager in January 2010 learning every aspect of golf club management during his three-year tenure, including one experience he has never forgotten.

“The hardest, and most challenging aspect of my career was not managing the quantity of people but being such a young age. I remember I had to fire someone for stealing something, and this guy was 50 years old, and I was 21… my legs were shaking under the table.

“You kind of remember that, and I soon realised that you never quite get accepted for being the younger one, but then, it doesn’t really matter.”

A period working for IMG in China at Pinerock, and Ba Na Hills in Vietnam followed before spending Covid back in China at The Players Club in Beijing.

For someone so young, Hedges rise to prominence in Asia is impressive, but it hasn’t happened by accident. His dedication to learning has paid off, and rather than opting for university, decided to, in his words, “work, work, work.”

“I was a worker and that was what I was really good at,” he admits. “I would buy boxes of books on customer service, finance and accounting to prepare myself as much as I could.”

So, when the opportunity to return to Thailand presented itself, Hedges put himself front and centre to take the role.

“I knew the reputation that Thai Country Club had, as it was known for its hospitality and its service,” said Hedges, who took over as general manager in January 2023.

“I took the first few months just to observe and talk to staff and the owners to get an understanding of what people think. Then, the first thing we focussed on was the golf course, which was good, but there was a lot of room for improvement, and conditioning still is one of our top priorities.

“Then internally, the realisation that the club is coming up for 30 years old at the end of 2026.

“Our staff make the experience, from the pro shop to the bag drop and then of course, the caddies. A lot of our staff have been here for nearly 30 years, and so with them coming towards the end of their career, and with a new generation coming up, my goal for this year is to start putting a plan in place for the next 30 years.”

Primarily a high-end, semi-private club, Thai Country Club opens its tee-sheet to visiting golfers and is experiencing a post-pandemic boom, which appears to be keeping Hedges busy in his professional life.

Personally, he appears more than happy in Bangkok saying: “I’m very comfortable in this part of the world. I know it, and the owners here are really great.

“And I think as GMs or even golf industry professionals, we go around our career through these different countries kind of looking for the trifecta, which is the club itself to be reputable; the people you work for, you get on well with and number three, is the location where you can actually have a life outside of work.

“I’ve pretty much got it here with Bangkok and Thai Country Club, so I’m really excited. This is a long-term thing for me here.”