Santiburi Samui Country Club,
Koh Samui
Santiburi Country Club Chiang Rai,
Chiang Rai
Mission Hills Phuket Golf Resort & Spa,
Phuket
Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort,
Chiang Mai
Thailand has recently become a bit of a golfers' paradise for a few very good reasons. Certainly in relation to its neighbours, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, Thailand is still good value for money, so many Asian and European tourists now visit in the winter months from November to March and enjoy a range of excellent golf facilities.
Judging by the price of golf in other world destinations frequented by Europeans, such as the Middle East and the Iberian Peninsula, where parting with US$100 is a regular experience for 18 holes, Thailand stands to benefit further still as long as golf operators keep things at a sensible level.
Despite the amount of rainfall, one seldom loses a whole day’s golf to the weather; you might get a little wet, but the chances of being rained off completely are very slim. Even if you do get rained on, there are always drinks stops to shelter in and many even provide meals as well, so waiting out the rain is no real hardship at all.
Then there is the range of courses, from true championship layouts, to interesting resort courses, flat tracks on the central plains to hilly tests in the north and a mixture of beachside, links style or parkland designs. In fact a virtual full house. There is even a 9 hole layout styled on a New Mexico or Arizona desert course and an excellent 9 hole par 3 course with all the holes modelled on courses where majors are played.
Golf really started in the 1920s when King Rama VI built a palace in Hua Hin and commissioned a golf course right next to the town’s railway station.
Built by a Scottish railway engineer and completed in 1924, the Royal Hua Hin Golf Course is still a gem after all this time. A few more opened in the 1970s, including Navatanee in Bangkok, built to host the World Cup in 1975, but it was not until Thailand started to boom in the early 1990s that golf really took off and a massive expansion began with new courses appearing country wide.
Many were designed by world renowned names including Pete and Perry Dye, Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Peter Thomson and Robert Trent Jones Jnr.
However, a number of courses were badly planned and ill thought-out projects, intending to sell condominiums and houses on the land surrounding the course. The economic crash of 1997 found many projects foreclosed and a large number of half-built houses could be seen rotting away; a sad sight indeed.
It's only recently that a number are showing signs of development, with land plots being sold, new resort hotels going up and houses being built. The last few years have even witnessed some new courses: Lotus Valley Golf Resort, Alpine Golf Resort Chiang Mai, Mission Hills Khao Yai (undergoing name change) and Suwan Golf and Country Club to name but a few. So things are looking up for golfers, both local and visiting, to enjoy the game in really excellent surroundings.
The Mah Boonkrong International Par 3 is a real plus for making the trip to Bangkok Golf Club.
Whilst not exact copies, the holes are modelled on some very famous par 3’s worldwide, such as the 3rd at Joondalup, the 11th at St Andrews, the 7th at Pebble Beach and the 12th at Augusta – right in the middle of Amen Corner and a very good replica it is too! It's a great place to take beginners and especially the kids as it's seldom too crowded and nobody minds a few etiquette lapses.
The caddies here are also very good, offering help and advice to beginners. The condition of the course is surprisingly good, so if you want to practice the short game or just have a lot of fun, give it a try.
Not much more than an 8 iron will be needed, as the longest hole is 152 yards and the shortest is 83 yards. There's an accumulating hole-in-one prize which is a small fee to enter and, since you never know your luck, is worth a punt!The game is somewhat different here when compared to many resort and golf holiday destinations. Only a handful of courses have any sort of marshalling for example, so don’t expect the kind of etiquette and course discipline that is the norm in Europe and elsewhere. Many courses allow 5- or even 6-ball groups, which tends to slow things down, in fact Thai groups seem to prefer playing as a 5-ball.
Almost all par 3’s are 'call holes' where, once your group have all made the green, the group behind is 'called up' to play their shots while you wait. The theory is that this speeds up the game, but sadly it tends to just bunch groups on the following and preceding holes. Quite why this developed in Thailand remains a mystery.
At weekends on one or two courses in and around Bangkok, you could experience a five-hour round or, during particularly busy times, as long as seven hours. Weekdays are preferable for visitors as the courses will not be as crowded and the pace of play should be more acceptable. However, if Thailand is to capture a greater share of the golf tourism market, the pace of play is something that needs to be addressed by the clubs themselves. Some, to be commended, are doing this already.
Where the Korean golfers hone their skills
If you've ever wondered why the Koreans seem to be surging on towards great things in the world of golf, particularly in the women’s game, take a trip to Dragon Hills Golf & Country Club near Ratchaburi and you'll see why!
Hordes of junior players have a golf camp here from November to January in the midst of the North Asian winter, with morning practice and afternoons spent on the course accompanied by a pro.
This is one way to ensure that your country’s talent receives the attention it deserves. European golf associations take note!All courses have drinks stops, some doubling as noodle stalls, so eating is also very much part of the game. Most golfers here are not in a hurry either, so relax, enjoy the surroundings and don’t get hot and bothered about the time your round might take.
Perhaps take a little longer to contemplate what shot to play and do what the pros do; visualize the shot first and then hit the perfect swing to put the ball where you planned. I know, we can all dream!
