Thailand Golf Holidays, Phuket Golf Packages, Hua Hin Golf Vacations

Panya Indra Excels on Several Counts

Playing golf in Thailand is an experience every time you tee off, and certainly that is what you get when you step up to the tee box at Panya Indra Golf Club.

Not far from the center of Bangkok, this 27-hole golf club is open for both day time and night golf. The course was designed back in 1989 by U.S. designer Ronald Fream. Fream used only 800 rai of land just outside Bangkok to make you forget that you are on the outskirts of a major city. There are three separate 9-hole courses, with their own individual design aptly named the Lagoon Course, Palm Course or Garden Course.

The Bangkok golf course was so clever that they constructed a man-made dyke around the course to protect it from last year’s floods. It worked and in spite of water in the roads outside the course, the course was kept dry and is now in pristine condition.

Thailand's Soft Sand

First time visitors golfing in Thailand often mention to me about how difficult it is hitting good shots from greenside bunkers at many of the Thailand golf courses. What I see when we play together is that their sand wedges dig into the often fluffy sand found on many golf courses in Thailand and these same Thai golfers leave their first shot in the bunker and take two or worse three shots to get on the green.

The cause of this is that many of these same Thailand golfers don't open the clubface enough on bunker shots.  When I ask why? They mention that they are afraid that opening the clubface will cause the shot to go right. This is a very common mistake when golfing in Thailand, especially after a long layoff during the cold winters at home, it is totally wrong!
The good news is that this error can be easily overcome, even during your first round of golf in Thailand.

How To Organize A Successful Group Thailand Golf Trip (Part 3 of 3)

In my last 2 articles I covered the first 4 steps towards a successful group Thailand golf trip. They were group leader and date and location selection along with requesting quotations. Here are the final 2 steps.


5. Communicate and Build Consensus

After you’ve gotten the Thailand golf package quote(s), distribute the information to your group and call a meeting to discuss (maybe over a beer after next Saturday’s round).  Then it’s time to build consensus – sometimes easy / sometimes difficult.  The consensus may be ‘let’s go with it’, or it may be ‘we need to request some changes/options, get another quote and have another meeting’.  This is a KEY time.  The importance of giving everyone a chance to share opinions, and directing the group toward building a consensus cannot be overstated.

Also be sure everyone is aware of any terms relating to the Thailand golf tour offer validity, payments and cancellation terms.  If unclear ask your tour operator to provide more information.

Once the itinerary is more or less set, you’ll need to get into details regarding the flights if you have not already done so.   For international flights I find it is almost always best to arrange then in your country of origin for the best prices and options. Don’t be fooled by a local golf tour operator who states differently as he maybe just wanting to make more money from you and not have your best interests in mind.

How To Organize A Successful Group Thailand Golf Trip (Part 2 of 3)

In my last article I covered the first 2 steps towards a successful group Thailand golf trip. They were group leader and date selection. Here are the next 2 steps.

3. Pick the Location

Sometimes the group is already set on a particular Thailand golf destination.  Other times the group will be interested in considering alternatives - in that case a discussion is necessary to let everyone view their thoughts in an effort to narrow down the list to a few workable candidates.  Then an ‘assignment’ is made to get more general information on the prime candidate Thai golf destinations – sometimes the group leader does all that himself, though a shared approach also works whereby different members research different locations, perhaps the Thailand golf locations ones they are already familiar with.  Another meeting or two is held to discuss and debate, then make a final decision on Thailand golf holiday location, after which you start working on the itinerary and getting quotes.

Here are four things to consider when choosing location:

a. Accessibility (how far are you willing to travel and how easy is it for the group to get there?)

b. Golf Quality and Quantity within reasonable travel time of hotel(s), typically 1 hour or less for most groups

c. Golf & Thailand Golf Resort Price Ranges (note: price can reflect land and construction costs as much or even more than quality, so don’t mistakenly assume more expensive means better.)

d. Off course preferences (beaches, nightlife, spas, shopping, culture and sightseeing, peace and relaxation, … different groups obviously have different preferences … this aspect can have a big impact on the overall success of the Thailand golf trip and should not be overlooked)

How To Organize A Successful Group Thailand Golf Trip (Part 1 of 3)

Has your regular golf group kicked around the idea of taking a Thailand golf trip together?  Well it’s time to stop talking and take action. Here are the first two of six steps to organize your Thailand golf and insure you have a successful Thailand golf holiday.

1. Pick a Group Leader
One of the key factors in ‘making it successfully happen’ is to pick the right Thailand golf group leader.  Don’t just pick the best Thai golfer.  Far more important are to designate someone that:

A - Is responsible, has organization skills and can be counted on to take initiative, follow-up and follow through

B - Is a consensus builder the group is comfortable with

C - Has good communication skills to communicate both with your tour provider and all group members on a regular basis

Often someone (usually one with plenty of initiative or who has been a Thailand golf vacation before) will take it upon himself to put together a group trip and recruit participants, perhaps on a regular recurring annual basis.  This can work fine.

Another approach that can work equally well is a Golf Society / League or less formal group of friends who take turns passing the group leader responsibility around for different golf trips.  Just be sure to pick ONE leader for each trip, or else you will get bogged down endlessly with different members going in different directions, considering endless options and nobody ever making any decisions.  The Thailand golf group leader does not need to do all the work himself though, he can get assistance or delegate tasks to others.

Better Business For Golf In Thailand

Perception is one thing; reality is often very different. So it was with flooding that affected a large area of countryside near Bangkok in October and November.

To outsiders, the perception was that the inundation – as real and damaging as it was for many communities – had halted play on many of Thailand’s 260 golf courses and that it would take months for courses to re-open. Dispatches declaring that “Bangkok’s airport is under water” failed to mention that the airport was, in fact, Don Muang, replaced in 2006 by Suvarnabhumi on the other side of the city, which was unaffected by floodwaters or disruptions to flights.

The reality is that only a handful of Bangkok golf courses closed, some for just a few days, and often because of difficult road access rather than unplayable fairways and greens. Of all the Bangkok golf courses played by inbound golf tourists, only three remain closed: Pinehurst and the two Royal Gems layouts – its original resort course north-west of Bangkok and the new Royal Gems City course closer to the city that had put a temporary halt to accepting visitors until its new clubhouse is completed. Pinehurst is reopening on December 20 and the twin Royal Gems layouts in February.

Don’t Slice It In Thailand

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could hit it straight or better yet with a slight draw when golfing in Thailand? On the driving range before your first round of golf in Hua Hin does your ball striking leaves something to be desired?

If so, try changing grips. Most Thailand golfers use a standard neutral grip. But if you're ending up with shots that go to the right, then you're not making solid contact and you're not helping yourself. The straighter your shots go, the more fun you will have when you golf in Thailand.

Here are two easy things to getting a good score at any Thailand golf course:

1. Turn both hands slightly right
2.  Keep your wrists firm when you swing

There's nothing wrong with using the standard neutral grip if it's producing good results. The standard neutral grip is hit with both thumbs on top of the shaft. But I see too many high handicappers golfing in Bangkok that struggle to hit it straight. If this is you, then you may want to do something about it. Using a stronger grip can save you strokes and adds to the enjoyment of your Bangkok golf holiday.

Hua Hin: The 'Other' Golf Courses

Just about all golfers in Hua Hin want to play the two area 5 star courses; Black Mountain and Banyan Golf Club. Next on the list and a notch below for most golfers are Springfield Royal and Palm Hills.

Then there are the ‘Other’ courses. Some golfers skip them altogether, and if you are one who demands pristine country club conditions, luxurious clubhouses with lots of niceties and amenities and only modern designs, perhaps you should too.  For the rest of us though these courses all have something to offer and can make for an enjoyable round of golf.

Royal Hua Hin
Thailand’s first course, dating back to the 1920s when it was constructed next to the Hua Hin train station by a Scottish railroad engineer working on the ‘Orient Express’ route. The rough is rough, the fairways are patchy, and the bunkers are true hazards. However, the Royal Hua Hin Golf Club is a wonderful old style design and the greens and collar areas are usually kept in good condition. The large mature trees lining the fairways make this course at a minimum a great days ‘walk in the park’. The monkeys roaming the course and the surrounding temples further add to the experience and the Hua Hin golf course is so close to central Hua Hin you can walk to the course.

Imperial Lake View
You can expect a warm welcome and easy smile from all the staff at the 36-hole Imperial Lake View Golf Club. The course design is good (particularly the A-B courses) and the greens are well maintained, though fairway conditions were inconsistent on a recent visit. The rolling property is quite large and the course has a park land layout that provides a feeling of isolation with nature on several holes. 

Golf Pride Of The Royal Thai Navy

Here is a great story from a good friend in Pattaya.

I was once like you folks—playing all the Pattaya golf courses, tipping those lovely caddies twice as much as I should, riding a la cart rather than do the plebeian trudge that would scuff my alligator Foot-Joys, gamboling over golf courses in Cambodia where the game is just getting a foothold…Then, one by one, my old and now ex-friends in foreign lands started treating the loans I had given them as largesse.

Subsequent penury has separated me from your good golf company. Now I rent a one-room apartment well south of Pattaya. My golf is reduced to Plutaluang, the Navy golf course in Sattahip. I ride to the course on a rented Honda 125, my bag athwart the buddy seat. I almost never get run over by trucks and buses or those tourist vans with bar and movies that haul you, my old golfing cronies, to one Pattaya golf course or another, then back to the diversions of Pattaya City.

Plutaluang has four well-designed nines, built largely on hilly terrain that makes them interesting. The Thai Navy Golf Course is definitely a good value for money with normal green fees of $35 US Dollars or less during the low season from May to September. The greens are not bad at all, though some are huge enough that an “on the green” in a far corner gives you a long rolling shot tougher than you’d have if you were chipping from the same distance.

Destinations For A Thailand Golf Package

Many golfers ask me what is the best destination for golf in Thailand. My answer is always ‘it depends”.

For those who like a sunny beach destination, then the best golf in Thailand is either Phuket or Hua Hin. On the other hand, Thailand golfers looking for more authenticity and value-for-money would like golfing in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai the best.

Next up are golfers in Thailand who are here for only a short break and want  a taste of Thailand’s best shopping. In this case, Bangkok has by far the best golf in Thailand with over 60 courses to choose from all located 30-60 minutes from the city center and many local markets where everything under the sun is on offer at reasonable prices. For the best golf and partying, golf in Pattaya is the choice. The resort’s nightlife is infamous and there are over 20 Pattaya golf courses to select from.