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

Dress For Success On The Thailand Golf Course

Do you want to be admired and respected by golf club staff, caddies and other local Thais on your Thailand golf vacation? Here’s a tip – wear the right color clothes on the right day!

In Thailand the days of the week are named after the planets in the same order as some Western countries. In Thai, wan (pronounced wun) means day and it comes before the name of the planet. Each day is also associated with a color. Traditionally, people wear items of clothing according to the color of the day.

A friend of mine’s wife and her family are always appreciative when he wears the appropriate color each day. So for a New Year's present, they have given him a variety of different colored golf shirts. He now has the full set and they try to insist that he wears the correct colored shirt each day according to the following chart!!

How To Score Well Golfing In Thailand?

When golfing in Thailand it seems like everybody has different thoughts on how to begin a hole.  Many Thailand golfer holidaymakers put everything into their tee shot, practically ungluing themselves every time they tee off. Lady golfers in Bangkok worried about their slice, so they take a lot off of their tee shots and rely on their hybrids.

For the “so-called” professional golfers visiting Phuket, it is a heavy concentration on mechanics.  However, no matter which option you chose when golfing in Thailand, you end up with one shot to finish the hole - the lowly putt.

Why do most golfers in Thailand not look forward to putting?  Everyone knows the old expression, "Drive for show, putt for dough," so why has this not been learned?  Simply put, the putt is not sexy.

No one says "Wow!" when you make a routine putt, but 300-yard drives that is something.  What is your score at the end of the golf day based on?  Sure, you hit 18 tee shots and a fair number of irons, but unless you chip divinely, you are probably going to hit at least 18 putts on every golf Thailand golf course.

Loy Krathong Festival While Golfing In Thailand

The upcoming months are a great time to be golfing in Thailand – and if you are planning to be here this month, try to stay over the weekend of November 24th to take in, and indeed participate in, one of Thailand’s most beautiful and popular Festivals.

The Festival is called Loy Krathong, and it takes place on the full moon in November. During the evening, many people will go down to their local klong (canal) or river or even the beach to float their krathongs. They believe this will bring them good luck. The krathongs (small rafts traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk  - although modern-day versions often use Styrofoam) are decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves and flowers, and contain a flower, a candle and three incense sticks which are lighted before being placed on the water. The people usually make a wish at the same time. Some believe that if the candle remains burning until the krathong is out of sight then their wish will come true. By the end of the evening, there are hundreds of flickering lights bobbing up and down on the water. Overall it is really a memorable evening and a great way to compliment golf in Thailand.

Golf Villas In Thailand: A Dream Or A Drag

In an earlier posting about living in Thailand so that you can golf here year round, I referred briefly to the pro’s and con’s of buying golf course property. Nobody loves their golf more than me but, personally speaking, the last place that I would want to live is on a Thailand golf course – and that goes double for my wife.

OK, you have easy access to golf whenever you want; particularly if a golf membership  is included in the golf course real estate. Some Thailand golf courses have a good range of other facilities such as restaurants, massage, gymnasium, tennis courts, driving range and swimming pool.  Also you can have the quiet of the often beautiful setting of a Thailand golf course far away from urban development. Buying a golf housing estate creates an instant social network of friends and you will never be short of a neighbor in search of a round. Golf properties also offer good rental potential.

But, consider the practicalities too. If your wife does not play golf, what will she do with herself whilst you are out gracing the fairways? And after you have eaten in the club restaurant for seven nights in a row, or you have simply run out of beer, you may well have a 30-minutes-plus ride to the nearest restaurant or seven eleven – indeed, at some Thai golf housing estates like Lakewood or Summit Windmill in Bangkok, it can take 20 minutes just to reach the exit!  For me, it is just too quiet.

Hua Hin's Best Golf Course Part 2 Of 2

Here is the continuation post on the best Hua Hin golf course, Black Mountain. It covers Chiang Rai based PGA teaching professional Graham Sampson's favorite 3 holes.

Each of the eighteen holes is unique and interesting. Three of the holes I found most memorable were 4, 6 & 15.

Hole # 4 is a beautiful downhill par 4 measuring 432 yards from the black tees and 396 from the blue. The elevation drop is dramatic, requiring a precise tee shot that feels slightly ‘blind’ the first time you play it. There’s a small structure in the horizon that makes for a great target. An easy thai expression to learn is ‘bai nai?” (go where?). Your caddie will not only appreciate your attempt at thai—but will point you in the right direction. I always advocate picking a target in the horizon when available and this hole presents the perfect opportunity to apply this visual tip. When the wind conditions are favorable some long hitters may even be tempted to drive the green. Because of the steep elevation drop a shot of 220 yards from the blue tee will leave the player about 150 yards to the pin. .The island green has a steep front to back elevation change - with varying degrees of difficulty.

Hua Hin's Best Golf Course Part 1 Of 2

Here is a review of Hua Hin's newest and best golf club by Chiag Rai Thailand based PGA golf teaching professional Graham Sampson

The Black Mountain Golf Club, a new 18 hole championship course in the seaside town of Hua Hin, Thailand that opened for play July, 2007. It’s only a ten-minute drive from downtown and a must-play for all golf enthusiasts.

The course stretches out to 7345 yards from the championship-caliber black tees to 6502 from the blue with course ratings of 75 & 72 respectively. The forward tees play to a comfortable 5652 yards with a course rating of 73.

When visiting a new facility golfer’s unanimously pick the entrance as the most important feature—secondly being greeted by a smile. The Black Mountain club house is a breathtaking structure, contemporary-in-design, while dramatically blending into the natural scenery. The enthusiastic female caddies greet you with that warm smile and you immediately feel welcome. Fine dining is available in an outdoor-open-air setting, combining friendly, efficient service and a menu with something-for-everyone. The golf shop is well stocked, the locker rooms luxurious, the staff professional and courteous.

Phuket's Hottest Golf Course

Here is a great write up by Phuket golf expert and long time Thailand resident Howard Gross.

If you are in Phuket playing golf, you will undoubtedly play the Loch Palm Golf Course. It is one of the top three courses on the island. And you cannot just play Loch Palm without playing the new sister course Red Mountain which had a very soft opening in May of 2007. No fanfare, hoopla or special promotion, the opening was announced simply with a sign as you drove to the old club house, of Loch Palm, that Red Mountain was now open.

It may have been a quiet opening but it held a very big surprise. Carved out of the mountains of an old tin mine I think this is the most stunning Phuket golf course. Breathtaking views of Pang Na Bay are visible from the back of the green of what may be the 4th hole. I say may be because the course opened in two stages, the front nine and the back nine almost one year later. With the construction of the new clubhouse underway, the layout order of holes will change again. But the order in which one plays this course is not nearly as significant as club selection on every hole.

The Ronald Fream Thailand Golf Courses

The 3 Thailand golf courses designed by Ronald Fream are Panya Indra Golf Club in Bangkok, Windsor Park Golf Club (formerly Panya Park Golf Club) also in Bangkok, and Mountain Shadow Golf Club (formerly Natural Hill Golf Club) near Pattaya.

The Panya Indra Golf Club was developed by Fream in 1991 comprises three separate 9-hole championship courses, each with an individual design. It is the only one of the 3 original Panya Group golf courses that still bears the Panya name.

The golf course has been extensively landscaped with flowering plants, shrubs, and bushes to provide a beautiful backdrop. Fairways and greens make use of extensive undulations to add to the challenge. The par three holes are perhaps the most testing aspect of this course as every hole requires a tee shot with full carry over water. There is also a great dog-leg hole on each of the three nines. Course conditions are always excellent as this course is mostly patronized by Mr. Panya's wealthy business and government Thai golfing friends. The caddies are in particular outstanding as they all have been hand selected, are well-trained, and extremely helpful.