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

Hua Hin Golf Clubhouses

Hua Hin now has 9 golf courses, including 2   which make my Thailand’s top ten list, Black Mountain Golf Club and the new Banyan Golf Club, the later which was the subject of recent post. Here are my favorite golf clubhouses in Hua Hin.

Springfield Village Golf and Spa. The clubhouse was constructed in an elevated position that will leave you with a lasting impression. The interior is beautifully finished in polished marble and granite, and portrays a feeling of opulence associated with grand palaces. The changing rooms are quite excellent. There is a nice patio area outside the locker rooms where you can sit and have a cool drink while cooling down before your shower.

Black Mountain Golf Club. The view from the clubhouse is stunning, and gives a panoramic view of the whole golf course and the “Black Mountains”. The modern clubhouse facilities on offer include fine dining in the restaurant, a well stocked golf shop and luxurious locker rooms. Headed by a European chef, the restaurant features daily specials which range from light freshly made crepes to eclectic Asian-European fusion cuisine. Rain showers are a nice touch in the lockers and the small seat in each shower stall makes it easy to take a lengthy water massage.

The final article in this series will cover my favorite clubhouses in Pattaya.

Chiang Mai Golf Clubhouses

Chiang Mai now boasts 8 golf courses and is fast becoming a popular Thailand golf holiday destination. My favorite golf clubhouses in Chiang Mai are:

Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Resort and Spa. The clubhouse is modern, but yet tastefully integrated with the surrounding mountains. The newly opened spa is one of the best in Northern Thailand, and the golfer’s rejuvenation treatment is really special. Being owned by the same team as Muang Kaew Golf Club in Bangkok it is of little surprise that the restaurant serves top western food, which otherwise is rare in Northern Thailand.

Gassan Khuntan Golf and Resort. The blue domed clubhouse looks like something from outer space in front of the natural surroundings, see photo. However, the multi-floor building is well designed is fully equipped with spacious locker rooms, a well stocked pro shop, and a full service restaurant with outdoor terrace and excellent vies of the golf course and Khuntan Mountain Range.

Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club. While technically not in Chiang Mai, I thought best to mention this club nevertheless. The beautiful and full functional club house featuring a spa and chalet style resort, dominates the highest point of the club area. It is first class in every way, including clean locker rooms, a well stocked pro shop, and a very nice restaurant serving a range of local and international dishes, and of course cold Singha beer (Khun Santi, the owner and namesake of the golf club is the son of the elder Singha Beer magnet, so the beer ought to be fresh!)

Next up are the golf clubhouses of Hua Hin.

Phuket Golf Clubhouses

Phuket is the most famous and popular Thailand golf holiday destination. Given that the courses mainly carter to visiting golfers, it is surprising that all of the Phuket golf courses do not invest in and keep up the club house and facilities.  In fact I only really like 3 of the golf clubhouses in Phuket. These are:

Blue Canyon Country Club. An excellent club house, with 3 gourmet restaurants, clean and luxurious changing rooms, massage, swimming pool and spa.

Mission Hills Phuket Golf Resort and Spa. Service both in the clubhouse and at the accompanying spa and resort is five star. You can even order snacks to be delivered to you on the course as you play. After my golf game I highly recommend the spa facilities and well stocked restaurants; which cater to every need.

Red Mountain Golf Club. Until recently Red Mountain shared the aging Loch Palm clubhouse. Fortunately, this year saw the opening of a modern facility that overlooks the 18th green and first holes. The locker rooms are ultra-modern and everything you would expect from a world class golf resort and a welcome addition to the Phuket golf scene.

My next post will cover the best clubhouses in Chiang Mai.

Bangkok Golf Clubhouses

My favorite golf clubhouses in Bangkok are:

Thai Country Club. Managed by the Peninsula Hotel, Bangkok and Hong Kong, the award-winning best in Asia clubhouse which stands surrounded by water between the 1st tee and 18th green caters to every need. Once there, you’ll find the friendliest staff of golf professionals in the Kingdom, committed to making your golf experience a memorable one. The dining facilities are second to none and the dining room’s ever-changing menus feature Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisine as well as daily buffets. The cocktail bar is the perfect place to meet for 19th hole drinks with spectacular views over the course.

Lakewood Country Club. The service is first class and always friendly, great food, and an attractive outdoor terrace overlooking the golf course, with its landscaping featuring more than 45 species of plants and more than 2,000 trees. Check out the Sunflower exhibits in the spring and the sculptured bougainvilleas during the fall months.

Clubhouses of Thailand Golf Courses

The next few posts will feature my favorite Thailand golf clubhouses, which go a long way towards making your Thailand golfing holiday so memorable.

First, my opinion on what makes up a great Thailand golf clubhouse:

-    Friendly reception and efficient check-in
-    Well stocked and fairly priced Pro Shop
-    Spacious, air-conditioned locker rooms
-    Golf shoe cleaning service
-    Clean, modern showers, with freshly laundered towels, and bathroom accessories
-    In-house traditional Thai massage
-    Spa, steam bath, sauna
-    Quality Thai and Western restaurant, economically priced
-    A range of ice-cold Thai and international beers
-    Fast and friendly service
-    Air-conditioned inside rooms, plus outside terracing
-    Views back out over the golf course
-    Wide screen cable tv showing international sports events
-    Secured bag drop area
-    Drivers waiting room and/or PA system for finding drivers after the round

Actually, demanding though this list may appear a surprisingly large number of golf clubhouses in Thailand meet most, if not all, of these criteria.

The next article will highlight my favorite Bangkok clubhouses, and this will be followed by Phuket, Hua Hin, and then Chiang Mai. If you have any personal favorites, let me know and I will be sure to mention them. Stay tuned!

Driving Off The Deck When Golfing In Thailand

No this is not about your car, but rather how to drive from the fairway when golfing in Thailand.

I do not see many Thailand golfers hitting a driver off the deck, but knowing how to sure helped my Australian golfer friend score well at the new Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin.

His shots flew low with plenty of distance, so it was advantageous when he had  ton of yardage to the long par-4 10th and miraculously using the same shot he reached the monster 11thth, a par 5 in two, setting up an eagle putt (he missed it and had to settle for birdie.). After I saw him do this feat two holes in a row, I thought I had to write about it for those of you who golf in Thailand.

Here is what  he did to hit his driver from the fairway.

1. Used an older driver, like an original Callaway Big Bertha, not one of those fancy 460cc models
2. Picked the ball off the ground, almost like a top

To me the key to making this shot was the ability to pick the ball off the ground. It looked like he was taking a sweeping pass at the ball instead of the usual down-and-through motion. He mentioned that he practices this shot by hitting golf balls off the cart path; without hitting the pavement?? I guess that is why he is so confident hit driver off the fairway when he plays golf in Thailand.

Maybe you won't use this shot too often, but when you pull off the shot correctly it can be an aggressive play that saves strokes, especially when playing a long par-4 or par-5. Anyway, it’s a good trick to impress your friends on your next Thailand golf trip. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Pattaya Golf Courses: Three Lesser Known Clubs

For a Thailand golf vacation Pattaya is still the least expensive golf destination. While Pattaya is not a place to bring your mother, or girlfriend for that matter, and swimming in the sea is not recommended, there are quite a few good golf courses in the area; some very reasonably priced, but hardly known.

Here are my three favorite of the lesser know Pattaya golf courses.

1.    Emerald Golf Club since re-opening in 2006 has done a great job to improve course and playing conditions. Originally named Ban Chang and then Rayong Century Golf Club the course is set into the mountains just outside Rayong and near to Eastern Star.

The former Century Golf Club is laid out in a jungle setting and has some of the most beautifully designed holes on the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand. The course is carved through a virgin forest of full-grown trees that make for excellent playing under mature conditions. Unlike most Thailand golf courses there are only a few water hazards, but undulated and narrow fairways and well placed bunkers, as well as some difficult Par 3’s, combine to make the Emerald Golf Club a challenge for all golfers.

2.    Wangjuntr Golf Club, a strange sounding and spelled name, features two “twin golf course” layouts each featuring 18 fairways and 36 greens, the same arrangement as the Rose Garden Golf Club in Bangkok. Added to this trick, Wangjuntr Golf Park has two of the most challenging golf courses in Thailand.

Thailand’s Newest Golf Course: Banyan Golf Club

Opened last week, Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin is the newest Thailand golf course. Adding to the 7 other  Hua Hin golf clubs the course and club at Banyan is first-rate. The Banyan Golf Club Hua Hin just 15 minutes south of town is tucked in between two small mountain ranges.

The superb 7030 yard Banyan course has more in common with a top quality European parkland course, than with something hewn from a Thai pineapple plantation. Within the jungle and pineapple-lined perimeter, it’s often hard to imagine you are golfing in Hua Hin.

The overall presentation is immaculate. An excellent array of (not overly penal) water hazards, terrific bunkering and fabulous greens provide all the characteristics you'd expect from a top quality golf course. Nicely rolling native Zoysia grass fairways are bordered by quite generous amounts of lush, grassy semi-rough; there isn't really any deep rough to worry about. Beyond the growing pineapple waste areas the golf course is adorned with all manner of trees, palms and flowering bougainvillea.

How Many Golf Balls Can You Loose in Thailand?

Even with our eagle-eyed caddies here when golfing in Thailand, for some golfers it is not unusual to lose lots of golf balls, especially on golf courses where there is an abundance of water hazards, such as Summit Windmill Golf Club in Bangkok or Phuket Country Club, the New Course in particular. At last weeks golf tournament at President Country Club in Bangkok one chap lost 8 balls in the “klongs” (water hazards). But, to lose fourteen balls before you reach the first tee?!

A pal of mine joined up with a group of long-time friends on a golf tour to Hua Hin / Cha Am last month. One member of the group had not noticed a small slit in the pocket of his golf bag where he stored his golf balls (mostly new Titleist Pro V1s). On the first tee, he asked his caddie for a ball only to be told “mai mee” (don’t have). The caddie had to run back to the Pro shop to stock up.