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

NAVATANEE GOF COURSE, Bangkok Thailand

Here is a nice golf course review from a long time Thailand golfer and expatriate resident of Bangkok.

I’m a bit old fashioned when it comes to golf. My 3 wood has a steel shaft, I use an Arnold Palmer blade putter, and I prefer to walk whenever feasible.

I also really enjoy good traditional parkland style golf courses. I also like the modern designs and even some of the more unusual and flamboyant layouts, though it is the traditional parkland style layouts that I can play over and over again without ever tiring of.

Navatanee Goff Course in Bangkok is just such a place. The kind of course that after you finish it, you can’t wait to come back.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1973 to host the 23rd World Cup of Golf in 1975 (won by a US Team which included Johnny Miller at the peak of his career), this course is pure Trent Jones.

Big tree lined fairways – some even wider than many driving ranges!  You won’t lose too many balls here while watching penalty strokes add up – in fact there is water on only six holes and ‘out of bounds’ isn’t much of a factor either (usually way, way left on the holes where there is OB).

Tip To Stop Skulling When Golfing In Thailand

Hitting the ball thin, also known as skulling, is common among golfers in Thailand especially when hitting an approach shot from closely moved fringes or tight fairway lies. Thai golf courses with conditions and lies particularly prone to this are Siam Country Club, Plantation Course in Pattaya and Alpine Golf Resort in Chiang Mai.

Skulling an approach shot not only ruins your chances to get up-and-down, but adds strokes to your score as well. Instead of being on the green sizing up a short putt, you're usually over the green considering your next shot, or worse.

This is what I did to eliminate practically all of my thin shots when golfing in Thailand.

1. Relax before hitting, this is really important.
2. Swing my club back square to the target. I used to take the club inside and this one change added great consistency to my shots.
3. Hit down on the ball. Sometimes I even aim for the front half of the ball.

A poor backswing contributes to hitting a ball thin. Golfers in Thailand who I see skulling their shots usually swing the club too steeply into the ball, which results from taking the club back too far inside the target line. This forces the golfer to bend his or her left elbow in a “chicken-wing” position to get back down to the ball. As a result, the club reaches the bottom of it’s arc behind the ball and catches only the top of the ball on the upswing.

Honda LPGA Thailand Ladies Golf Event Comes Back To Pattaya

The Honda LPGA golf tournament will return to Pattaya on February 26. After a 1 year absence, the event will be held once again at Siam Country Club. However, this time the golf tournament will be held on the more challenging Siam Country Club, Plantation Course instead of the 2007 tournament site, the Siam Country Club Old Course. The new venue should make for some great golf, even if the scores are on the high side.

Two young pro golfers from Thailand, Thidapa Suwannapura, and 13 year old Moreeya Jutanukarn have been invited to play among sixty of the world’s top women players over the four-day, 72-hole stroke play with no cut in the field.

Some of the best players gracing the tournament are recent winner of the Women’s Australian Open Golf championship, Laura Davies; golf babe Natalie Gulbis; and Asian golfing stars Mika Miyazato and Shiho Oyama.

The very prestigious golf event, scheduled from 26 February to 1 March 2009, is also expected to make headlines as Rolex Rankings’ world number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico and world number three Paula Creamer from the USA, two superstars in women’s golf are participating.

The tournament offers a prize purse of US$1.45 million, which makes it the wealthiest professional golf event in Thailand in 2009.

If you are interested in visiting Pattaya on a golf holiday and/or attending the event, please drop me a line at my Thailand Golf Vacation company and I will put something together for you. We have some great deals at other area top courses like Laem Chabang and St. Andrews Hill as well as a golf special at the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa.

8 Cost Saving Thailand Golf Holiday Tips (Part 2 of 2)

Here are 4 more cost saving ideas for your next Thailand golf vacation.

5. ACCOMMODATIONS
We are seeing some travelers stepping down this year from 5 star to 4 star hotels, and others from 4 star to 3.5 star.  And for those who do want to keep the same standard as before, some hotels are offering special deals such as free room upgrades or perhaps a free night after x number of paid nights. This can bring the cost per night down significantly. Local agents will usually have the best and latest information from each resort.

6. COURSE SELECTION
In each golf destination there are typically some higher priced premium ‘name’ courses, some ‘best value’ courses, and perhaps some ‘best kept secrets’ many golfers aren’t even familiar with.  The clubhouse might not be as impressive at the value courses, you might not see as many pretty flowers, and maybe the turf isn’t perfect, but if it’s a good design and in good condition its still a great day of golf.  Many golfers opt to play some of the top courses and at the same time mix in some best values to keep the total cost down. This tip also adds to the variety of a Thailand golf holiday as most travelers will usually find one “hidden gem” in the pack and ask why they didn’t know about that course on their prior trips. Specialist golf agents have this kind of information and can make excellent course selections to match any budget and any objective.

7. BRING YOUR BUDDIES
Ground transportation can be a significant portion of the total cost for a golf holiday.  With two golfers the ground transportation is 50% of the cost for a single since you share driver and vehicle expenses.  With four or six you can save up to 80% on transportation costs, which really is a good deal. The same is true for hotel rooms, single rooms are more comfortable, but sharing can save significantly on the accommodations. Some travelers on multi-destination golf tours opt for double rooms at higher priced hotels and single rooms in more economical destinations. This gives the best of both worlds, comfort and value!

8. ASK YOUR AGENT
Tell your agent or us what you have in mind for your next golf holiday, and ask how you can save some money.  A good agent knows the market and can provide valuable guidance. We do this all the time and do not charge anything for advice and suggestions.

Did you find any of these tips useful? Please let me know by dropping me an email at my Thailand golf holiday company.

8 Cost Saving Thailand Golf Holiday Tips (Part 1 of 2)

With all the economic gloom and doom these days, many golfers are looking for ways to save money on their next Thailand golf tour and yet still have a great golf holiday.  Over the next 2 posts I will summarize 8 ways our clients are doing just that:

1, TIMING
Hotel prices can fluctuate significantly throughout the year depending on season.  This is particularly true for beach destinations such as Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Samui.  ‘High Season’ for tourism and prices in these areas runs November – April, with ‘Peak High Season’ lasting from mid December through mid January.  You can save a lot by visiting these areas in the May – October Low Season and the weather is still good (though some call it the rain season, the rains are mostly very brief showers passing through in late afternoon - having a round of golf rained out is very rare in Thailand).

2. LOCATION
Certain areas offer more value than others.  In Thailand, the golf destinations offering the most for the money are Chiang Mai and Pattaya where golf, hotels and dining/entertainment are all less expensive than other prime areas like Bangkok, Phuket and Hua Hin. Lower prices however do not mean lower quality. Golf in both Pattaya and Chiang Mai is still very good. There are even excellent courses like Chiang Mai highlands and Siam Country Club in Chiang Mai and Pattaya, respectively.

3. ITINERARY
Scheduling golf on certain days of can save money. Member courses and those near large cities usually charge more on weekends and national holidays since they cater to locals who mainly play those days.  This is particularly true in Bangkok, and most courses in Pattaya and Chiang Mai also charge more for weekends and holidays.  As Hua Hin and Phuket cater almost exclusively to travelers, prices are the same weekends and weekdays there. This tip also has the benefit of avoiding large crowds and slow play sometimes encountered on the weekends.

Singha Thailand Open 2009 & FREE Phuket Golf

The Thailand Open will make an emphatic return to the Asian Tour schedule from March 5 to 8 at the Laguna Phuket Golf Club and boast prize money of US$500,000.

Having not been played since 2005 due to a lack of sponsorship the event is now back in full swing. The tournament welcomes on board Singha Corporation (as in Singha beer) as the title sponsor and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and PTT Public Company Limited as premier sponsors.

It will be a full-field event on the Asian Tour and in another boost for the event US PGA Tour star Daniel Chopra will compete. The Swede is a two-time winner in America. The final 2 rounds of the Thailand Open will be broadcast live on Star Sports.

The event will showcase world class golf facilities, gracious Thai hospitality, and the great value for money that Thailand represents.

Voted in the top 10 for Best Golf Resort in Asia, Best Clubhouse in Asia and Best Golf Course in Thailand by readers of Asian Golf Monthly magazine, Laguna Phuket Golf Club features a wealth of scenic lagoons, coconut groves and undulating fairways, set against the dramatic backdrop of the surrounding mountains and Andaman Sea.

Coincidentally, the Thailand Open was last played in Phuket when New Zealander Richard Lee lifted the title in 2005 at Blue Canyon Country Club.

Sponsored by Golfasian and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, you can win a chance to play FREE in the Pro-Am, the day before the Singha Thailand Open 2009!

How? It’s simple, just fill out a Phuket holiday inquiry and be entered to win a slot in the Singha Thailand Open 2009 Pro-Am! Golf packages can be tailor-made and include all Phuket resorts and Phuket golf courses.

Short Putts In Thailand Golf

Here is another short putting tip.

When golfing in Thailand and I have a putt of ten feet or less (which is practically every hole), I make a slight change in the stance I use for longer putts.

I stand so that the ball which is off my left toe on all putts is an inch nearer my foot. I also choke down (up if you are American) on my putter about 1 additional inch so that my hands are slightly nearer to the head of the golf club.

Moving the ball in that inch changes the feeling I get about the kind of stroke needed to contact the ball squarely. My hands feel more in control. By this, I mean I get the feeling as I line myself up that I can hit the ball much more solidly and more decisively and that my stroke doesn't have to travel so far either going back or coming forward or have as much delicate timing to it.

It works that way for me no matter where I golf in Thailand. Last week golfing in Phuket I played the choppy greens at Mission Hills and the slicker putting surfaces at Blue Canyon, and Red Mountain. The technique worked just the same.