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

8 Do’s & Don'ts When Golfing In Thailand

1. Given that you’ll be out on the course for at least four hours do make sure you put plenty of sunscreen on. It’s also advisable to wear a hat or cap. The Sun when golf in Phuket can be the strongest compared to all other Thailand golf destinations.

2. Although golfing in Thailand is relaxed, don’t expect to be allowed onto the course wearing inappropriate clothing. Do wear a collared shirt with slacks, Bermuda shorts, or a skirt (provided you are a lady). Mock collars (aka Tiger Woods) are also accepted at all Thailand golf courses.

3. Do listen to your caddie-and listen very carefully! Thailand boasts some of the best trained and most savvy caddies in Asia. Find a knowledgeable one and reserve her for perhaps a repeat round (though it may be a privilege only afforded to rounds booked by members of through golf tour operators).

4. Don’t be alarmed to see a flight in front of you turn into a parade of 20 bodies! ----Extra caddies are often required to carry the umbrella, chair or beer! ---and don’t forget the cart driver and ball diver at Royal Bangkok Sports Club.

Thailand Tee Off Experiment

Despite my driver being a new Cobra ZL equipped with modern technological advancements, I kept it in my bag for my last 3 rounds played at Thai Country (Bangkok), Black Mountain (Hua Hin), and Amata Spring (Bangkok). Instead I used my 3-wood off the tee even though my 3-wood is four inches shorter than my driver and has four degrees more loft.

What do you think the results were?

With a distance advantage of 30 yards with my driver you would think that my long game would have been pressured and my score would have suffered, well this was not the case. In fact, I was able to hit an average of 12 fairways a round with my 3-wood and avoided all penalties (lost, OB, water) with my 3-wood off the tee. In the scoring department, I cut an average of 2 shots off my score, lowering my handicap to a respectable 12.

Now I wonder what will happen if I keep up this up?

Once upon a time, I used to see many Thailand golfers automatically turn to the 3-wood on tight holes. Nowadays though, this is rarely the case, Thanks to modern technology and big egos Thailand golfers almost always use the driver off the tee. They go for maximum distance and forget the game is about control. Of course, the case favoring the driver over the 3-wood isn't foolish as the extra distance does help with the second shots into the green. For golfers in Thailand who want to shoot well on their holidays there is food for thought; driver versus 3-wood.

I know I will give it a second thought more often and not be shy to tee off in Thailand with my 3-wood, especially on golf holes that have trouble along side the fairway.

Thailand Golfers Undeterred By Thai Political Unrest

Thailand golfers and golf holidaymakers continue to play despite political turbulence, an Icelandic Volcano shutting down most flights from Europe, a brace of canceled travel plans and worries from skittish Asian golfers alike.

Contrary to BBC, CNN, and other news reports, which tend to sensationalize events, the real fact is 99 percent of the country and 100% of the Thailand golf courses are operating as normal. Even more important, my own company, Golfasian has some 100 golfers in Thailand at the moment and not a single one has been affected in anyway. Of course, I still look out for their welfare, or at least assure them that their safety isn’t an issue, because, in my view, it isn’t.

There can be no minimizing the fact that the areas of the demonstrations are unsafe. But the reality is, I was all over Bangkok this week, out to the airport and around downtown, and if I weren’t surfing the Net or watching TV, I would not have known anything was amiss. The demonstrations and ultimately the violence have been restricted to very small, very specific areas of this enormous city.