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

Après Golf Fine Dining in Hua Hin

Here are a few fine dining do’s and don’ts for Hua Hin golfers that were complied by long time area resident, gastronomical expert, and Swiss Amateur Golf Team captain Marco Scopetta.

If you plan to spend few days golfing in Hua Hin, these are the best restaurants you can experience after your round.

The well-established Sofitel Centara Grand Resort and Villas has become the Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Hua Hin. While the Hua Hin resort has been rebranded, the incredible Saturday night buffet at Railway Restaurant has not changed a bit! It is a MUST if you really want to experience a great dinner.

Insiders Tip: Bring your own wine and save a fortune. Corkage charges are only a fraction of the wine cost and the local wine shops in town have some great bargains.

Baan Itsara, beach front Thai restaurant not far from the center is well-known by the locals and Hi So of Bangkok. A little expensive compared to other local restaurants but excellent. The best grilled Lobster in town.

Sea Pine Golf Course: Nice But Be Aware Of....

The newest Hua Hin golf course is the Sea Pine Golf Course (also known as the Army Golf Club II).  This golf course opened is the pride of the Royal Thai Army and much better than any Thai municpal course I have seen.

Designed by active Major General Weerayudth Phetbuasak (same designer as Suwan Country Club in Bangkok and Phokeethra Coutry Club in Siem Reap), Sea Pine is a good track with 4 holes longing the beach that play like a links-styled course.  The majority of the other Sea Pine area is comprised of bracken pine trees and is enriched by the beauty of oceans and mountains.

My favorite hole is the 16th, a long Par 5 with an exciting 2nd or 3rd shot. The hole is facing the sea which means depending on the direction of the wind it can be extremely long and very challenging especially for the design of the hole.  In front of the green there is a huge lake to cross and just behind it the ocean. The difficulty is that the green is not deep so you must get the distance right! The view is absolutely astonishing.

The maintenance of the golf course is generally good. If you want to play this Hua Hin golf course I recommend you to play weekdays. If there is a group of Thai army officials in front of you it can take more than 5 hours to play a round!.

Otherwise, if you do encounter slow play, as they say in Thailand, never mind!  You are on a Thai golf holiday, so enjoy the nice pine tree lined environment, ocean views, and a Singha or two!

Just prepare yourself to this kind of eventuality and you will greatly enjoy your round at the new Hua Hin Sea Pine Golf Club.

Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club

Chiang Rai in far northern Thailand is a bit off the beaten path for most foreign tourists golfing in Thailand. However the Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club is a name that often comes up when Thai residents talk about their favorite Thai golf courses. 

While there is no one single outstanding quality to the course, it is instead a combination of factors that all come together in creating a thoroughly enjoyable playing experience: the scenery with rolling terrain and tree lined fairways, challenge, playability, diversity, maintenance and service.

Jack Nicklaus once said that “Golf is a better game played downhill”, and Santiburi uses this concept to great effect with several elevated tees and downhill holes which invite golfers to ‘tee it up and have a go’.  The clubhouse itself sits on one of the highest points of the property, providing excellent vantage points for viewing the action on #9 and #18 as well as creating elevated tees for #1 and #10.

Donald Ross preached that the first hole of any golf course should be designed to allow golfers an encouraging start without too much trouble.  The opening hole at Santiburi does this with a medium length par five that has enough elbow room both left and right that mishit shots can at least be found and played.  However miss the fairway and you will quickly learn what gives Santiburi its primary line of defense:  the Rough.

Make More Short Putts In Thailand

Travelling half way around the world to golf in Thailand is an experience if a lifetime. However the last thing you want to do on a Thailand golf holiday is miss allot of short putts during your rounds.

Golfers in Thailand probably face on average 10 short (less than 6 foot) putts in any given round. Master putting from this range and I bet you have an even better time golfing in Thailand.

But sinking 6 footers isn't as easy as it sounds. Confidence is a big factor and so is practice. I recommend getting a small putting mat at home where you can practice 10 minutes a day, regardless of the temperature or weather outside. In addition here are four tips on sinking short foot putts that will work for everyone on a Thailand golf holiday.
 
1.    Think speed more than line: I always aim for the back of the cup on short putts. The greens in Thailand are not very undulated, especially on the flatter Bangkok golf courses. Thailand golfers tend to focus only on the break on short putts, but speed is equally important. Putt aggressively, but not too aggressively to avoid a nasty lip out.