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Drain Putts In Thailand

If you can do only one thing to improve your enjoyment when golfing in Thailand, the making more putts would be what I suggest. Thailand golfers face more putts than any other shot. I have taken the time to master putting in Thailand and I was able to cut 3-4 stokes off my score in the process. Here is how I did it.

1. I think more about the speed than line on my putts. For example, when my caddie tells me inside right or inside left, I just putt to the center of the hole and make sure my speed is enough that the ball will reach the back of the cup. This takes most of the break out of the putt and simplifies the stroke. I putt aggressively, but not too aggressively so as to avoid a nasty lip out.

2. For all putts standing with my eyes over the ball I found to be critical. This simplifies things enormously and makes it easier to sink straight putts.

Tips On Playing Thai Country Club

Most of you know that my home course is Thai Country Club. Having played this excellent Bangkok golf course more-or-less one time per week for the past 3 years, my scores have ranged from a few over par to over 90. Looking back on my rounds I can see a few things in common that led to good scores.

1.    Stay out of the rough. Hitting fairways in regulation is the single biggest key to scoring well at Thai Country Club. The rough at Thai Country Club is formed by thick Zoysia grass that is next to impossible to hit from. The best solution when in the rough is to hit sideways back onto the fairway. Trying to advance the ball often leads to the same shot all over again.

2.    Play for less break when putting.  Most of the greens at Thai Country Club are flattish. If you think the ball will break two cups; then putt for a one cup break. If it looks like a one grip break; play half of a grip. The only exceptions are on holes 15, 16, and 17 which do have a lot of movement due to the greens gradually sinking into the adjacent ponds.

Siam Country Club Playing Tips

I had the good fortune of playing at Siam Country Club Plantation Course in Pattaya this week. A usual the course was in excellent condition and in fact just two weeks prior Siam Country Club Plantation Course was awarded the best conditioned course in Asia by the readers of Asia’s largest golf publication.

In order to get maximum enjoyment and a good score at Siam Country Club Plantation Course I realized 4 very important points.

1.    Use your B-game: Why this sounds counterintuitive I found that playing to my weaknesses improved my score. For example, when driving I usually fade the ball off the tee. Rather than trying to fight my fade, and trying to draw the ball, I just aimed down the left side of the fairway and with my fade my drives wound up in the center ever time. This set up reasonable approach shots to virtually every green.

2.    Trust your caddie: The greens at Siam Country Club have many subtle breaks. Unless you play this Pattaya golf course regularly, it pays to ask your caddy to read the line and more importantly; listen to her!

Straight Driving For Thailand Golfing

Lately I have been taking some golf lessons and I have gone from a controlled fade to a pull hook off the tee. I have begun pulling the ball off the tee. What I want is a straight ball flight so yesterday I went out to Thai Country Club and hit two bags of balls on the range with my driver.

To stop pulling my drives I found that I must swing the club on an in-to-out swing path and/or change the clubface's position at impact. I was able to do both by implementing one, all, or a combination of the three tips. It was a case of trial and error for me, but these ball straightening cures work wonders.

1. Strengthen the grip: This was my first change. To do that, I moved both hands to the right until I was able to see all the knuckles on the back of my left hand.

2. Roate the body: Next, I moved the overall alignment of my body a little by aiming my feet, hips, and shoulders to the right of the target and by moving the ball back a little in my stance.

Make All 4 Footers When Golfing In Thailand

When you golf in Thailand you can complain about slow greens, grainy surfaces, poor caddies, and whatever you can think of to blame for poor putting. However, none of these are likely to be the cause for Thailand golf putting woes.

Where you putt from is the key to how well you putt. The closer you are to the hole the better your putting – PERIOD!

Average Thai golfers probably face 4 foot putts 10-15 times a round. Many golfers simply call these a Gimmie, but this is cheating (Gimmie’s are only allowed in Thailand from 3 feet and closer.) Master putting from this range and you'll dramatically cut your scores when golfing in Thailand, and do it legally!

Making 4 footers isn't as easy as it sounds. Confidence is a big factor. So is practice. Here are 5 tips on sinking 4 foot putts:

1.    Think speed more than line. Thailand golfers tend to focus on line with short putts. But speed is more important. Putt aggressively, but not too aggressively so that your ball goes to the back of the cup.

Which Golf Ball Is Right for YOU When Golfing In Thailand?

For the regular Thai golfer, the news on the modern golf ball is all good. The ball doesn’t slice or hook anywhere near as much as it did 15 years ago and it goes a lot further. But why hasn’t the average Thailand golf visitor’s handicap dropped? The answer is almost certainly in the golf ball they are teeing up when golfing in Thailand.

Today a solidly hit golf ball doesn’t move. The manufacturer’s designers have worked the long night hours to make it so. But for most playing the Thai golf fairways the percentage of solidly hit shots hasn’t improved that much and the ball, when hit poorly, will deviate from the straight and narrow, no matter how solidly it is constructed.

Some balls will deviate more than others. Would you believe that the Titleist Pro VI’s most of the Thai golf professionals play will deviate MORE than many of the less costly ones available for sale in Thailand!

Bermuda Grass On Thailand's Golf Courses

If you’ve played golf in Florida, Mexico, or Hawaii, you are probably familiar with Bermuda grass like Thailand golfers enjoy. Bermuda is a type of grass used in tropical climates, especially on seaside layouts, because it is a heartier strain of grass that is easier to maintain than traditional bent grass.

When you play Bermuda greens, you may find multiple grain configurations on a single green so it is wise to examine your shot from all angles. This allows you to see whether the Bermuda looks pale and shiny or rich and green. Rich and green appearance means the grain of the Bermuda is growing toward your vantage point and not reflecting light so much as when the grain is running away from you and looks shiny and pale. But, the grain isn’t always with you or against you.

Thailand golfers know that Bermuda grain running ninety-degrees to the shot path can influence ball behavior. A right to left grain can cause a putt to break right to left, exponentially if there is any surface break inherent in the terrain. The converse is also true, that Bermuda grain can minimize break when it is running counter to the lay of the land.

Thailand Golf Gloves

One of the most important but overlooked pieces of golf equipment in Thailand is the glove.  With hot and oftentimes sweaty tropical weather conditions the only thing stopping a golf club from flying out of a Thailand golfers hand is the glove. If the glove is wet or slick, it will not grip the club and a mishit is very likely.

Moreover, one of the most important parts of a good Thailand golf swing is the grip. That comes as no surprise. If a Thai golfers grip is off, then the swing will probably be off.  I see many golfers in Thailand slice, hook, and otherwise mishit the ball. That's because their hands are the prime mover of the shaft and the controller of the clubface. If the hands aren't doing their job, a poor shot will always result.

How can you tell if your glove is correct? I recommend an all-weather type that does not get slippery when wet, or at least holds some of its tackiness.  Sometimes I use 3-4 gloves during a round alternating between gloves to keep them dry and fresh. Moreover,  I always check the wear patterns on my golf glove.
Here are three common wear patterns and what it means to my golf swing.

How To Judge Green Speed Of Thailand Golf Courses

Recently I have seen green speeds on Thailand golf courses run from a slow 7 on the stimpmeter at Majestic Creek Country Cub in Hua Hin to a speedy 10 at Red Mountain Golf Club in Phuket.  At other times, like after a professional event, green speeds can run as high as 11 or 12. Siam Country Club Old Course was like this in February after the Honda LPGA.

With such a great variation in green speed and importance on distance in lag putting, how can the visiting golfer in Thailand be successful in judging the green speed at each Thai golf course?

Well fortunately all of the golf courses in Thailand have practice putting greens and I find that hitting some long pouts just before starting my round helps allot to be successful on the golf course.

My Thailand Short Game

I was playing with friends last week at Royal Gems Golf City and they mentioned that my short game was pretty good. I was able to get up-and-down around 50% of the time, even on the sloped green on August #10. That saved par for me on an otherwise poorly played hole.

Therefore, this week I thought to share my Thailand golf short game tips here.
My chipping is mainly due to my special grip. So if your chipping leaves something to be desired, try changing grips.

Most Thailand golfers use a standard neutral grip to hit chips. But too often I see that leads to either long putts to the hole or worse fat shots that do not even make it to the green.

If this sounds like you when golfing in Thailand then you're not helping yourself. You need to get closer to the hole to have a short makeable putt.

Below are three keys that I use for the Thailand golf chip shot: