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

Golf In Egypt Versus Golf In Thailand

Here are my rankings on the golfing in these 2 countries on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best.

Quality (30%)
Egypt (6): Golf in the Egypt is widespread, especially in the resort areas such as Taba and Sharm El-Sheikh. Additionally, the Gary Player course at Soma Bay Resort is a sure standout. A high concentration of golf courses can also be found are in and around Cairo with the 27-hole Katameya Heights leading the pack.


Thailand (7): Over 250 golf courses in Thailand are spread out across the country. The best courses include Thai Country Club in Bangkok, Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin, and Red Mountain in Phuket. Chiang Mai in the north also has some top courses including Chiang Mai Highlands.

Service (25%)
Egypt (5): The golf courses in Egypt are generally self-serve with limited on-course service and no caddies. The resort courses attached to 5* beach resorts have better facilities, albeit Egyptian service is not the main reason why people travel to golf in Egypt.

Thailand (10): Golf in Thailand sets the standard for service. All Thai golf courses have caddies to assist visiting golfs in every task imaginable, except hitting the ball of course. Expect service excellence at all courses, whether the course itself is 5* or not.

Chiang Mai Golf Magic

I am used to the frenetic pace of golf in Bangkok or golf in Pattaya, so whenever I head north get a real treat when I golf in Chiang Mai.

For the best Chiang Mai golf resort, I check into The Chedi Chiang Mai where I feel always welcome at Chiang Mai’s only five-star hotel located on the Mae Ping River.  Close by, I explore the temples and check out the night bazaar, a mere five minute walk away.

For the best golf in Chiang Mai, I drive out of town past rice fields, buffaloes, and mountains to the Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Resort & Spa. As soon as I arrive at the Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Resort & Spa their helpful staff and smiling caddies literally take over to start my Thai golf day.

The 18-hole course is set in the foothills east of Chiang Mai. The front nine utilizes the flatter parts of the terrain, while the back nine plays up natural inclines, cleverly using the contours and landscape to dramatic effect. Opened in December 2005, the course features Paspalum fairways and Tiff-Eagle greens. The bunkers are deep and severely penalizing to errant shots, but beautiful to the golfer’s eye especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The greens are firm and fast but hold a well struck iron shot.  Many greens slope away from the fairway putting more emphasis on strategy and local knowledge.

Their first hole, a 378 yard dog leg left, eases me into the course with a relatively wide fairway and a raised green surrounded by bunkers. Three is a long 550 yard par 5 with a stream running down the left- hand side. Bunkers come into play at various places along the fairways so most of you will take three shots to get within reach of the green. Eight, a 387 yard par 4, has almost more bunkers than fairways, with even more huge craters surrounding the green.

The real fun, however, starts on the back nine when I start to climb into the mist- covered mountains. Memorable holes include 13, with an elevated tee offering a panoramic view of the course. At 16, I am back battling the mountain, with a long par 4, with the fairway sloping down the valley on the right-hand side of the green. The signature hole is left for last, the 531 yard number 18. Here I tee off into the unknown down a valley, with a stream running across the bottom of the dip, with an uphill third onto the raised green opposite the club house.

Overall, the course certainly is worthy of the several golf magazine awards that have been bestowed on the club and definitely worth taking a few classic golf coursepictures here!

After a breathtaking day on the course, I let the magic of The Chedi Chiang Mai cast its spell. I always check-out a massage treatment at the spa and perhaps before the sun sets, take a dip in the hotel’s swimming pool beside the river.

With Chiang Mai often experiencing cooler weather than other Thailand golf destinations, a visit to this region makes a welcome break from the southern golf destinations of  Phuket or Koh Samui. The combination of the Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Resort & Spa and The Chedi Chiang Mai gives Thailand golfers much more than just a holiday. It is 5-star experience that encompasses great golf, superb hospitality and service in a wonderful part of Thailand.

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.

LPGA Shines In Thailand

Thailand knows how to put on a show, and the top LPGA players will be at the Honda LPGA Thailand this month.

With the worlds 59 best lady golfers in attendance, the Siam Country Club in Pattaya will be the perfect backdrop to kick off the LPGA tour season in style.
This popular tournament was launched in 2006 when a certain Miss Hee-Won Han from South Korea won the inaugural event. Since then the likes of Suzann Petersen from Norway, Lorena Ochoa from Mexico , Ai Miyazato from Japan, Yanni Tseng from Taiwan have all held the coveted trophy.

Add star names such as Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer and crowd favourite Michelle Wie, and you can understand why the sponsors are prepared to offer a massive US$1.8million in prize money.

Held at the Siam Country Club’s famous Old Course, a par 72 playing 6,477 yards for the girls, the players all commented on how perfect the fairways and greens were playing.

With most sports suffering during the recent economy down, the golf industry has turned to Asia for its future.  The exposure that the event brings to Thailand is truly global. Meanwhile perhaps the biggest winner will once again be one of Thailand’s number one courses, Siam Country Club in Pattaya.

If you want to follow in the stars footsteps, why not plan to attend the event and then play the Pattaya golf club’s two championship courses? The Old Course and Plantation courses are the 2 best Pattaya golf courses, and by a wide margin.

PGA Golf Tournament In Khao Yai Solidifies Panorama’s Reputation

Khao Yai’s Panorama Golf and Country Club, managed by Quality Golf, hosted its first ever professional event in the Thailand golf course’s 18 year history.

Played over 3 days in April the Thailand Senior Professional Golfers Association tournament was won by local Thai favorite Jamnian Chitprasong. Quality Golf managed to keep the usually tricky greens at a speed of 9.5 feet during the tournament. However, keeping the ball below the hole still proved to be sound advice for the top finishers. The conversation around the even was that the extreme green challenge, perfect course conditions, well trained local caddie force, and  facilities of the newly renovated clubhouse led to the successful inaugural Panorama golf tournament.

Panorama Golf and Country Club is a scenic golf course set in the Khao Yai Mountains. It was formerly known as Voyage Panorama. Quality Golf, the Khao Yai golf club’s new manager took over 2 years ago and they draw on their prior golf in Asia experience. Previously Quality Golf was involved at Thai Country Club, Alpine, Blue Canyon, and Santiburi Samui.

It’s not that often you can easily and cost effectively golf where golf professionals do.  Therefore, I suggest anyone interested in playing this Khao Yai golf course under tournament conditions either include it a complete Khao Yai golf package or just contact the course directly and make a day trek from Bangkok out to Khao Yai.  Either way, I am sure you will be very glad you did!

Lady Golf Stars Shine In Thailand Once Again

Thailand knows how to put on a show, and the top LPGA players were all on display at the Honda LPGA Thailand this weekend. With virtually all the star names in contention, the Siam Country Club in Pattaya provided the perfect backdrop to kick off the 2011 LPGA tour season in style.

This popular tournament was launched in 2006 when a certain Miss Hee-Won Han from South Korea won the inaugural event. Since then the likes of Suzann Petersen from Norway, Lorena Ochoa from Mexico and Ai Miyazato from Japan have all held the coveted trophy.

Add star names such as Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer and crowd favourite Michelle Wie, and you can understand why the sponsors offered a massive US$1.8million in prize money. Held at the Siam Country Club Old Course, a par 72 playing 6,477 yards for the girls, the players all commented on how perfect the fairways and greens were playing.

With most sports suffering during the recent economy down, the golf industry has turned to the East for its future.  Mike Whan, the LPGA Commissioner said, ‘The LPGA has gained several events in Asia this year, and seems to be headed in the right direction. With the support we get in Thailand, we really can bring over the big stars. The coverage the event gets for Thailand golf is truly global.’

Thailand featured nine players in the tournament and in fact 15-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn turned in the best round of the final day with a 4-under-par 67.

Perhaps the biggest winner will once again be all of golf in Thailand and especially, Thailand's Golf In A Kingdom.

Bangkok Dining

Many on a Thailand golf package spend at least a few days in Thailand’s capital during their golf holiday as it offers convenient flight connections to around the world in addition to great golf, high standard accommodation, shopping, dining and entertainment. I am often asked for restaurant suggestions and while I do not claim to be a foodie, I know what I like. Here is a brief list of some of my favorites:


ITALIAN
There are many good Italian restaurants all over Bangkok in various price ranges. The ones at the Sheraton on Sukhumvit and the Dusit Thani hotels are both very good at the higher end. Others I like a lot that are more moderately priced include La Gritta on Sukhumvit Soi 19, Basilico on Sukhumvit Soi 33, Via Vai on Sukhumvit Soi 8 and Limoncello on Sukhumvit Soi 11.  All offer a great pizza and nice wines as well as an assortment of homemade pastas and more.

THAI
This one is almost impossible because great Thai food is served up in so many places. Even the street food can be good though I don’t particularly enjoy sitting in plastic chairs on the sidewalk and dining a few feet from diesel belching busses while dodging the motorcycle taxi boys flying past our table.  For cheap and good, I like the outdoor corner restaurant just a few meters down Sukhumvit Soi 14 from the Asok Skytrain. At the higher end, the better hotels almost all have good Thai restaurants. It’s hard to go wrong with Thai food in Thailand and often the difference in price is more related to the atmosphere than the food itself.

Top Non Golf Thailand Attractions

Want to plan an Asian golf vacation but also need to make sure your non-golfing travel partners are happy?  No problem.  Below are some of the more popular non-golf activities to include on your Thailand golf holiday itinerary.

All Over Thailand
Massage:  Thai massage, Swedish massage, sports massage, foot massage, neck & shoulder massage, fish massage, aroma therapy, hot stone therapy and more.  You are never far from a spa in Thailand.  Most good hotels have them and you will find many more on the streets.

Bangkok
Best of Bangkok:  Tour includes the Grand Palace, the city’s most famous temples and a long tail boat ride on the Chao Phraya River.

Thai Cooking School:  Fun hands-on experience as you cook (and eat) a multi-course Thai meal.

Siam Niramit:  Dinner and Thai culture show.  World class stage production is one of the best of its kind.

Phuket
The Beach:  Besides golf, Phuket has some of Southeast Asia’s best beaches.

Phi Phi Island:  Numerous beautiful and exotic limestone islands popping up out of the sea along with opportunities for swimming and snorkeling as well as lunch on a deserted island (aka James Bond).

Phuket Island Highlights: Sightseeing including Kata lookout (Phuket’s southernmost point), Wat Chalong Temple and Phuket Town.

Phuket Fantasea:  Dinner and Thai culture show with elephants, magic, song, dance, acrobats and much more.

Top Non Golf Thailand Attractions

Want to plan a Thailand golf vacation but also need to make sure your non-golfing travel partners are happy?  No problem.  Below are some of the more popular non-golf activities to include on your golf holiday itinerary.

All Over Thailand
Massage:  Thai massage, Swedish massage, jet lag massage, sports  or golf massage, foot massage, neck & shoulder massage, fish massage, aroma therapy, hot stone therapy and more. You are never far from a spa in Thailand. Most good hotels have them and you will find many more all over the country.

Bangkok
1. Best of Bangkok Tour:  Includes the Grand Palace, the city’s most famous temples and a long tail boat ride on the Chao Phraya river.

2. Thai Cooking School:  Fun hands-on experience as you cook (and eat) a multi-course Thai meal.

3. Siam Niramit:  Dinner and Thai culture show.  World class stage production is one of the best of its kind.

Best Place For A Relaxed Thailand Golf Retreat

Chiang Rai is away from the crowds and still offers a great golf holiday.  Thailand’s northern most city of significance, Chiang Rai may not have a quantity of golf courses but with Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club it certainly has quality.  And with conditions at Waterford Valley Golf Club having improved in recent years there are now two courses well worth checking out.  A variety of cultural attractions in the area also add appeal with the Golden Triangle, the Queen Mother’s Botanical Gardens, a mountain-top Chinatown, opium museum, and long tail boat upriver excursions.

The Chiang Rai Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed Santiburi Country Club is laid out over vast fields with excellent placement of holes and an abundance of water hazards and bunkers. The golf course is widely regarded as one of the best conceived and maintained golf courses in Asia. Golfers living in Thailand will tell you that Santiburi in Chiang Mai is one of their favorite golf courses in Thailand, and this is no small compliment! Santiburi Country Club was the first Chiang Rai golf course.