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

Asian PGA Tour a Frequent Visitor to Thailand in 2009 (part 1 of 2)

 Asian PGA Tour players would do well to brush up on their Thai language skills, as the tour will be making several golf stops in Thailand during 2009 with the season beginning and ending in the Kingdom and more events along the way.

Great Thai golf courses and weather, combined with world class accommodations and famous Thai hospitality have apparently charmed the Tour into coming back again and again, much as it has for growing numbers of international holiday golfers and travelers.  Perhaps the tour bosses have also developed a taste for jasmine rice, tum yum gung, pad thai and som tam?

The Asian Tour Qualifying School kicked it all off January 06 – 09, with 1st Stage events at Bangkok’s Lam Luk Ka Country Club plus two Pattaya area clubs: Rayong Green Valley and St. Andrews 2000.  The latter two courses also held the Q School’s Final Stage a week later.

Hole-In-One Prize When Golfing In Thailand

 What have you wished for if you could get a hole-in-one on your Thailand golf vacation? Well how about this fitness guarantee?

Last week while golfing in Pattaya I ran across this great hole-in-one prize at Rayong Green Valley Golf Club. What better way could the golf club owners think of  to reward the most accomplished (lucky) golfers in Thailand with a prize to guarantee the winner's longevity and golfing career.

On the other hand, a check up at the most expensive hospital in Bangkok only runs around $200 US dollars. So for those of us who are not so lucky when golfing in Thailand, we will have to spend a bit to get the information about our health and insure that we can golf in Thailand well into our old age.

Have a healthy game!

Thailand: Golf and My 2008 Ryder Cup Plans

If you are planning a Thailand golfing holiday later this year, you may wish to consider being here at the same time as the Ryder Cup. The 2008 USA versus Europe shootout is scheduled for the weekend of 19-21 September at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Thailand is a great place to catch all of the action on TV at one of the many sports bars in the main golfing centers. Valhalla is the Jack Nicklaus designed course where Tiger Woods beat Bob May in a thrilling US PGA play-off in 2000 on his way to a sweep of the four majors. Kentucky is 11 hours behind us.

I for one can not wait for this great event to start. Here’s how I plan to spend that week-end:

On Friday, September 19, after finishing work in Bangkok, I’ll probably head for somewhere like The Londoner on Sukhumvit Soi 33 with its super array of large TV screens, a wide selection of beers brewed on site, a good range of both Thai and Western food. Play begins at 7 pm Thailand time and I’ll probably watch the golf through until the early hours.

Junior Golf Tournament, Phuket Thailand

If you are enjoying a family golfing holiday in Phuket at the end of this month, it is still not too late for your children to enter the The KTO Junior Golf Challenge which will take place at Laguna Phuket Golf Club on May 29 and 30.

There are 10 categories in this international 36-hole junior tournament. It is open to boys and girls aged from six to 17 years old who hold a current recognized handicap card, or certificate of competence for children aged eight years old and under.

The format will be stroke play and tee markers will be adjusted to make the Max Wexler-designed course age and gender appropriate according to USGA guidelines. Junior players from Thailand will be competing against their peers from countries including Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. Many families are expected to include the junior golf tournament as part of their family holidays.

The entrance fee is US$220 per golfer. Partners for the event include Laguna Phuket Golf Club and Tourism Authority of Thailand, with media partnerships coming from Asian Golf Monthly and the Phuket Gazette. For more information contact Kids Tee Off.

Siam Country Club, Pattaya: Site Of Honda LPGA Thailand 2007

The new Siam Country Club in Pattaya, a par-72 that will play at 6,469 yards, will be showcased during the Honda LPGA Thailand, October 25-28.This will be the first professional golf tournament held at the Siam Country Club, Pattaya after renovations were completed in 2007.

Siam Country Club, Pattaya, one of the best golf courses in Thailand, has been opened for more than 35 years and is the oldest golf course in Pattaya. It is situated among breathtaking views on an 800 rai land pl only 15 minutes from Pattaya Beach, Thailand.Major renovations to the course and clubhouse were completed in May. The original layout has been preserved, but modifications were made from tees to greens to be ready to host international tournaments.

Newest Thailand Golf Blog

Have you ever wanted a place to share your Thailand and Asian golf stories or just read about the antics of an expatriate Thailand golfer who knows more about golf in Thailand than anyone in the world?

Well look no further. The word is out; Thailand’s newest golf blog can be read at where else than http://www.thailandgolfblog.com, what an appropriate name indeed!

The Thailand Golf Blog author has lived, worked and played golf for over 30 years all around the Far East, with spells in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and, of course, Thailand. He first visited Thailand in 1977 and eventually relocated to the Land of Smiles in 1991, setting up and running one of the first inbound Thailand golf tour agencies, with offices for golf in Bangkok and golf in Phuket. He now spends most of his time in his native United Kingdom, living with his Thai wife, and is a frequent visitor to Thailand, where he intends to finally retire.

He has made regular contributions to this blog and since then I have invited him to author Thailand Golf Blog in his own inimitable style. You are welcome to post and comment on the new Thailand Golf Blog, preferably in the same light hearted way as the author. Or you can email him at nifteenev@golfasian.com.

Enjoy the reading and let me know what you think!

Ladies Golf in Thailand

Whenever I am traveling overseas and extolling the attractions of golfing in Thailand, sometimes I hear men whining, “Oh, my wife would not let me go on a Thailand golf trip”.  In fact, I am seeing a growing trend where couples are favoring a Thailand golf tour over more traditional destinations. Also, my Thailand golf travel company is hosting more and more dedicated lady golf groups.

Thailand is indeed a 'Paridise For Lady Golfers', not just because of its wide range of golf courses, but also thanks to all those other pluses that most ladies enjoy - fabulous spas, world-class cuisine, lots of value-for-money shopping. Plus, contrary to the old days in Europe and the USA, there’s little golf sexism here. Ladies are very welcome everywhere! Clubhouses have changing facilities for ladies, there are ladies only spas and beauty salons, plus ladies are not only welcome but encouraged to eat/drink at all 19th holes.

Pattaya Golf Societies: Part 2 or 2

Here is the continuation of my post on Pattaya golf social clubs, staring with the conclusion on the Pattaya Sports Club (PSC) and then covering some of the lesser clubs in Pattaya.

Weekly PSC Golf is run through several member groups operating from different venues in Pattaya, notably Cafe Kronborg, Tropical Bert’s Bar and Lewinsky’s Bar/Restaurant. This is to accommodate the large number of golfers who want a wide range of golf courses, competition formats and starting times.  PSC also organizes a monthly tournament and an annual Charity Classic Tournament. The PSC membership is probably the most international you will find in any one club in the world. Rarely will you play in a four ball with players of one nationality. For those who travel frequently to Pattaya the PSC is a good choice.

Another popular Pattaya golf and social club is run from the  O.K. Corral Bar, situated in Rungland Village, just off South Pattaya Road. It is the home of the Pattaya Golf Society , "the bunker boys", claimed to be Pattaya's oldest golf society. This golf society is the second most popular in Pattaya with either stableford or medal competitions arranged twice each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The membership is comprised of long term residents and golf travelers alike. All are welcome, regardless of gender, age or handicap.

Pattaya Golf Societies: Part 1 or 2

Golf in Pattaya and the Thai eastern seaboard is some of the best in Thailand. As such it is no coincidence that Pattaya also hosts numerous regular golf societies and has by far the largest in Thailand, The Pattaya Sports Club, founded in mid-1979. At that time, Pattaya was a quiet, out-of-the-way seaside fishing village. Weekenders came mostly from Bangkok to enjoy the beach, water sports, and breezy outdoor seafood restaurants. The locals were mainly fishermen and small shop owners. Among the few foreign residents were a handful of Vietnam expatriates who had settled in Pattaya.

One of them, Bill Gilmore, called together thirty-one sports-minded Charter Members, men and women, Thais and foreigners.  They named the club, approved the club symbol and agreed that the objectives of the club would be to conduct and promote sports events and contribute to local charities.  Through the years Pattaya has grown into an internationally known tourist destination, albeit now with many beer bars and the ever present prostitution.

Phuket, Hua Hin, and Chiang Mai Golf Societies

Here is the continuation of my posts about Thailand golf societies, which can be an excellent choice for frequent Thailand golf travelers.

Golf societies also thrive in Phuket and Hua Hin. The Phuket Expat Golf Society (PEGS) was established some 12 years ago and has grown to a membership of over 500 golf enthusiasts from many parts of the world and different walks of life.  There is a  program of regular tournaments on golf courses on and around Phuket whilst periodic challenges with other societies take place in various parts of Thailand, notably the Pattaya Sports Club and the Hua Hin Golf Society. Golf tourists are not allowed to join , but Phuket golf visitors are invited to participate in all of the PEGS competitions – go to the Island Lager Bar, Soi Lion, Patong Beach and make enquiries.

The Mulligan Golf Society was founded in Phuket in 1999. It is the brain child of two of the most colourful characters on the island, Bepy Graziani di Ceneda, owner of Toto's bar and Restaurant & Peter Tkac, whose calling cards describe him as a “Free Lance Human Being”. After four years playing a weekly 9-hole competition at The Laguna Golf Club, the Mulligan Golf Society now hosts an 18-hole competition every Tuesday at the Blue Canyon Lakes Course. No membership is required, just walk into the pro shop, and they will take care of you. After golf, a party and prize-giving is normally held at one of three establishments at the entrance to the Laguna Resort (Toto’s Italian Restaurant & Piano Bar, Toto’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, or JJ'S Irish Pub). You can't help liking the Mulligan Golf Society’s events in Phuket with its cheerful adaptation to the island's relaxed lifestyle.