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

Singha Thailand Open 2009 & FREE Phuket Golf

The Thailand Open will make an emphatic return to the Asian Tour schedule from March 5 to 8 at the Laguna Phuket Golf Club and boast prize money of US$500,000.

Having not been played since 2005 due to a lack of sponsorship the event is now back in full swing. The tournament welcomes on board Singha Corporation (as in Singha beer) as the title sponsor and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and PTT Public Company Limited as premier sponsors.

It will be a full-field event on the Asian Tour and in another boost for the event US PGA Tour star Daniel Chopra will compete. The Swede is a two-time winner in America. The final 2 rounds of the Thailand Open will be broadcast live on Star Sports.

The event will showcase world class golf facilities, gracious Thai hospitality, and the great value for money that Thailand represents.

Voted in the top 10 for Best Golf Resort in Asia, Best Clubhouse in Asia and Best Golf Course in Thailand by readers of Asian Golf Monthly magazine, Laguna Phuket Golf Club features a wealth of scenic lagoons, coconut groves and undulating fairways, set against the dramatic backdrop of the surrounding mountains and Andaman Sea.

Coincidentally, the Thailand Open was last played in Phuket when New Zealander Richard Lee lifted the title in 2005 at Blue Canyon Country Club.

Sponsored by Golfasian and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, you can win a chance to play FREE in the Pro-Am, the day before the Singha Thailand Open 2009!

How? It’s simple, just fill out a Phuket holiday inquiry and be entered to win a slot in the Singha Thailand Open 2009 Pro-Am! Golf packages can be tailor-made and include all Phuket resorts and Phuket golf courses.

Tiger Woods' Last Thailand Golf Visit

Tiger Woods' last trip to Thailand as a golf professional in early 2000 was a bit of circus. Politicians, media and other VIP’s almost stormed his plane when it touched down in Bangkok even before he could get his seat belt off.

Tiger would describe it as the craziest week of his life but as usual gave one of his oh-so diplomatic answers he mentioned, "I always enjoy coming back to Thailand," continuing, "It's always neat to be back among family and friends."(ed. yeah right!)

A lot of Thai golfers don’t see Tiger in a favorable light. Even though his mother is Thai, very few Thai’s see Tiger as even half Thai. In typical Thai fashion they think he should be sharing some of his wealth for the country, as do other local Thai golf superstars like Thongchai Jaidee and friends.

"He basically has forgotten the Thai people," says Prasong Pathom, a medical doctor who watched Tiger Woods play at the 1998 Honda Classic at Thai Country Club and comments "He is a great golfer and has done some good with his foundation in getting equipment for young kids, but a number of Thais see it as nothing more than a token gesture."

In 2000, Woods received an appearance fee of $1 million to compete in Bangkok at the Johnnie Walker Classic at Alpine Golf & Sports Club. In fact, the yet-to-be famous and now-ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra is reported to have paid for the bill in exchange for a few photos with the reigning US Open champion. Being a council member of Kasetsart University, also located near many golf courses in Bangkok, Thaksin was also heavily involved in arranging Tiger Woods' receiving an honorary doctorate of philosophy in golf sports from this school.

Golf Score Card Man

What do you do back home in the cold winter weather either before or after your Thailand golf holiday?

Well how about sifting through all your golf memorabilia collected from past golf vacations?

Here is a letter from a fellow reader of the Thailand Golf Zone that you might find interesting, and just maybe you can help Bob out.

Hi Mark,

I always get a lot of pleasure from reading your interesting articles on your Golfasian website, and I thought that just maybe some of your readers of Golfasian might be interested in my quest.

My name is Bob Davies and I am Scottish but now live on the east coast of Australia and I am a collector of golf club scorecards from around the world.  I am trying to be the first person in the world to obtain a golf club scorecard from every country & island that plays golf, and at this point in time I have golf club scorecards from 226 different countries & islands, including some remote places like Antarctica, Ascension Island, Diego Garcia, Tristan Da Cunha, and Afghanistan to name a few. (ed. I did not even know there were golf course in most of these places.)

Top 5 Misunderstood Thailand Golf Rules

Why do people who golf in Thailand often play without following the rules? Do they want to cheat or is it just that they do not understand the rules of golf?  Assuming the later, here  are simple definitions of the 5 most frequently used rules that all Thailand golfers should understand:

1. OUT OF BOUNDS (OB): When you loose a ball in the jungle, say at Santiburi Samui Country Club, you must go back and hit your next shot from the same place that you hit the ball that went out of bounds. No exceptions and that means at all Thailand golf courses!

2. LOST BALL: First of all, forget hazards. This information is for Thailand golfers who lose their ball in the rough or trees and need to know what the options are. Many players think it's all right to drop a ball where they think the lost ball is and go ahead and play.  This is okay if you are playing “American golf rules” (cheating) or if you want to save time.  But really if you play by the rules when golfing in Thailand you have just one option.  You must return to the place where you hit the shot that resulted in the lost ball and play another. 

3. FREE DROP: If you play at many of the more remote golf course in Thailand you will find many areas under repair, cart paths, staked trees, and immovable objects. If the problem area interferes with your stance or swing you get a free drop. A line-of-flight dilemma, the big tree between your ball and the green on the 4th hole at Blue Canyon in Phuket isn't a justification for relief.

How Many Golf Balls Can You Loose in Thailand?

Even with our eagle-eyed caddies here when golfing in Thailand, for some golfers it is not unusual to lose lots of golf balls, especially on golf courses where there is an abundance of water hazards, such as Summit Windmill Golf Club in Bangkok or Phuket Country Club, the New Course in particular. At last weeks golf tournament at President Country Club in Bangkok one chap lost 8 balls in the “klongs” (water hazards). But, to lose fourteen balls before you reach the first tee?!

A pal of mine joined up with a group of long-time friends on a golf tour to Hua Hin / Cha Am last month. One member of the group had not noticed a small slit in the pocket of his golf bag where he stored his golf balls (mostly new Titleist Pro V1s). On the first tee, he asked his caddie for a ball only to be told “mai mee” (don’t have). The caddie had to run back to the Pro shop to stock up.

Where Is The Clubhouse?

What would you do if you were on the way to a Thailand golf course and came across this sign?

Well I came across this sign at Lakewood Golf Club in Bangkok on Friday and it made me chuckle. Guess it put me in a good mood because I shot 3 under my handicap. The Bangkok golf course was in the best condition that I have ever seen it in and that probably helped a bit as well. Fast greens, well defined fairways, and even consistency and firmness of the sand bunkers made playing at Lakewood a joy. For those looking for a fun round of golf in Bangkok, take note; the golf course was practically empty on a Friday!

If you ever came across any amusing tales or signs playing golf in Thailand drop me a line or send me the golf image and I will get it posted for you.

Have a great round and remember, think positive and you will shoot par!

Singha Thailand PGA Championship June 26-29, 2008

Here is a trip report from Graham Sampson, one of only a few professional PGA golf instructors in Northern Thailand.

Santiburi Country Club in Chiang Rai recently hosted the Singha Thailand PGA Championship. The new Asian Tour event was presented by the Sports Authority of Thailand. Most golfers that have played Santiburi consider it one of the best golf courses in Asia, both in condition and challenge. For the event Santiburi grew the rough to U.S. Open type length and narrowed the fairways. It's remarkable that the winning 72 hole score was 21 under par, by Korea's Mo Joong-Kyung. It snapped a 12 year winning drought for the 36 year old. The sweet swinging Philippines rising star Juvic Pagunsan finished second at 18 under.

The great aspect of attending an Asian Tour event in Thailand compared to a U.S. or European event is the lack of large crowds and the ability to watch the players close up. Santiburi not only offered free admission, but also complimentary Singha bottled water and beer throughout the course every day. The intimate setting and the quality of the players makes attending one of these events very enjoyable.

How I Score Well By Not Scoring

Here is an amazing Thailand golf statistic. My best five out of my last 20 Thailand golf scores were all when I shot over well my handicap on the front nine and stopped counting on the back nice. How can this be?

Here is what I found out.

Normally I track my score hole by hole, but have recently found this to be a recipe for disaster. I determined this to be the case by analyzing my scores and watching my golfing mate. 

At Thai Country Club last month my mate, a 2 handicapper, was not playing well. He got more and more discouraged as the day went on saying things like he wondered why even he came to the golf course that day and blaming his poor shot making on his regular caddie of all people. Needless to say by days end his score mounted to well over 80. I realized he set a specific target score for himself and he got more and more discouraged once he passed that target. Lesson #1.

Then, on another day the same friend and I were playing as a four ball with 2 Japanese golfers at Lakewood Country Club, a very easy Bangkok golf course. My mate was playing well and on track to hit his target score, but blew up and got really upset after one bad putt. This turned his good round into a bad one and it took the fun out of playing golf for everyone around us, the Japanese golfers and all 4 caddies included.  Needless to say, I was really embarrassed to be this guy’s friend and would have even preferred he go his own way on that occasion. Lesson #2.

Japanese Golf Course Designers In Thailand (Part 2)

Continuing with a look at the Japanese designers who have contributed to the development of golf in Thailand, other well-known architects include:

Isao Izumi: Siam Country Club (1971), Pattaya, Yoshihara Aihara: Pinehurst Golf & Country Club (1990), Bangkok, and Isao Katsumata: Sawang Resort Golf Club (1993), Hua Hin.

Siam Country Club is one of the more famous Thailand golf courses, being built more than 27 years ago and completely renovated in 2006.. Over the years the golf course has hosted several international golf tournaments including the 2007 LPGA Honda Classic.

It is set in the low hills just a few kilometers from Pattaya and has been wonderfully landscaped to contain more than its fair share of mature trees, shrubs and plants.

Japanese Golf Course Designers In Thailand

Much has been said about the role famous American and British golf course designers such as Nicklaus, Faldo, Dye, and Trent Jones in Thailand, but how about the Japanese?

Well, in the next 2 articles I will focus on Japanese designers who have contributed to the development of golf here in the Kingdom and I bet you will be surprised to learn about these great golf course designers in their own right!

With golfing in Thailand being so popular with the Japanese, it was inevitable that some of Japan’s best designers would build courses here. World-renowned Yoshikazu Kato, is the designer of arguably Thailand’s No. 1 golf club, Blue Canyon Country Club. Located in the northwest of Phuket Island, the layout is cradled in a secluded, verdant valley, against a backdrop of the majestic Phang Nga mountains and Andaman Sea. Blue Canyon offers two award-winning 18-hole championship golf courses: the Canyon Course built in 1991 and the Lakes Course in 1999.