Category Archives: Thailand Golf

Amateur Golf Tournaments in Asia are Booming

The tournament season for amateurs has just kicked off with the Amari Hua Hin Skins Golf Week in Thailand. Over 50 payers are taking part in this week’s tournament playing at Springfield, Black Mountain, and Banyan golf clubs. This event has attracted golf vacationers from eight countries and all the scores are computerised. Every player also has their own smiling Thai caddie with their name and country flag on their bibs, just like the professionals. These events have been growing steadily ove...

Asia Golf Records All-Time High Bookings

According to a recent study published by IPK International, one of the world’s leading tourism consultancies and tourism research agencies, in 2022 the travel industry experienced a significant recovery. Worldwide, outbound trips increased substantially year on year, but without regaining 2019 levels. IPK’s World Travel Monitor stated that worldwide, outbound travel in 2022 rose by 90 percent year on year, equivalent to a global volume of almost 700 million trips in 2022. Compared to outbo...

End of Term Report on Golf

With the current Google generation, golf has been competing with families, whose main source of exercise is using their fingers on a computer or mobile. How many Dad’s these days are shouting upstairs to their teenagers…Who wants to join me for a round of golf? So where is golf going into the next decade? Will we even be playing golf in 50 years’ time? So, let’s look at some facts. 33,161 Golf Courses Golf is available around the globe, and according to a recent R & A survey, there were 33,1...

An Unique Region in Thailand

For many golf vacationers, they are used to playing in Phuket, Hua Hin, Bangkok and Pattaya. However, Khao Yai with over seven golf courses, is also a very special golfers paradise. Its National Park is only just over two hours north of Bangkok and covers more than 2,000 square kilometers of forest and grassland. Here there is more than 50 km of hiking and biking trails, plus twenty waterfalls including the 150m-tall Haew Narok and 20m-tall Haew Suwat. But apart from the road signs stating Bewa...

Thailand’s Secret Weapon

According to Thai Super Star Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand’s secret weapon when playing a round of golf has to be the Thai caddies. With over 240 golf courses dotted around Thailand, you are literally spoilt for choice and can experience all types of challenges that you will never experience back home. The course notes on hole Number 1 at the popular Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin states….‘Aim for the Coconut Tree and try to avoid the Pineapples in the rough.’ If that does not ...

Asia Tops the World

Amazingly according to recent statistics, golf in Asia is on the rise with 205 new courses in various stages of design and construction. This more than any other continent. Asia Leads the Way in New Courses It means that 32% of all new undertakings currently identified worldwide, are taking place here in Asia. According to a recent survey by the R & A in 2018, there were 33,161 golf courses in 208 of the world’s 245 countries. Asia currently boasts 4,570 golf facilities, 14% of the total cou...

Newbie Golf in Thailand

Contrary to popular belief and Swedish regulations, golf is fun and easy to learn, as my teaching pal pro Tony Meechai often says. With an abundance of great courses and fantastic coaches, Thailand is one of the best places in the world to learn the game. Here is a primer for golf newbies. The Absolute virgin stage Don’t waste your money on something you may not like. Go to a second-hand shop, buy a 7-iron, and go hit balls at a driving range. One club. That’s it. Learning the game will come f...

Pattaya Golf Courses Update

Over the last several years I have rarely ventured to the Eastern Seaboard, and found myself quite out of touch with what is going on there. Recently this has changed and experiences over the last couple of months have reconfirmed three of my long-held beliefs, and updated my knowledge base: Pattaya is a great place to play golf. Period. Nobody does golf like Pattaya. The entire region is interconnected and is a golfer’s paradise. Not so long ago the hotels were a collection of a hit-...

Beating the Low Season Blues

As many of the readers here know, Hua Hin is home to some of Thailand’s best courses, and the best time of year to play here is during the annual Hua Hin / Cha Am Golf Festival, which has taken place every year during the months of August and September since the Tourism Authority of Thailand kicked it off 15 years ago on 31 July, 2004. It has grown to be a very popular event, with courses offering heavily discounted green fees and hotels joining in to offer reduced room rates to entice golf...

What Can Your Thailand Golf Holiday Look Like? 3 Mistakes You Don

So you’ve decided to take a golf trip to Thailand and enjoy playing a few games on your vacation? You couldn’t have chosen a better location. Fringed with stunning coastal beaches, lush hinterland greenery, cultural richness and the most spectacular golf courses in the world, what could go wrong? Plenty if you’re not careful. Here’s how to make your holiday amazing… and avoid these mistakes. Inadequate Accommodation Research There are plenty of great golf hotels in...

A Thai-Riffic Golf-Inspired Holiday You Will Never FORE Get

Can’t decide whether to head to a golf course or go on vacation with your family? Why not do both? Thailand is the premier golfing destination of choice with its spectacular courses, incredible facilities, and exotic holiday offerings. You’ll fall in love with the many Thailand golf courses – giving you the chance to combine an exciting holiday with your favorite sport. Combining The Best Of Both Worlds… In The Most Unique Places On Earth Showcasing the rare opportunity to ...

Alpine Golf Resort Chiang Mai – Northern Thailand’s Most Funky Go...

Emerging from the lush greenery like a beacon in the night, Alpine Golf Resort rests among the rolling hills outside the beautiful city of Chiang Mai. As soon as I made my first steps into the entrance hall of the hotel I was unexpectedly hit with a sense of awe as the foyer led itself to a gorgeous rocky backdrop that disappeared into a tranquil water garden teeming with vibrant colorful fish. Now, like most of you, I try to find the “wow” factor on each of my new adventures, and I was pleasan...

Thailand Golf – Courses that might “Suit Your Eye”?

The picture at the head of this article is of Tiger Woods after one of his 8 victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational played at Bay Hill. The phrase “This course really suits his eye” is mostly used by golf commentators on US television networks about professional golfers on the Tour. They are almost always referring to a player who is returning to a tournament venue as the defending champion. The premise is, this player has won here fairly recently and is therefore filled with positive memor...

Thailands Royal Resort

Hua Hin is the oldest and most traditional of the Thai resorts. It combines the attractions of a modern holiday destination, 5 star hotels, fabulous restaurants, gorgeous beaches, first class golf courses, with the charm and fascination of a traditional fishing port. Which is exactly what it was like when I first visited, more than two decades ago. While most other Thai holiday destinations cater mainly to foreign tourists, Hua Hin is a holiday resort for foreigners as well as Thai nationals. Be...

Is it at the dry cleaners?!!

Make sure it’s clean, free of moths and it still fits you! Then you’ll be ready with all the other green-jacketed brigade as next month sees the 80th US Masters. It’s always held, same time every year, during the first full week of April and it’s the first of the years Majors. The US’ Jack Nicklaus has won it the most times, 6 if you were wondering, the last time back in 1986. Since then he’s put his vast knowledge of the game to a few Thailand golf courses, Springfield in Hua Hin, Legacy in Ban...

Green Aerification…Spoiling My Golf Trip?

In all likelihood it could spoil that day…it’s certainly not helping. A common question from clients intending to travel with Golfasian is; “While I’m there, will the greens have been aerated?” Showing up to a golf course only to discover that it has recently undergone an aerification process is never a good thing. Clients have, after all, paid a relatively large sum to travel to play overseas. You were expecting the golf course, and especially its greens, to be in great shape. Inste...

Golfing Thailand as a Single

Titirangi Golf Club My name is John Billington. I live in Aukland, New Zealand, which is the largest and most populace area in the country. I am a member of Titirangi Golf Club, a course designed by Alastair McKenzie on his trip south to design Royal Melbourne. I have played golf in most continents and especially on the McKenzie courses in California (including Cypress Point). I was a scratch handicapper but at 66 years I am now playing off a respectable 7. I have been travelling to Europe for s...

Thailand Golf, Off the Beaten Track – A Golf Group’s

Gary with Golfasian MD Mark Siegel Hi, my name is Gary. I am an Australian, originally from New South Wales, but now very comfortably domiciled in Perth, Western Australia with a wife of 35 years marriage and two grown up kids! I have played golf since my father stuck a golf club in my hands when I was about 10 years old. At 61 years old now, I guess you could say I have been a long-term golfer. I have been a member of private golf clubs since a junior, and a member of my current golf club, Melv...

Living on a Golf Course in Thailand

Chiangmai Highlands Golf and Spa Resort. Courtesy of Richard Castka For some of us golfers it’s a dream, certainly for me. I’m sitting on the balcony of my rented condominium looking out over beautiful Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Resort in the north of Thailand, my new home. Am savouring the view but also having to pinch myself and acknowledge how lucky I am. It won’t be all plain sailing because the site is quite remote and my wife (also a golfer) and I have spent the last 9 yea...

Does Phuket Need to Reconsider Its Golf Strategy?

Phuket Golf has always been a major attraction for tourists from all over the world who love to spend their time staying in first class resorts on this beautiful Thai island. The same can be said for golf, and even the likes of Tiger Woods and Greg Norman have played here at the islands only true Championship course the famous Blue Canyon. For such a small island, it is unusual to find such a wide variety of golf challenges, from seaside to mountain layouts, and all within a maximum of 45 minut...

Young Thailand Golfers on Winning Trail

Golf in Thailand‘s youth policy especially in golf seems to be paying off. First a 15 year old Thai player wins in the USA, and Thai Juniors are confident of winning in Asia too next month. Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand won the 63rd U.S. Girls Junior championship recently, scoring a 2 and 1 victory over Dottie Ardina of the Philippines at Olympia Fields Country Club in the States. It was the first victory in a match-play tournament for the 15-year-old, who captured the AJGA Girls Junior ti...

Wildlife, Scenery and Outstand Golf…Khao Yai Thailand

When considering a golf vacation in Thailand it would be fair to say that most of us are likely to end up going with the flow to head for the popular destinations namely Phuket, Hua Hin , Pattaya and Chiang Mai. Naturally Bangkok has the largest selection of championship courses, so it is a great place to start your vacation. However one area which is gaining a lot of attention is Khao Yai., approximately 2 hours north of Bangkok. Khao Yai National Park, approximately 2 hours north of Bangkok, ...

Caddie Championship in Thailand

Thailand is well known as a hot golfing destination with over 260 great golf courses and those ever smiling Thai Caddies. Come rain or shine they read the greens, give you the yardage, hold your umbrella and if you are lucky even give your shoulders a quick massage too. After putting up with us holiday hackers, you would have thought they would have had enough of the golf course, but a large number actually like to play a round themselves. Smart thinking General Managers encourage them to play ...