Thailand Golf Related Activities (Nightlife, Spas, Sightseeing) Archives

Great Thailand Golf Tournaments to Participate in During Spring/Summer of 2016

By Thailand Golf Tour | January 8, 2016

There are a slew of great amateur Thailand golf tournaments to participate in during the spring/summer of 2016. Some of the best tournaments are those located in southeastern Asian countries like Thailand & Vietnam. If you don’t mind a little traveling, you can enjoy some of the best golf experiences often at a rather low cost.

Amari Pattaya & Hua Hin Golf Weeks (March 6-12 & 13-19, Pattaya/Hua Hin, Thailand)

Almost 100 club golfers from 10 countries are expected to participate at the Amari Pattaya Golf Week on 6-12 March 2016 and the Amari Hua Hin Golf Week on 13-19 March 2016. These two week-long Thailand golf tournaments for all golfers (with and without handicaps), include four rounds of golf at Championship venues and nightly social and entertainment events.

Also catering to the needs of non-golfers and traveling companions, a series of tours to the regions’ popular attractions and destination experiences will be offered.

Amari will host this unique dual-destination golfing experience at two of its top locations in Thailand: Amari Ocean Pattaya and Amari Hua Hin.

Centara World Masters Golf Championship (June 12-18, Hua Hin, Thailand) &
Mercure Pattaya Ocean Resort 2 Ball Golf Championship (June 19-25, Pattaya, Thailand)

Club golfers have quickly made the Centara World Masters Golf Championship in Hua Hin, Thailand, the biggest international tournament for club golfers in Asia. 750 golfers from 23 countries attended the second annual Centara Masters in June and similar numbers will contest this year’s event from 12 to 18 June 2016.

With golfers keen to experience more of Thailand’s golfing holiday destinations, tournament organisers have added the Mercure Pattaya Ocean Resort 2 Ball Championship from 19 to 25 June 2016. The Pattaya tournament will see may golfers extend their stay in Thailand to play the 3 courses at Siam Country Club and the highly ranked Laem Chabang. Away from the courses, Pattaya has pristine beaches, amazing restaurants, bars and shopping as well as exotic nightlife.

The Centara World Masters is open to male and female golfers over the age of 35, with 15 divisions guaranteeing you play with golfers of a similar age and standard. The tournament is played over 4 rounds. Hua Hin was voted Asia’s Best Golf Destination and the Centara Masters will see golfers play at Black Mountain, Banyan, Springfield and the composite course at Imperial Lake View.

The Pattaya tournament is played as a team of two, incorporating best ball, ambrose and aggregate competition. Golfers of all ages can compete and there are men’s, ladies and mixed divisions based on combined team handicap. Golfers play the 3 courses at Siam Country Club plus a round at Laem Chabang.

Carts and Thailand’s experienced and ever-smiling caddies are included at all courses. Caddies also wear souvenir caddy bibs featuring players name and country.

Both tournaments are hosted by Go Golfing Australia in partnership with Golfasian and the personalised service, supreme event organisation, big prize pools, nighty socials and dinners with world class entertainment ensure these event are lots of fun and great value.
Limited places remain for both events in 2016. Play both events and save 10%.

For more information visit www.thailandworldmasters.com and www.pattayagolftournament.com

Will Khao Yai become Thailand’s Newest Golf Destination?

By Thailand Golf Holiday | March 25, 2014

Khao Yai, relatively unknown outside of Thailand golfers, is a mere 2 hours from Bangkok and is the home of Thailand’s second largest national park. Will this area develop into a full-fledged golf destination for tourists?

The short answer is maybe and here are the reasons why and why not. …

Golf In Egypt Versus Golf In Thailand

By Thailand Golf Holiday | March 19, 2013

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.

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Chiang Mai Golf Magic

By Thailand Golf Holiday | July 24, 2012

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.

Bangkok Dining

By Thailand Golf Holiday | January 11, 2011

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.

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