Golfers travel from thousands of miles away everyday to enjoy Thailand golf courses, tourist attractions and cultural experiences. Tour guides can answer many questions and provide necessary insights regarding the sights. Likewise, golfers in Thailand benefit from the help they get from the delightful caddies at all Thai golf courses. Still, there are some things all golfers should learn about golf in Thailand, which will make their rounds more enjoyable. Thailand is in th...
In my view, and I am sure many of you will agree, the best form of golf in Thailand is a ‘friendly’ four-ball, better-ball with three like-minded pals. The amicable banter and gamesmanship all go to make for a fun round, especially if there are a few bucks, or even the post-match round of drinks, riding on the result – in particular, in Thailand, if the caddies are encouraged to join in the wagering, say by doubling the tip of the caddies carrying for the winning pair. Sometimes people are nerv...
When golfing in Thailand remember these 5 simple points of golf etiquette and everyone will be assured of a satisfying golf experience. The overriding principle is that consideration should be shown to others on Thailand golf courses at all times. 1. The Spirit of the Game in ThailandUnlike many sports, golf in Thailand is played without the supervision of a referee. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other golfers in Thailand and to abide by th...
Be wary of Thailand golf course superintendents! They can cost you strokes. Thai golf course designers create fair, but challenging courses. However, the Thai superintendents sometimes play tricks on you, especially with tee boxes. I have seen at least one and in most cases up to 50% of tee boxes on golf courses in Thailand be aligned to the out-of-bounds or hazard rather than the fairway. Take for example the Canyon Course at Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket. Look at where the tees point o...
Jim just sent me these tips which outlined how he managed his score when golfing in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai a few weeks ago. I thought I better share them with you before I forget. 1. SHORT GAME – WHERE MOST SHOTS ARE TAKEN (AND WASTED)Arrive 30 minutes early and head to the practice green. Then, practice chip and pitch shots before heading to the first tee. Chiang Mai Highlands has the best practice area in the area, so why not take advantage of it. Besides it is free and fun. Alpine Chiang ...
Jim’s just back from golfing in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and I just got back from watching the Thailand Open in Phuket. While on his trip Jim came up with these 3 tips that worked for him and I can say after watching the pros in Phuket that the same basic concepts help them as well. Why not apply the tips to your game the next time when golfing in Thailand? Here they are: 1. ON THE TEE – JUST PUT IT IN PLAYThe purpose of the tee shot is to put the ball in play. When golfing in T...
Hitting the ball thin, also known as skulling, is common among golfers in Thailand especially when hitting an approach shot from closely moved fringes or tight fairway lies. Thai golf courses with conditions and lies particularly prone to this are Siam Country Club, Plantation Course in Pattaya and Alpine Golf Resort in Chiang Mai. Skulling an approach shot not only ruins your chances to get up-and-down, but adds strokes to your score as well. Instead of being on the green sizing up a short put...
Here is another short putting tip. When golfing in Thailand and I have a putt of ten feet or less (which is practically every hole), I make a slight change in the stance I use for longer putts. I stand so that the ball which is off my left toe on all putts is an inch nearer my foot. I also choke down (up if you are American) on my putter about 1 additional inch so that my hands are slightly nearer to the head of the golf club. Moving the ball in that inch changes the feeling I get about the kin...
Here is a drill that will sure to brand you as “insane” among your Thailand golf buddies. The funny thing is the laugh will be on them when you take their money on the golf courses because of all the short putts you make and the ones they do not. Most missed short putts on the golf courses in Thailand are the result of anxiety or lack of confidence rather than mechanics. Have you ever stared down your putt and felt that the hole appears small and remote? A simple yet effective way...
Hitting the ball thin, also known as topping the ball, is common among golfers on a Thailand golf tour. It happens allot when golfers do not practice much and then get here ready to tee it up after not playing for weeks, if not months. It's so sad to see golfer’s top the ball when hitting their first approach shot on their first round at say Thai Country Club in Bangkok. Topping an approach shot not only ruins their approach, but adds strokes to their score as well. Instead of being on the...
No this is not about your car, but rather how to drive from the fairway when golfing in Thailand. I do not see many Thailand golfers hitting a driver off the deck, but knowing how to sure helped my Australian golfer friend score well at the new Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin. His shots flew low with plenty of distance, so it was advantageous when he had ton of yardage to the long par-4 10th and miraculously using the same shot he reached the monster 11thth, a par 5 in two, setting up an eagl...
Did you ever notice that right after you or your mate has that first sip of Singha on the golf course in Thailand that drives fly longer and straighter? Why is this almost always the case? The simple answer is stress, or lack thereof. Stress on the Thailand golf course is an insidious golf "disease". Tension starts in your hands and creeps into every muscle in your body. It breaks your golf swing and it strips it of power and accuracy. When tension gets into your address position, it g...
I have spent a lot of time watching golfers putt when golfing in Thailand. I have seen some excellent golfers putt with one hand, and I have seen some terrible golfers putt with the smoothest stroke you can imagine. Now, I have some definite ideas on putting in Thailand based on what I have seen and what works best for me. Try the same grip as you use for all other shots, in other words what come natural and feels comfortable to you. Take a wide stance and set up with a firm tripod-like foundat...
Does your golf glove become slick when you golf in Thailand; sometimes causing your club to slip during your swing? I know mine does and so do many golfers on holiday in Thailand. Short of carrying a series of golf gloves with you and changing to a new one each hole, which can be very expensive, what can you do? I saw a golfer at Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin do this and thought to share the golf tip with you. It is a good tip for when you play golf in Thailand. Whether it be high over the jungle ...
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 pla...
Lately my game has been pretty good, well at least I am consistently shooting my handicap. Then one day three weeks ago while playing the Faldo designed Summit Windmill golf course in Bangkok our golf professional advised me to analyze my shot statistics to find out what was going “right” with my game. Two rounds later, (1) at Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok and (2) Siam Country Club in Pattaya, I found out what was the key to getting my Thailand golf scores down. You see I was getti...
The story starts last week when I played the Siam Country Club, Plantation Course. Opened only 2 weeks earlier, this fabulous Schmidt-Curley design will set everyone who plays there back about 10 stokes off their handicap. It is easily the most difficult Pattaya golf course, surpassing both St. Andrews Golf Club and Pattana Golf Club for top honors. After fumbling around for the front nine I realized Lee Schmidt had only one design trick up his sleeve when he laid out this course; namely elevate...
To answer this question a brief review of green speed measuring systems is required. A stimpmeter is typically used to calibrate and compare green speeds from one golf course to the next. Many Thai golfers are aware of the term but how many know the history of this green speed measuring tool and just how does it work? The original stimpmeter was developed in 1935 by Edward S. Stimpson an accomplished US amateur golfer. In the mid 1970’s the device was adapted by the USGA and became the st...
No this is not about road driving; it is about getting the most from your driver when playing golf in Thailand. If you find yourself hitting it short off the tee you could either buy a new oversized high tech driver at one of the many golf proshops in Thailand or before you do this follow this tip to find the sweet spot on your current driver; you will be amazed at the improvement! On a good drive, contact is made with the middle of the clubface about an inch off the ground. But when you s...
My friend’s scoring on the golf courses in Thailand has been improving as of late, however his big concern nowadays is distance. To be honest he just doesn’t get it, he can spend days at the driving range in Bangkok, hitting buckets (actually trays) of balls and yet when he hits the golf course he loses it, coming up short or long of every green. Here is what I figured out. Previously he was using the yardage signs at the driving range to gauge how far he can hit the ball with each of his clubs....
Do you want to be admired and respected by golf club staff, caddies and other local Thais on your Thailand golf vacation? Here’s a tip: learn a few words of Thai golf vocabulary! Aside from hello and goodbye (sawadee), are you well? (sabai dee mai), and what is your name? (khun chue arai), good luck (chok dee) is a nice thing to say when you are leaving someone, or when having a drink and raising your glass to someone (like “Cheers!”). Remember, though, to be polite by ending with krap if you a...
Wedges are called the scoring clubs in Thailand for a reason. With a shorter shaft, more loft and shorter shot distances, golfers should be able to get the ball closer to the hole. In addition, wedges have more versatility than all other clubs as they can be used from tight lies, sand bunkers, and fluffy lies as well as for a variety of shots from full length pitch shots, to mid length and short chip shots, bump and run, soft sand bunker shots and hard sand shots. In order to maximize ones scori...
I notice from the groups which my Thailand golf vacation company hosts, that these days there is an ever-increasing choice of long game equipment. Nearly everyone has a different approach to their long game set-up, with varying combinations of fairway woods, utility clubs and long irons. Even golf professionals use diverse equipment. Traditional long irons are now complemented by fairway metals in 13°, 15° and 18° options as well as utilities or hybrids (‘rescue woods’ or if you are golfing in ...
During the last 6 months golfing in Thailand, I’ve been hitting the ball better due to a lot of practice and some great golf tips from my friends, but until recently I still found myself stuck in the 92-95 range. It seems like every time that I pitch from 5-20 yards off the green, say when playing at Thai Country Club, I end up leaving myself an 10 foot putt. My short game (for example several 9 irons last month at Amata Springs) were fine, but I felt that if I could get the ball cl...
How would you feel about shooting a net 69 on your first round golfing in Thailand? Well to score well, you either have to be very lucky or you have to practice prior to and during your Thailand golf holiday. Everything being equal, practice is the only thing that can give you an opportunity for a great score. With warm sunny weather in Thailand, some golfers might think anything beyond a 5 minute putting warm-up might be injurious, how incorrect. Can you imagine a professional golfer show...
With the Festive Season approaching at breakneck speed, like me, you may be in a state of panic as to what presents to buy. Here are six ideas for your Thailand golfing loved one: 1. For his/her next golfing holiday in Thailand, a new travel golf bag will be well received. One of the best I have seen recently is the OGIO Mammoth (US$330.00). This sturdy golf travel bag stands upright and glides effortlessly in transit thanks to four sturdy, swiveling wheels. The OGIO Mammoth has a wide mouth ope...
When golfing in Thailand it seems like everybody has different thoughts on how to begin a hole. Many Thailand golfer holidaymakers put everything into their tee shot, practically ungluing themselves every time they tee off. Lady golfers in Bangkok worried about their slice, so they take a lot off of their tee shots and rely on their hybrids. For the “so-called” professional golfers visiting Phuket, it is a heavy concentration on mechanics. However, no matter which option you chose w...
More times than I like to admit I find myself smack in the middle of the fairway bunkers found on many Thailand golf courses around 220 yards from the white tees. Whether it is at Thai Country Club or the Chiang Mai Highlands, I have much practice from hitting these shots so I thought it would be good to share a few of my tips on the best way to play out of these fairway hazards. PGA professionals hit long irons out of these bunkers. But you’re probably not a PGA professional, and as...
A golf pal of mine living in Phuket told me recently that, for the first time for many years, he needed a golf lesson. He plays off a steady handicap of fourteen but for some six or nine months now, usually when the pressure is on and he has a good score going, or when there is a tight finish to a match, he finds himself slicing badly. He then tries to correct the fault by bringing the club back inside, but ends up duck hooking. So, last week he called me to arrange a golf lesson with Steve Ha...
In the past I described how you can save money by buying used golf balls at Thailand golf courses. So it got me thinking last week after loosing a few balls in the water at Thai Country Club if the new golf balls that I was using were really helping my game? Then, a friend drew my attention to four unique Thailand golf balls- well, five really if you include the one from Ted Hoz from the USA. Ted says that he has everything from a ball with the Lord’s Prayer written on it, to a ball advertising ...