I often get asked about golf buggies and Thailand golf course policies with respect to cart rentals so I thought to post my experiences today.
There has long been a debate amongst golfers whether to walk or ride. Even the staunchest of walkers may consider riding when playing golf in Thailand. It can provide shade and a pleasant breeze on a hot day and keep you relatively dry. Most of the golf courses in Thailand have a one person per cart policy, the reason being to prevent too much wear on the golf course?? TIT!.
It is faster with this person per cart policy but rather unsociable. Some courses it’s actually a one bag per cart rule, so you can ride with two, but one poor caddy has to walk behind. Although this may not be ideal for many golfers, no matter of complaining is going to change it so just smile and have a good day. Again TIT!
Costs range between 500 and 800 baht at most courses. However, not all courses will allow you to reserve a golf cart, so if you are one of those golfers who absolutely must ride, then check with your golf travel agent, and see if they can reserve a cart for you. If you do happen to go to a course and the carts are not available, most of them will do a good job delivering the first available one to you if you have to tee off, but 100 baht will usually ensure they don’t forget. Your caddie will gladly drive the cart for you, thus making it easy for you to enjoy your round and take in the fragrant frangipanis that line most Thailand golf courses.
As with most golf courses around the world there are warnings and fines for driving carts into ponds and trees. This is a surprisingly common occurrence, especially if you insist on driving yourself and have had a late night out the previous day!
Unlike the trend of all riding courses in the USA, only a few courses have a compulsory cart policy. Navatanee Golf Club in Bangkok and St. Andrews 2000 Golf Club in Pattaya are two that come to mind. Surprisingly, the well known Canyon Course at Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket is one of the only courses in Thailand that prevents riding, go figure!
If anyone has any questions as to specific Thailand golf course cart policies, please feel free to post a comment or drop me a line at my Thailand golf vacation company.
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