POLAR VORTEX

Topt:

Phoenix also said that the Lakes would re-open on November 1st. Yet another deception. If they open it too soon,

the golfers will be very disappointed, and the course will deteriorate very quickly. They made this same mistake

when they re-opened the Ocean course in 2013, and the Mountain course last year. Wisdom is severely lacking

at Phoenix, so to generate more money, the desperate Club may open the Lakes prematurely.

Rather than being yet another disappointed customer, would it not be wiser to play golf at one of the many other

local courses that have better playing conditions, and offer better value? It is also annoying at Phoenix, to play at

a snails pace behind several groups of 5, while the marshals are no where to be found.

IT'S LIGHTS OUT AT PHOENIX GOLD

The Contractor, Golf East, has removed all of their equipment and workers, leaving the Lakes

course in an unfinished state. The "office at Phoenix" is the least reliable source of information.

I believe what I see. Phoenix Gold (P.G.) is blinded by greed, and has a record of deception and

denial. Management defections have already started. More should follow.

The course deficiencies include: completion of the new irrigation and drainage systems, repair of

washed out areas requiring land filling and re-sodding, re-seeding of some of the greens, cart path

paving, completion of drink station construction, and much more. Even after all of this work is finished

the new greens and fairway will require months before they are suitable for golf.

Having frittered away their annual budget on non-golf matters, P.G. have decided not to allow the

professionals to complete the Lakes project, relying instead upon unpaid overtime work by the

regular P.G. ground workers. They are not happy workers This work is slow going, and has pulled

resources away from the regular maintenance of Ocean and Mountain. The dubious condition of those

greens, tee off areas and fairways are a testament to this neglect.

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?

The place is going to the dogs, literally, as stray packs have invaded the unfinished Lakes course,

the roads, the recreation areas, and the open golf areas. The cut back in night time street lighting has

exacerbated the situation. Further cutbacks in services to the residents are expected, even though the

monthly residence fees have been doubled. While the managers, security and office staff are forced to

treat the current "owner' as a Goddess, the members, residents and ordinary customers are being

victimized, and treated very poorly.

More unsettling is the uncertainty of dealing with P.G.. They make Rules and Regulations, and then

they ignore them, or worse yet, they apply them selectively. They ignore them for their "friends", and

yet they sternly enforce them upon their regular customers. Yes, Phoenix Gold is For Sale....in more ways

than one. Different Green Fees, are payable by similar, but different, groups. Different Annual Fees with

different benefits are given to different people. The P.G. motto must be "Let's Make A Deal".

But can you trust them?

They have already shown contempt for the Chonburi Court, and the Thai Consumer

Protection Department. They lied to us, and they cheated us before. Why not again?

Anyone considering purchasing a 60,000 baht annual membership, or renewing

their "golden membership" should check out the Lakes 9 holes. Phoenix appears

to have run out of money before completing the renovation. The Golf East workers,

the heavy equipment, and the "refugee" camp have all disappeared. The Lakes is in

disastrous condition...particularly holes 5-9. There is no chance of that course

reopening this year.

Management appear to be neglecting their duties to the course, the membership, and

their golfing customers as they fly off to Dubai to entice unsuspecting investors to take

over their failing investment. We can expect a lot more concessions from Phoenix after

these investors have completed their due diligence, and walked away from the deal.

Given the dubious course conditions, and the high prices, it is unlikely that the golf tour

groups will continue to support Phoenix, no matter what enticements are offered to the

tour operators. Another management shakeup is long overdue, but unlikely to make any

difference. It is as if the Club is operated on behalf of an angry old man from far away!

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

Phoenix should have changed it's name to Phoenix Ghost Town. Today, when I toured around the

27 holes at 11:00 A.M., I saw zero golfers, zero golf tour buses or mini vans, and only Phoenix staff

vehicles parked. It would seem that the recent t.v. coverage of the Singha tournament exposed the

poor playing conditions at Phoenix. Now the Thai golfers have joined the membership and the local

golf community in playing at friendlier, more reasonably priced courses nearby. After a year of deceit

and deception, it is unlikely that many of the Golden members will be paying the illegal 24,000 baht

annual fee.

In spite of seriously declining revenue, Phoenix is on a wild spending spree. The existing management

appears hell bent on driving the club into bankruptcy and dissolution, without any consultation with the

membership. The temporary concession to allow walking golf, until business improves, and the recent

attempt to lure back the despicable bar groups with commissions and "special" fees, both show how

desperate management have become.

The days of dodgy financial data and disrespecting the membership should be brought to an end, through

the courts, or otherwise. Perhaps it is time for a new Bank to step in, appoint a professional management

team, restore competitive prices, consult with the membership, and re-establish Phoenix as good value, not

a "golf tourist trap".

Great idea. Sneaky of them to hold the meeting on Sept. 1,

when many people are out of the country,and to fail to notify

many, many members. Probably part of the reason why less

than 20 people showed up to the last meeting. Mountain

course closed for the last 5 months, over 200 new Club

Cars parked most days, swimming pool in shambles.

Yet they continue to demand compulsory Club Car usage

and Shocking High Prices. The G.M. should be given his

walking papers. Oh I forgot, walking is prohibited. He should

be driven out of town.

No wonder almost no-one plays at this Tourist Golf Trap these

days.

Business at Phoenix continues to decline. At 11:00 A.M. there were

6 vans from Bangkok, very few customer cars, and no big buses in the

parking areas. From 7:00-11:00 today, only 20 golfers were seen playing

on the Mountain course. Most days there is so little afternoon business

that the water sprinklers are turned on at 1:00 P.M.

The shocking prices and the punitive compulsory cart requirement continue

to drive local golfers to the better value offered at the other nearby

golf courses. Phoenix continues to plan to renovate the remaining 18 holes

(mountain and lake) during the coming low (rainy) season. Golfers will then

have even less reason to pay the excessive prices at Phoenix.

Even members who paid the new extortionate annual fee are having second

thoughts. Having been misinformed by Phoenix management, they are now

learning how expensive the new prices are, and how restrictive their

privileges are under the Golden Rules. Hopefully, they will soon see

the light, vote with their feet, and support the boycott.

The new compulsory (1 person) cart requirement adds a new and expensive

fee to the mix. Management is adamant about this change. The silly, new owner

bought around 250 new carts to maximize revenue without considering

how much demand there actually is. Meanwhile, about 150 of the old carts have

been put out to pasture, decaying in the elements for the last 3 months.

Even with sport day rates, the extra cart fee will make the package noncompetitive.

When cart path rules are put into effect, the issue is compounded by the further

inconvenience.

It may not be viable for the new owner either. Lack of due diligence, no consultation,

questionable business plan, twisted priorities, hostile intent, stubborn refusal to negotiate,

head in the sand.

The ridiculous transfer fee issue is important, but to have something viable to sell and

transfer, our primary goal is to roll all fees back to October, 2013. When course

renovations, and infrastructure improvements have been completed, reasonable fee

increases could be introduced with due respect for market conditions. Illegal and/or

hidden charges will be contested.

finsbury, we would appreciate your support, as we will support other golfers

faced with hostile takeovers by equally evil intentioned new management. The

point here is to alert the local golfing community to the shocking situation at

Phoenix. The Consumer Protection Board has confirmed that new management

is cheating the existing members. Do you think Phoenix will stop there?

The new policies are leaving Phoenix staff terrorized about their job security,

Caddies have so little work, that they can no longer support themselves. The

Phoenix area vacation home rental market has collapsed, as visitors go elsewhere

for good value and hospitality.

Informed golfers have learned that visitors are also subjected to higher prices by

a golf facility that is currently offering only a mediocre experience dictated by a far

away owner, in a drunken stupor. Every day the empty parking lot at Phoenix proves

that golfers are making better choices.

"Pressurized" What possible pressure could a single member bring to bear on Phoenix?

If you believe management's justification for the PSC fee increase, maybe you would

believe that they have some excellent new Golden memberships for sale for the bargain

price of ...(Be sure to read the fine print which, of course, is only written in Thai).

They did not listen to the members concerns before, as they are not listening to them now.

They increase fees on a whim, without regard to market conditions, and justify them

with whatever explanation they think you will believe. Greed, pure greed.

If you are looking for good value, avoid Phoenix. if you don't care, then play on finsbury.

Thanks thaijett for the info. We will notify our friends, so they don't get

ripped off by the high prices at those other courses.The new cart rule

at Phoenix includes a significant new charge for an unnecessary service.

The issues are intertwined and combine to result in Shocking Price Rises.

Phoenix had a reputation for good value. With the course in the midst

of renovation and the club infrastructure in bad need of repair, it is a poor

time for them to drive away their customer base through unwanted services

and Shocking Price Rises..

Competition among tour operators will soon expose new management's

exclusive focus on revenue at the expense of a good reputation. They

may gloat about all the potential revenue for the golf cart concessionaire,

but the key word is "potential". Not much return on investment, if most of

the carts are parked most days!

We have young professional golfers visiting us. They are preparing to play on tours

in Korea and Japan. They play over 27 holes every day, and do additional jogging,

cycling, etc. When they were told by Phoenix that there is a new compulsory golf cart

requirement, we had to take them to the Thai Navy course.

Soon they will relocate to Baan Chan to be closer to Eastern Star, Emerald, Green

Valley and the Navy courses. They will not return to Phoenix as long as the shocking

prices and new cart rule are in place.

Monday and Tuesday have been dramatically quieter than Sat. and Sunday.

When I drove around the 27 holes, at about 11:30 each day, I saw fewer than

50 golfers with large gaps between the groups. Most of the golfers were visitors

from Korea.

There were very few cars in the parking lot, but there were 6 or 7 vans and 2 or 3

large tour buses each day. It was very disappointing to see one of the vans from

Thai-Ger Line Golf. They continue to support the new management to the disadvantage

of their customers.

Can we have an update from members who reside on the course as to what you are observing on a day-to-day basis please.

I reside on the course and have been monitoring the situation daily. Pattaya's golfers continue to boycott Phoenix. From Nov. 1 until last weekend there was a steady shocking decline in the # of golfers, I would count less than 50 golfers on

the Mountain course each morning, and less in the afternoon. After 3:00 pm the only players were the Phoenix marshals

and staff killing time until going home.

In the last few days, business has improved, but this is a result of an invasion of Korean tourists delivered by unscrupulous Bkk golf tour operators motivated by big commissions and kickbacks from Phoenix. Today, Sunday, the course was operating at about 40-50 % capacity, but very quiet after 3:00 pm. The parking lot contained few cars with Chonburi # plates. Most vehicles have Bkk plates. There were around 15 mini vans and 3 large golf tour buses. Most of these seemed to be from Bkk and were catering to Korean tourists.

With the low season starting in 2 months, this business is not sustainable. When the visitors learn that they have been ripped off by the greedy tour operators requiring them to pay the shocking fees at Phoenix, it is unlikely that they will return.

Gross mismanagement and bad decisions by the new owner have ruined Phoenix's reputation for "good value," and it was

never a very friendly place. Price sensitive local golfers are discovering better value and more hospitality at other local courses.

Most of the problems could have been avoided through due diligence, and consultation with the membership. It will require

vastly improved public relations, cancellation of the compulsory cart rule, competitive pricing and aggressive marketing to

save this sinking ship. A little respect for their customers might go a long way. Complete course renovations, spiff up

the club house and improve staff morale before even considering raising fees (including hidden fees).