Fore Man

I have been a 3BB user for 9 years, counting my time with Jasmine. We went to a dedicated FO drop in our area that is no longer reliant on the quirky land telephony system. PLUS I purchased a static IP address which all seems to provide me with robust, steady-state 5-MB (down) service and few outages. Those outages that occur are usually quickly restored and the on-call tech support from 3BB's Mae Rim (Chiang Mai) office is terrific. We pay THB 3,103 monthly. This is quite expensive but the steady service I receive has been worth it.

If you have a problem with Chiang Mai Imm, then you have an overall attitude problem. This is an office whose workload has more than doubled over the past few years due to the influx of foreigners moving here, and yet they manage with the same amount of staff. The head of CMI has been begging with BKK for years for a bigger office, more staff, and additional parking. They finally received it and will be moving sometime this year, with an additional 17 new staff. In the 6 years I've been going there for 90 days and yearly retirement, I've only had 1 incident that I would qualify as somewhat a pain, and more than once they have actually gone out of their way to help me.

I'm sure others around Thailand have their favorite, or least favorite office to deal with, but as far as CNX goes, I rate them at or near the top, considering everything they have to put up with.

Totally concur with Just1Voice's comments! I've been using the CNX office for the past 9 years and have never had a runaround or poor service. Go there ill-prepared and/or with a bad or arrogant attitude and you will surely get the same back. You reap what you sow.

I entered a competition at Gymkhana a few years ago and won the senior division. At the time my index was 16 but my gross was 81; net of 65. The guy that came in second was a Vietnamese (per my feeble memory) who submitted a 22 handicap and carded a net score just 3 strokes over mine, shooting a 90 gross. There is no way in Buddha's creation that his true index was 22, but there you have it. But the third place finisher had a gross in the mid-80's and lost based on his higher net. I guess this kind of cheating is fairly common here, where folks normally don't carry handicap cards issued by a recognized authority. If you join the CMSGC, they will have you submit 3 cards in order to establish your beginning handicap index. Once you play beyond those initial 3 games, your index will be adjusted using Stableford results unless the club is playing on certain courses that have no individual hole handicaps on record. I'll leave it to current members to edit my remarks in the event their system has changed.

Yingluck is a hero, showing strength, leadership and standing up for democracy in the face of obnoxious bullying by some very cowardly people.

Suthep is a corrupt, boneheaded bully with murder charges hanging over his head... and yet, bizarrely enough and to their utter shame, we have a vocal group of posters on this forum supporting this scumbag. Suthep is worthless, he is just interested in a power grab at all costs.

Moonao, IMHO you are dead spot on here with those sentiments...my Thai wife and I try to remain politically neutral and have been here 9 years (CM). We do not actively support either side and as a foreigner I remain out of arguments with locals either way, but I feel obligated to say that what is being foisted on the nation by PCAD and its band of thugs, using the false pretenses of improving democracy, is a hypocrisy and a total sham. This a death duel over power and access to the public largess that will eventually spiral out of control and nobody will win, especially the vast majority of Thais who simply want to live in peace, earn a living and stay away from trouble. The answer lies in finding a middle way, not the PTP way and not the PCAD way. Can calm and reasoned adult leaders in this country figure out how to do this before they precipitate a civil war? I surely pray that will be the case before he come to the abyss.

One very important thing to remember is that you must apply the maneuver forcefully, as if you might inflict pain or damage. That is the only way the airway will be forceably cleared and eject the blocking item.

Yes, I join other posters in expressing my condolences...indeed a horrible way to go. May the poor fellow RIP.

One very important thing to remember is to chew your food properly, and not gulp it down like an animal!

Absolutely spot on advice; thanks for bringing it up and it could save somebody's life out there reading it if heeded.

If you do make an appointment and do not intend to use it, PLEASE notify Chiang Mai Immigration so that the officers can delete your booking and restore that time slot for use by others.

I thought there was a 'cancel' part. If you go to the form, it will have your name against the time and I think you can cancel.

Yes, this works IF you are able to generate a Queue Code card and can then make the cancellation in the correct, on-line manner. Many posters are unable to generate that Queue Code card and thus are left in the lurch. That was the purpose of my post in the first place.

I think I broke the code on why some posters are unable to print out queue code cards.

You must disable all pop-up blockers within the browser you are using or 'Allow" the CM Immigration website to open pop-ups. I was having the same problem, and once I disabled both IE9 pop-up blockers AND Google Tool Bar pop-up blockers, voila! You will be directed to a new page that shows your confirmation code. This can be printed out or saved as a PDF file as a previous poster has stated. After making an on-line appt and receiving the confirmation code, I quickly canceled the same appointment to confirm that the Immigration booking system works. It does!

Now, the issue as I see it will be several, perhaps dozens/hundreds of such attempts being made which correctly place an appointment on the system, but for which the person making the booking may not intend to actually use that appointment...as many are probably experimenting with the site.

If you do make an appointment and do not intend to use it, PLEASE notify Chiang Mai Immigration so that the officers can delete your booking and restore that time slot for use by others.

You need to find a Logitech dealer...I just bought a great keyboard case in the US that matches the aluminum-colored back of the iPad2. It is made out of quality materials including aircraft alumium. Another idea is mail order one from Singapore.

Exactly as you surmise...it is a social thing. Guys enjoying their time together. There may be a touch of elitism in that the average Thai cannot afford to take the time nor pay the money to play our sport...and some fellows may feel like rubbing this in...pinching themselves in the smug knowledge that they are among the lucky ones. But for the majority, I think it's just fun for them to hang out. Plus they get to pick up tips or compare themselves with others.

So many good courses around here I would not, and have not, considered membership of any single one.

Often fairly good deals from the various clubs provided you have confirmation of Thai residence- driving license ,Yellow book.High season a little limited but low season prices are normally excellent.

It's a weekly pleasure to pick and choose from the various options on offer.

This the best and most succinct advice on the topic. Well said.

I have only played Green Valley once, so you have to take that into consideration...

But, I had the same experience as Fore Man (hence why I only played it once). It was so slow that I never went back, and we were a two ball caught behind a few 5/6 balls. My society mates reckon it's a top course, but I find it hard to forget the bad experience I had...

And, to add, the facilities at Highlands are first class. In my experience of Thailand only second to Black Mountain (Hua Hin) which is world class.

OOB: I concur that CM Highlands is a first-class resort. They occasionally have their slow play difficulties but the course and its management are markedly better than elsewhere. My other votes then go to Royal Chiang Mai and Mae Jo in that order. I purposedly left off Northern Alpine in my order of merit list as I do not play it very much and find it expensive as well unless you become a member. But it is definitely a well-groomed, attractive course. A drawback there is that the caddies are not allowed to take the buggies off the cart paths...making them somewhat useless if your ball is lying any distance away from the path. The cart is therefore more for the caddy's own comfort than for the golfer who is paying for it. A final nod goes out to EGAT Mae Moh in distant Lampang Province. I consider it a well-kept secret and it is a joy to play...albeit a 140-km drive each way.

I have another opinion to offer. And it is just that...an opinion. Other TV readers may have opposing views. Summit Green Valley (SGV) is a fine course--when considering the quality of the course itself and the challenge that it offers. It is maintained very well, has excellent drainage during wet weather, is certainly challenging, and in fact is technically (e.g., relative slope rating) more difficult than CM Highlands, and the latter is 40+ km east of the city...a rather long drive each way.

The 'hidden' problem with SGV is that there is no marshalling of slow play or play by large groups. You will often encounter 5-balls and even 6-balls on a regular basis...despite a posted sign that ask golfers to avoid play that takes longer than 5 hours. The management refuses to stop these practices because they want the money, and because a Thai simply cannot tell another Thai "I'm sorrry but we don't allow that". The Starter is the one who allows this to happen and at GV, this person simply refuses to stop--even condones--a practice that is prohibited at any decent course elsewhere. Sure, it happens elsewhere in Thailand, but SGV is one of the better courses and should do something to control these frustrating practices. The caddies won't lift a finger either as they are afraid of repercussions from the management or the golfers themselves--many of whom are mid-to-senior grade officials of the government and/or the police.

I have a very good ex-pat friend who purchased a 5-year membership and now deeply regrets that decision...he had no inkling of the lack of marshalling beforehand and is continually stuck behind these large groups of (primarily) Thais who invariably are also wagering on each hole. When you have 5 or 6 betting, beer-swilling, chest-puffing golfers all putting out on the green ahead of you, that can easily take 10~12 minutes, with all the practice swings, pacing distances, lining up their putts etc. A normal foursome on most courses around the world is expected to complete a par 4 hole in 12 minutes. This simply cannot happen at SGV. The sad fact is that most of these Thai players absolutely refuse to allow a faster group to play through. Even when asked politely. They have zero consideration for anybody else out there--I have found that perhaps one in ten Thai players will graciously allow you to play through them...these are usually older, more genteel men such as physicians and professors. . I speak Thai and heard one Thai golfer tell my caddy "the Farangs can wait". Please understand that I do not bear a grudge against Thais in general and think the world of them, but I do believe that the golfing population has not learned, and is not interested in learning the etiquette of our fair game and that it is a gentleman's sport.

In the high season, SGV gets busloads (I counted no less than 10 one day) of visiting Koreans and other Asians who flock to SGV because of its proximity to the city and because it is a beckoning course to play. Many of these visitors play 2 rounds in the same day and a regular member cannot get a preference for a decent tee-time as the management caters to the monied groups. We are second-class in that regard...because we pay less for our round and SGV certainly wants to pander to those groups and wants all of them go back to their homelands and spread the good word.

SGV offers night golf, but charges a premium to do so...roughly 50% more than daytime fees. The issue here is that if you begin your game after 4 PM in the summer months (when the sun sets late), you may actually only play 1-3 holes under the lights, but SGV charges you for all 18. It happened repeatedly to my friends and I this past year.

In Thailand in general and at SGV in particular, it is appears to me by their behavior that it is a badge of distinction that a Thai has somehow "arrived" at a station in life that allows him the funds and the leisure to be able to play golf. Their machismo and sense of male pride interfere with common sense and sportsmanship. I sincerely hope this will change but it sure seems very unlikely.

My recommendation is to steer clear of SGV...at least as far as shelling out significant sums for a membership is concerned. If you decide to join one of the social golf groups mentioned by an earlier poster, you will be able to receive discounted greens fees all over the province. This makes more sense IMHO than putting all your eggs in one course that cannot control itself and which will become a great source of disappointment for you. The really terrible thing about this is that SGV has so much potential to be the greatest course in northern Thailand...but it is squandered away by poor management and greed.

Finally, I repeat that these are my own personal observations...offered to assist fellow readers in making up their minds about whether to join SGV or not. It is not a condemnation of SGV, but rather a blog in a sense to offer my perceptions for your consideration. SGV may elect to change some of their faulty practices and if so, I will be overjoyed and would gladly change the tenor of my remarks.

My two baht's worth. While I would dearly love to have access to 3G and the abilities it brings to advanced telecommunications, enabling devices like iPads and smart phones, I have to agree that most Thai citizens have no need of it. I asked my 26-year old Thai stepdaughter why she is so eager to lay hands on an iPhone4. I asked her if she understood what abilities that phone would give her and if she truly required those capabilities. To which she replied to me: "Loong, I want one; all my friends want one, and that is good enough for me". She will never harness 10% of a smart phone's capabilities...and doesn;t quite understand yet what that harnessing will cost her every month...but she 'wants one'. And this is coming from an MBA holder who holds a solid job as a commercial loan officer with a major Thai bank.

What my stepdaughter relishes so much is what every other techno-brand name- conscious young Thai in this Kingdom also relishes. They have no idea what 3G will deliver, but because it is new and sexy and desireable, they have to have it and will bankrupt themselves to get it, shelling out a month's wages to acquire it and a goodly amount to sustain it. In this sense, the Thai Supreme Court has it right...people need to be fearful of their dreams...they might actually come true.

Johann, you answered your own question. If you can't accept the reality of dual-pricing schemes in Thailand, then you have made a mistake in remaining here. It is a fact of life that all ex-pats have to get over. Life is too short to fret over this...even though it is a patent unfairness to farangs who marry Thai wives and care for their families here. Best you give up the game and enjoy your life rather than stew over it. And, as a farang, if you ask for Thai pricing, you may just get a blank stare or a noncommital response. These people may be greedy but they aren't stupid. Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

This is one of those questions where "TIT" is the best answer. Thailand maintains a dual-pricing scheme in all but the best shops. If you go into a shop to buy, say, a new motorcycle, you will wind up paying far more than the average Thai. Why? Because sadly, most uneducated Thai believe that the average foreigner is far, far wealthier than they are. If the Euro exchange rate is 45 to 1, then the average Thai believes we are therefor 45 times wealthier than they are. Attend a national park and you will be asked to pay more for your admission ticket than a local. That is a well-established fact.

As for golf, many--no, make that most--courses (I cannot speak for Hua Hin area courses) charge more for a foreigner. Ask your Thai wife to call and make a tee time for you and they will invariably ask "Farang or Thai?" It definitely makes a difference in how much you will pay. Do we charge a visiting Thai golfer extra fees to play our courses in the West? Absolutely no more than any other non-member would. Scratch the average Thai businessman and you will find a greedy person who wants to milk the deal for all he can...according to his perceived understanding of how much the buyer can afford. They also commiserate with their countrymen and offer discounted prices; after all it is the farang who have steadily vilified this great land and caused rising prices for just about everything.

I love Thailand and intend to stay, but I plainly am able to see through the insincere smiles that adorn many faces here. We have to live with this, swallow our pride and accept the duality or choose to leave for a more justly locale. Even after paying these racially-biased farang greens fees, I believe I am still getting a much more inexpensive golf experience than I would in my home country.

You can either choose to play golf on their greed-motivated terms, get out on the fairways and wait behind 6 and 7-balls of local players who could care less about the farangs behind them, or stay home and sulk about the unfairness of it all.

Guess he got tired of the THB 150 surcharge!!

It seems the overwhelming focus of this thread has been a comparison of CM versus other Thai cities on the amount of and quality of bars and the females who inhabit them. As a long-time resident of this fair city, I must say that we who live here year round have reached our decisions based on an entirely different set of critieria. It would be best if you night owls and bar types stay away from CM. We draw a more gentile folk...family men, golfers, trekkers, students of Buddhism, arts afficionados...perhaps drawn to the other, less seamy attractions of the region. Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are light years apart...in every imaginable way...except that Thai citizens inhabit each city (and even they are vastly different depending on which city they claim as home, or as a temporary home). This vast cultural diversity is what makes the LOS a unique place to live in and visit. I am not attempting to offend anyone here; just point out that CM cannot be likened to other, more rowdy locales.

I too am adding a comment rather late in this thread. I experienced precisely the same problem, but through my right side...in the intercostal muscles or tendons. My pain came at the end of swing. I had been overswinging in the past 3 months, getting a lot more distance but paid the price with overuse. Too much practice and not enough quality rest. The tip on stretching prior to a practice session or game is excellent advice! I rid myself of the pain by simply laying off for 3 weeks. I am a regular weight training addict, but only using high reps and light weights. Maybe in doing so, I shortened those affected golf muscles and set myself up for microscopic tears in the dynamics of the golf swing. The problem has subsided, and now I will approach the game with a lot more moderation. Good luck.

Be very careful operating your PC with the battery removed and running only on AC power. If for any reason you lose power, or accidentally dislodge the jack, there is a good chance you will crash the IDE and also may cause irreparable problems with the BIOS. Some BIOS chips can be reflashed and some cannot. It happened to me with a nearly brand new Panasonic Toughbook CF-W4 at a trade show a few years back. The PC had to be sent back to the vendor to install a new BIOS chip and other work performed before we had use of it again. Some folks remove their batteries while connected to an airliner's AC port. Why? because when the battery is connected, the AC power source is insuffient to operate the battery charging circuit and the PC can't be run on AC unless the battery is removed. With the jostling that typically occurs on an airliner, seatmates moving about etc, this is a recipe for disaster.

In CM, since switching to them in March, I use 3BB's static IP service running at 5 mbps/1mbps; costs THB 3,103 monthly. My IP never changes and I check it often. Bandwidth is rarely affected and bears out the reason I decided to buy the more expensive package. So far, it has proven to be head and shoulders better than my former carrier, Jasmine. To be fair though, I suspect it was not Jasmine's fault as much as problems occurring with TTT's decision to drop ADSL servicing for our area (Mae Rim). 3BB runs its own cable to your home, where I live anyway, and you no longer need to bring in the ADSL signal over your phone line. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but so far it's been a no-brainer for us. Expensive yes, but I'm not paying for it right now and once I retire or otherwise lose my benefactor, I may have to reconsider my options.

Thanks to Mario & Lop for your helpful guidance!

This saga sounds as if it is ending on a satisfactory note and I wish the OP well as he awaits the 60-days to get his new retirement extension of stay.

I just received my 6th annual extension of stay from CNX last week...painlessly. However my U.S. passport is approaching full with little room to place additional entry and departure stamps (I travel outside of Thailand often on business) (and I also have a valid Extensionof Stay and Multiple Re-entry Permit good through 31 Aug 2011). This passport cannot be appended with additional pages (I have already received the maximum of two inserts). It doesn't expire until 19 Dec 2011, but I will probably need to get a new one with ample empty pages before my annual Thai extension of stay expires next August 31st.

Here are my questions: I plan to apply for a new passport late this year during a lull in my business travel. After I have obtained the new passport from the US Consulate here in CNX, I plan to take my expired passport and the new one to Immigration here and ask for the annual Extension of Stay and Re-entry Permit to be transferred to the new passport. I understand this is a free service and is fairly commonplace. Can someone in the know explain to me exactly what documents I will need to bring along with me?

1. Old passport

2. New passport

3. Any required TM forms and which ones? Photographs needed?

4. Will I need a new embassy income letter?

5. Are there any other 'catches' that I need to be mindful of?

and...

6. When I come in next August for my annual Extension of Stay and Re-entry Permit, must I also bring both passports or will the new one alone be sufficient?

I have never had any difficulties with CNX Immigration and certainly wish to keep it that way. From what I have experienced over these past 6 years, I have a hard time believing anything corrupt, or even incomptent is occuring there. But I continually see snippy behavior and disheveled or even disrespectful manner of dress in many foreigners visiting the office and am always a bit shocked at that. It can't help but leave negative impressions that affect all of us.

I appreciate the new office procedure and lay-out at CNX. Like the OP, I too was seen by a female officer specializing in annual extensions and she was extremely efficient and helpful. She exchanged phone numbers with my Thai wife and I could see they were getting on well. Nonetheless, I could easily be seen by somebody else when I go in with my new passport and want to play by the book. Your advice on all of this is sincerely appreciated.

Today, at the Chinag Mai Immigration office I accomplished my annual extension of stay based on retirement reasons, and for the first time submitted proof of income as my sole means of financial ability. I had the requisite U.S. Consulate letter, and was not asked at all to provide any back-up income documentation. I brought these documents along with me but since I wasn't asked, I made no mention of them. Other than the 3 hour & 20-minute duration of my visit, it was a snap. 2 hours of that time was simply waiting my turn in line.

CM Immigration now has a new system that employs tickets dispensed when you enter (using different numbering systems based on the nature of your need) and then calls forward each person by voice as well as displaying the numbering on several digital displays hanging overhead. It works well, but only two desks are dedicated to annual extensions. 90-day TM 6 reports are handled very quickly however. We arrived exactly at 8:30 AM, when the office officially opened; the waiting room was already completely packed. There were 13 people ahead of me waiting to process their annual extensions of stay; it thus took me 2 hours of waiting until my number was called. Once sitting down at the officer's desk, the processing was quickly done. My wife and I needed to wait about 25 minutes to get my completed passport in a nearby special waiting room. The TM 8 processing time (Re-entry Permit) was very quick and routine; accomplaished at the main information desk.

For your TM 7 processing, don't forget to make copies of your original visa plus all annual extensions and re-rentry permits, if applicable. You also need to copy your latest TM form and the passport page containing your matching arrival stamp.

Fairly tame and well-handled, but a long wait. Bring something along to keep your mind busy.

In Thailand, what we would call 'senior' flex shafts are generally regular-flex Asian spec clubs. I use Ping G15s which I bought in the USA that were fitted with SR flex graphite shafts. I have a friend here in Chiang Mai who wells Pings for the Asian market and he says that they are built for him in Japan. He says the regular shafts that come with these clubs are equivalent to my USA SR flex clubs and can prove it on a vibrometer. Your alternative would be to find a set of used clubs to your liking and have them reshafted...there are shaft fitters in Bangkok and other major Thai localities who can do this. BTW, I have a complete set of Ping G10 clubs--PW through driver--that I am willing to part with--all USA R-spec graphite shafts. Driver is offset & 10.5-degrees. You'd want to give them a try and continue using them as fitted or swap out the shafts with a custom selection. PM me if interested.