sticklee

Coverage is on Sky Sports 4 beginning at 1pm Thursday.

A great win. He put on a clinic in course management. More than 40 consecutive holes without dropping a stroke.

It's very expensive, but very highly rated courses. Spring City and Stone Forest are the best known. A package at the Spring City resort might be the best option.

Excuse my error in omitting a 0, it should read 800B

It's a little further away at about 50km, but Chiang Mai Inthanon has a 5 year membership for 20,000B. Golf with caddie will then cost 400B along with other discounts and privileges. North Hill has a 1 year for 7,000B, golf with caddie will cost 80B.

An update. Now open 8 am Tues -Fri., closed Mon. Open 6am Weekends and holidays. 1000B with proof of residency. A couple of new bunkers are going in. 2 sets of tee boxes for the whites makes it a little more interesting. Designed by Japanese designer with a couple of courses in S. Thailand.

Clubs from the USA are cheapest but not as much selection in lefties clubs. Look for someone with an Ebay store. Be prepared for high importation duties and tax.

Just bought 4 clubs now including a driver for my wife. The price of the clubs on ebay are so reasonable it makes the carriage and import duties quite acceptable. For example I purchased a brand new left handed Taylormade Jetspeed with adjustable head this morning, inc head cover and tool. The cost of the driver was $72 and post and import costs were $68, a tad of just over 5000฿. I honestly don't think I could find a genuine quality club of this ilk in Thailand left or right handed for 5000฿. I ordered a fairway club on the 6th of this month and it arrived this morning 7 days, great service from UPS.

That sounds like a great buy! The set jamesd has for sale are great clubs. I have the same set rh.

Clubs from the USA are cheapest but not as much selection in lefties clubs. Look for someone with an Ebay store. Be prepared for high importation duties and tax.

If considering importing, look for a supplier in Canada. There are more left handed golfers in Canada than anywhere else in the world, due to the influence of the way a hockey stick is used. Many righties play golf as a leftie due to that influence. Plus the low $CAN/'$US will work in your favour.

Thanks. So I'm on the right track. Mae Sai on Nov. 11 will work for me then.

Link to Thai Consulate Vancouver. The erroneous statement being the first point in #3.

http://www.thaiconsulatevancouver.ca/retirement-visa/

It's been discussed before but, as the rules change or the goalposts are moved without notice, I need to confirm/clarify the correct useage. I obtained the retirement OA multiple entry from Vancouver. This is quoted directly from their website:

"Upon arrival, holder of this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the date of first entry. During the one-year period, if he or she wishes to leave and re-enter the country, he or she is required to apply at the Immigration office for re-entry permit (single or multiple) before departure. In the case of leaving the country without a re-entry permit, the permit to stay for 1 year shall be considered void."

It is stated that a re-entry permit is required regardless of the visa type.

My details:

Date of Issue- 29 July 2015

Date of expiry- 28 July 2016

Date of entry- 13 Aug. 2015

Admitted until- Aug 11 2016

Clarification needed:

1. Re-entry permit needed?

2. 90 day reporting, In my case, Nov 11 2015. As the admitted until date is a full year, I can safely assume that it is the holders responsibility to determine the reporting date.

3. 90 day can be done either at CMI or as a 'border run', (no re-entry permit required.)

4. Also I assume that, as a new visa, reporting by mail will not be available until doing a first report at CMI.

Thanks for the info, any additional tips are appreciated.

There are still huge numbers of Korean and Japanese golfers coming to Chiang Mai every high season. As a result, good deals on greens fees and memberships are hard to find. Even tee times are difficult to get at times. There is no shortage of courses, with a new 9 hole (expanding in the future) just opened and a newly renovated course. As a comparison, golf in Canada is very expensive, the season is short and good deals do not exist. Even on booking sites such as GolfNow unless you are prepared to drive 1-2 hours to play very average courses. If your 'Agent' has any good membership deals in CM send me a message.

Chiang Mai Social Golfers play Lanna on Mondays, Mae Jo on Friday. Sanuk-Sabai Golfers play Tuesday at Alpine and Thursday at Green Valley. They both have a website. Enough to keep you busy. Small groups also play at Inthanon, Sand Creek, Gymkhana......

Anyone played Khuntan recently?. It was never in the best condition. Heard (rumour?) that after 3pm golf/caddie/cart is 1000B at Highlands.

Haripunchai, Lamphun. Excellent and deserted. 600B/18 holes includes caddie. Closed Monday, open 11AM Tues.-Fri.

Thanks for the info. The Mae Sai option may be preferable as I only need 4 days.

My triple entry tourist visa expires July 2 and I am flying out July 6. Am I able to get an extension at Chiang Mai immigration? Or, would I get a re-entry, that would give me at least the minimum required 4 days, at Mae Sai? My passport also has 2 additional triple tourist visas and one 12 month ED visa, all with applicable re-entry stamps. Likely to be an issue at Mae Sai.?

No idea, l but I would guess Thai design

Only 9 holes for now. Don't know about midweek times. Not at all busy, saw no one for most of my 1st nine. 2 groups on buggies started at same time I started 2nd nine. Maybe 4-5 groups on the course

Played it yesterday. Best deal in the area by far at 600B. My caddie was ok, but I don't expect much. Interesting layout in good 'new course' condition. Quite a few demanding shots. Reminiscent of Singha Park, very open, but newly planted trees will define the holes well in a couple of years. The pro said there are plans to add another 9 in maybe 2 years. New driving range is open and construction underway on a clubhouse. Easiest to find coming off #116 from the east. Will be a first class facility when completed.

I started this thread to provide some helpful information for those who might be interested and, as is becoming all too frequent on TV, an annoying boor comes along to spoil it. If you have useful, valid information please share it. If you intend to be a tedious irritant please find another thread where you may be able to goad someone into a pointless argument.

< Off topic deflection comments removed to avoid continued arguments. >

I've played with many golfers around Chiang Mai and few I have seen score in the mid 80s. I'm sure there are plenty who can, I just havn't come across many. The point I am making is that you are only cheating yourself if you pick up after double bogey or do anything else that incurs strokes, and then score a round like it didn't happen. If you're playing for beers or dollars then you're cheating your friends. In the CMSG the majority of the golfers are high handicaps and they are all 'regular' golfers. I read somewhere once that only about 10% of all golfers regularly break 100, and 10% of those break 90. I played with a guy a couple weeks ago who was pleased he shot 88, problem was he took at least 4 mulligans. Obtuse, moi? your are the one asking why you can't pick up, it's been explained, you're not Lawrence from CMSG are you? Then again maybe not, he wouldn't be going anywhere near back tees.

You are confused. No one 'picks up' at any time, how could you have a score for 18 holes if you did? In stroke play there are no 'gimmes'. If you are playing a Match Play competition your opponent can award you a putt OR if you have lost the hole you pick up. If you are playing a Stableford scoring event you might as well pick up when you reach a point of not being able to score any points on a hole, and you MUST hole out to complete the hole if you are scoring points. If you are scoring your round for handicap purposes only you could pick up after double bogey, see post 18. But under NO circumstances can you complete a gross score on a round if you have 'picked up'. In reality no one gives a shit what you may do in a round, just don't brag about shooting an 85 when you've had a mulligan, picked up on a hole ( although friends do give you the short ones), infringed any rule, improved your lie, etc., etc. Best advice, pick a comprehensive rule book and familiarize yourself. Too many people don't, one of the reasons I stopped playing competitively.

Thank you for posting that, hopefully it will clear any confusion. Regarding 'random' prize giving. Yes, there are random prize draws. The trophies awarded are according to the net, calculated scores. There is a 'leaderboard' with everyone's results and standings. If it was random, I'd be the luckiest player in the city having 3 flight wins in 35% of the events entered.

The way the system 36 system is set up, it is designed to basically make 'winning' a result of the luck of the draw.. They pick 4 random holes for your handicap, get your score on those, then another 4 holes, and compare the results.. If you did a lot worse on the four that they use for the handicap, then the ones the other 4, then you have a chance of winning.. (I think! haha)

Basically, it eliminates the need to worry about others cheating, and also gives everyone a 'fair' shot. Personally, I think the old thai guys love it, cause every once in a while, they go home with a trophy, and get to tell their wives 'I won'. Same with the long drive.. It's not actually longest drive, it's closest to a stripe down the middle.

I just wish they would explain to everyone that their score really isn't important, and that they should pick up once they've reached double bogey.

While that may be so in some tournaments, the Golf Festival tournys use the entire score. I've entered 10 over the past past years and it has always been the way of scoring in these events. Double bogies and over do not incur a stroke against your handicap but, if you wish to have a completed score, you still need to hole out to establish your gross. An incomplete scorecard is a disqualification.