I would like the views, especially of any RBSC or RBSC Polo Club members, about the benefits of joining the senior club.  I am a member of the RBSC Polo Club and am being invited to join the RBSC. 

 

Until now I have stayed in Thailand only a few months a year but we are likely to stay longer from next year.  Golf is not a major attraction as I have not played for several years and was never much good although my wife says she will take lessons to brush up her play (she was better at the game than me).  I expect I would be able to see the annual 7s competition.

 

I am told that during the week the RBSC is mainly populated by elderly and teenagers whereas the Polo has a wide range of age groups.  The food is better at the Polo.  One of the main arguments I have heard for RBSC membership is that the land was granted by the Crown so membership is for life whereas the Polo Club only has a lease on its grounds after which it may be dissolved. 

 

 

 

I'm a member of RBSC which also gives me membership of the Polo Club.Doesn't work the other way round as you know.

 

I don't think I am aware of anyone who is a member of the Polo Club applying for RBSC membership - but it must happen from time to time.As a matter of interest how much are you expected to pay given you have already paid a significant joining fee at the Polo Club?

 

I think your information on the RBSC is broadly correct, very much the domain of oldsters during the day.Can't say I've ever noticed many teenagers.But it's a wider age range in the evening - though still mainly middle aged.

 

The food isn't brilliant at either but the RBSC has more outlets.Frankly it's a mystery why there aren't higher food standards at both.

 

The slightly weary cliche is that RBSC is old money and Polo Club is new money.Grain of truth here and the Thai elites will be members of the RBSC not the Polo Club - the former upper class and the latter middle class.Not quite sure whether these stereotypes apply these days.

 

I like the Polo Club - compact and pleasant atmosphere.RBSC is much bigger though a bit of a mess with the appalling newish Sports Complex (I'd be interested to know the history of that particular contract) - but the views are superb.

 

My advice would probably be to stick to the Polo Club.If you and your wife are interested in joining in activities RBSC might be better however and it has more social cachet.

 

Whatever you decide I hope you enjoy either or both of these fine clubs.

Personally i put the membership into the bracket of nice to have rather than necessity. I have all the facilities available at the Polo Club close to where i live, and there are many other sports clubs available with those facilities. For the golf, i am a weekend player and want to play on proper courses, i don't consider the RBSC a proper course. In addition since most of my activity is in the early morning, evening or golf at the weekend, the last thing i want to be doing is traipsing into central BKK.

 

I think most sport clubs through the week are generally quiet in office hours so the people you tend to see will be those who are not at work which probably tends itself to be children and elderly. The key point for me when considering joining clubs is the membership and player ship numbers. I have looked at some fantastic clubs here in BKK which would lovely to join but in reality the most important part for me is the playership. My main weekday sports are badminton, tennis and squash- as such one of the important parts of joining is to assess the numbers of members who regularly participate in these sports. If there are strong numbers it makes it great as there will always be groups to join and people knocking around at all hours for a game. Its great joining a nice club but if there are limited players etc its difficult to get regular game time.

 

If you live in the area and having somewhere nice to relax and play a bit of gentle golf, swim a little and use it as a country club lifestyle choice then RBSC is probably the one to do. However for me for all round sport options there are better alternatives around.

 

I thought once you are a member of RBSC you automatically have access tot eh Polo Club anyway, so you would have the best of both worlds.

I appreciate that the difficulty in reaching a club is a potential issue.  When in Bangkok I currently stay in Rattanakosin, near Democracy Monument so the time to either club is about the same, but still 30 minutes on a good day.

I'm an RBSC member but prefer to go to the Polo, seldom go to the main club apart from Family Day.  

thank you

In the past there was an unspoken assumption that since the membership included the highly influential "great and the good" and particularly since the Club was established under Royal Charter in 1901, the extension of the lease from time to time was merely a formality.The charter can be revoked however at any time and the original document makes reference to this contingency.

 

I would not be so confident now since the Club occupies a huge piece of central Bangkok prime real estate.In recent years the CPB has rightly taken a much more commercial - some would say ruthless - line to its property portfolio.

 

 

 

 

"On February 26 2001 the Club extended a land rental agreement for the Main Club with the Crown Property Bureau for another 30 years.This extension coupled with the remaining six years of the previous contract will expire in 2037."

On 11/23/2017 at 9:43 AM, jayboy said:

The food isn't brilliant at either but the RBSC has more outlets.Frankly it's a mystery why there aren

But it's cheap!