Do you really believe golf carts should be optional?

 

 

Well we know a lot of you prefer to walk, not only as you maybe on a reduced budget at the moment, but it is also good exercise to walk 18 holes.

 

However, some courses are hilly and it is hard to take a trolly, and on a hot day walking is tough as well.

 

Also, some commented in our forums that they even wanted to go without booking a caddie. 

 

Well whatever you think, please let us know by completing our Golf in Thailand 2020 Survey now. Here is the link and it only takes a couple of minutes to complete:

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1178945-thaivisa-golf-survey-have-your-say-on-golf-in-thailand/

 

We plan to publish all the results in mid-September, and of course not only will all you golfers be able to read the results, so will the golf clubs too.

 

Some of you maybe surprised by the results.

 

 

 

At the golf course I play at, golf carts are optional. Caddies, however, are not. You can go out without a caddie if you want, but you still have to pay the fee for them as part of the green fees. Not taking one, however, would save you from having to pay a tip. I know no one who's ever done that.

Our course also has a circle drawn around the hole which is about 1/2 meter in diameter, so has about a 25 cm radius. If you ball is in the circle, you can call your next putt a "gimme" and just pick up. You don't have to hole out. 

But, there are no enforced rules on social distancing or masks, although most of the caddies and about 10% of the players wear masks when close to other players, like when on the tee or on the green.

I completed the survey but you you missed the important question of "Do you believe caddies should be

optional ."

You missed the most important question and that is why is golf so expensive here when land and labour are so cheap?

On the survey link page 

Quote

Everyone who completes the survey stands a chance to win a premium performance polo shirt from Fenix.

How do you know who has completed the survey as no personal information is requested?

Survey misses the most important questions, optional caddy required and cheaper annual membership options. Disappointing survey, try again with decent questions, bin that one.

 

I'll make it simpler, add these:

 

1) should caddies be optional?

 

2) should courses offer annual membership with no additional fees as standard?

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by scubascuba3

I was a caddie in my teens, it's how my lifelong love affair with golf started, so I always take one. Due to my age, I walk 9, take a cart when it's 18 holes.

I think it's BS to have a cart AND a caddie, but they do need to earn a living, especially with the lack of players during COVID-19.

I don't currently have a membership anywhere, pay for play.

I almost never play on weekends. Golf clubs here could do themselves a favor by offering reduced fee weekday memberships to retirees.

On 9/4/2020 at 12:16 PM, Thaivisa Golf said:

Do you really believe golf carts should be optional?

In answer to the headline question - on most courses definitely. There are certain courses where unfortunately you need a cart - Wanguntr Highlands for example. 

During the rainy spells carts are often confined to paths anyway and it can take longer faffing about to get the right club/s.

 

Carts are useful for golfers who physically may struggle but other than financially why mandate them for everybody?

Pretty much a waste of time when "cart paths only" in place on most courses.

Never seem to have the actual club I want with me 

5 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Survey misses the most important questions, optional caddy required and cheaper annual membership options. Disappointing survey, try again with decent questions, bin that one.

 

I'll make it simpler, add these:

 

1) should caddies be optional?

 

2) should courses offer annual membership with no additional fees as standard?

Good point which we will try to address in one of our future topics.

yes, the survey kinda misses the important points.

 

DO YOU THINK CADDIES ENHANCE A ROUND OF GOLF IN THAILAND?

> when the caddie is good, yes (about 20% of rounds)

but the number of mediocre and bad experiences with caddies are enough to make caddies generally uninteresting

 

HAVE YOU NOTICED GOLF CLUBS CHARGING DIFFERENT RATES FOR LOCALS AND FOREIGNERS?

> yes

while the official prices are the same, it seems many places offer "promotions" only Thais heard about, despite me following the courses' facebooks and checking their websites

 

WITH SUCH A LARGE NUMBER OF COURSES TO CHOOSE, IS THERE ANY POINT IN STILL BECOMING A MEMBER OF A CLUB?

> this question takes for granted that the reason to not become a member is the large number of courses.
the reason for me is that being a member does not offer enough advantages, because of high fix costs per round played
for members: some fee per round + caddie fee + cart ... + caddie TIP ... often above 1200 baht per round for MEMBERS!

so the compulsory caddie and compulsory cart are putting me off from buying a membership.

Even 700 or 800 per round without a cart are still a joke.

There are almost always some promotions somewhere, so I prefer to pay promotional greenfees and play on many different courses without having to worry about amortization of a membership.

 

WOULD YOU STILL BOOK A CART IF THEY WERE NOT COMPULSORY?

> when it makes sense.

St Andrews 2000, Wangjuntr... yeah, I would book a cart for a reasonable price (around 600 baht ok). playing 36 holes the same day is also a use case.

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by tgw

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I was a caddie in my teens, it's how my lifelong love affair with golf started, so I always take one. Due to my age, I walk 9, take a cart when it's 18 holes.

I think it's BS to have a cart AND a caddie, but they do need to earn a living, especially with the lack of players during COVID-19.

I don't currently have a membership anywhere, pay for play.

I almost never play on weekends. Golf clubs here could do themselves a favor by offering reduced fee weekday memberships to retirees.

yes, I thought about the "need to earn a living" part, but at the same time Thailand has hundreds of thousands of foreign laborers.

4 minutes ago, tgw said:

yes, the survey kinda misses the important points.

 

DO YOU THINK CADDIES ENHANCE A ROUND OF GOLF IN THAILAND?

> when the caddie is good, yes (about 20% of rounds)

but the number of mediocre and bad experiences with caddies are enough to make caddies generally uninteresting

 

HAVE YOU NOTICED GOLF CLUBS CHARGING DIFFERENT RATES FOR LOCALS AND FOREIGNERS?

> yes

while the official prices are the same, it seems many places offer "promotions" only Thais heard about, despite me following the courses' facebooks and checking their websites

 

WITH SUCH A LARGE NUMBER OF COURSES TO CHOOSE, IS THERE ANY POINT IN STILL BECOMING A MEMBER OF A CLUB?

> this question takes a granted that the reason to not become a member is the large number of courses.
the reason for me is that being a member does not offer enough advantages, because of high fix costs per round played
for members: some fee per round + caddie fee + cart ... + caddie TIP ... often above 1200 baht per round for MEMBERS!

so the compulsory caddie and compulsory cart are putting me off from buying a membership.

Even 700 or 800 per round without a cart are still a joke.

There are almost always some promotions somewhere, so I prefer to pay promotional greenfees and play on many different courses without having to worry about amortization of a membership.

 

WOULD YOU STILL BOOK A CART IF THEY WERE NOT COMPULSORY?

> when it makes sense.

St Andrews 2000, Wangjuntr... yeah, I would book a cart for a reasonable price (around 600 baht ok). playing 36 holes the same day is also a use case.

 

 

 

Good points, back home I've been a member of 4 golf courses, i don't know anyone who would still play if they had to pay a caddy £18\700 baht every time they played

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I was a caddie in my teens, it's how my lifelong love affair with golf started, so I always take one. Due to my age, I walk 9, take a cart when it's 18 holes.

I think it's BS to have a cart AND a caddie, but they do need to earn a living, especially with the lack of players during COVID-19.

I don't currently have a membership anywhere, pay for play.

I almost never play on weekends. Golf clubs here could do themselves a favor by offering reduced fee weekday memberships to retirees.

Senior Rates should definitely be welcomed here.  They are the norm in the US at most courses I played.  My old home course even allowed the member to bring a guest with them for free 4 times during the year, and then allowed a reduced fee to be paid if they were over 60.   

yes

8 hours ago, tgw said:

St Andrews 2000, Wangjuntr...

Compulsory at St Andrews and Wanguntr highlands so no choice anyway.......

Sorry reread what you wrote.

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by topt

8 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Good points, back home I've been a member of 4 golf courses, i don't know anyone who would still play if they had to pay a caddy £18\700 baht every time they played

English equivalent of "your not in Kansas anymore Dorothy"..........

Of course they wouldn't but it is not exactly relevant to Thailand/Asia is it?

Does anybody really know do Thai players have an issue with paying for caddies generally? 

It would be a dull game without carts.

 

 

12 hours ago, topt said:

English equivalent of "your not in Kansas anymore Dorothy"..........

Of course they wouldn't but it is not exactly relevant to Thailand/Asia is it?

Does anybody really know do Thai players have an issue with paying for caddies generally? 

It's relevant because people always compare prices, if something is much more expensive than back home they may not buy it, of course some still do

I do....carts @400/500/600/700/800+baht is a joke imo.....can rent a car or a motorbike all day for as much or even less, so a cart for say 4 and half hours max is way too much.  Plus some courses dont allow carts on the fairways (most if it,s wet) any reduction in cart price then..???  No!!!

Carts should be 300baht max for 18 holes whether single or sharing and half that for 9 holes imho.