Membership and golf carts fees

[darrenr]

Hi new to this forum, 

1. Does annual membership cover your green fees ?

2. Every time you play golf , is the motorised golf cart compulsory or can you just walk around with a golf push cart ? 
3. What are some of the cheaper options to play golf in Pattaya , Hua hin or other coastal areas?

4. I like Koh Chang but I hear there is no nearby golf course ?

thank you and sorry if this is a repetive questions ?

 

 

[AussieBob18]

Yes and No.  Every golf club/course is different - ring and ask. Google Maps/Earth.

No golf course on Ko Chang

 

 

[topt]

4 hours ago, darrenr said:

3. What are some of the cheaper options to play golf in Pattaya ,

Have a look at the September price list from Pattaya Sports Club which may give you some ideas. Hua Hin tends to be more expensive.

The previous poster has given you answers but there are nuances -

1 - not at most courses from what I can see

2 - You cannot walk around just with a trolley - you need a caddie to pull it at nearly every full size course (excepting the odd navy course and possibly 1/2 others). 

4 - I believe there is a pitch and putt course on Koh Chang...... https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g580110-d3830371-Reviews-Koh_Chang_Golf_Course-Ko_Chang_Trat_Province.html

PSC Golf Rates - September 2020.pdf

 

[bkk6060]

Every "membership" course I know of make at least a caddie required.

Some may make you take a cart also but the majority I know of require at least a caddie.

So, if you have a membership as I do at a course in Chiang Mai, I pay the caddie fee and caddie tip only the green fee is part of the yearly membership, no cart is required. As someone else suggested, contact the course for additional info.  A place like Siam CC will probably have additional fees and be more expensive on each individual round.

[mrwebb8825]

A lot of courses still require member to pay green fees but at 50-70% off. The membership in many cases also allows you to bring a non-member friend and pay a reduced green fee. All the good courses I've played at require both carts and caddies. It's more to keep people moving at around the same speed as walkers tend to slow riders down.

Joining a golf society can extend your discounts to numerous courses where a membership is usually only good at 1 course. I went on 1 golf society "trip" and for 1 fee we played 4 courses in 3 days including hotel and breakfast/dinner.

Not sure those are happening right now with covid but you can check.

[scubascuba3]

In the UK being a member usually means you don't pay additional green fees, that's what made golf so popular and so many people play it, Thailand not so. There are 9 hole courses (play 18 holes) where no compulsory caddy and green fees are circ 300 baht

[Rimmer]

A baiting troll post has been removed

[Lacessit]

Most Thai courses charge a reduced fee for members. Most also make it mandatory to have a caddie with a cart. While walking with a golf buggy can be done, some courses are so long between tee and the next green it can become an endurance event.

I was a member of a golf course in Chiang Mai. I now doubt its value, because the social competitions I entered into were not organised by the club. Nowadays, I find pay for play inexpensive, nearly all the courses are discounting to attract golfers in the era of coronavirus. Being a member has no appeal for me now. Unless one is playing golf 5-6 times a week, the savings by being a member are dubious.

One should bear in mind a membership is a commitment, and the Thai government's commitment to foreigners is one year maximum, unless purchasing an Elite visa.

 

 

 

[natway09]

You are not in the UK. Welcome to Thailand. 

Most courses allow pushcarts which the caddie will take care of for you, rake bunkers & give general  advice when asked. Unless you are a very fit young fella in this heat a caddie is great & does the donkey work for you so you can enjoy your round.

Most member courses have a much reduced green fee for members if any on some days (midweek)

Some also have different classes of membership. Check 

[scubascuba3]

12 minutes ago, natway09 said:

You are not in the UK. Welcome to Thailand. 

Most courses allow pushcarts which the caddie will take care of for you, rake bunkers & give general  advice when asked. Unless you are a very fit young fella in this heat a caddie is great & does the donkey work for you so you can enjoy your round.

Most member courses have a much reduced green fee for members if any on some days (midweek)

Some also have different classes of membership. Check 

Yes we are not in the UK or US, most people I've played with are easily fit enough to walk and have no caddy, 90% would prefer not to have a caddy. One day at Greenwood the caddies were away elsewhere at a competition, we loved it, the round took 3.5 hours, a record in Thailand

[topt]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

easily fit enough to walk and have no caddy, 90% would prefer not to have a caddy.

Fitness has nothing to do with having a caddie or not.

We obviously play in different circles because 90% of the people I play with (actually probably more) have no issue with having a caddie. And the majority walk.

 

As you have publicly stated you have given up playing anything but the Navy courses, is this 90% of the guys who play there? 

 

[scubascuba3]

26 minutes ago, topt said:

Fitness has nothing to do with having a caddie or not.

We obviously play in different circles because 90% of the people I play with (actually probably more) have no issue with having a caddie. And the majority walk.

 

As you have publicly stated you have given up playing anything but the Navy courses, is this 90% of the guys who play there? 

 

It's 90% of the people I played with over the last 5 years, of course tourists don't mind caddies as its a novelty. Now 100% of the guys I play with don't want a caddy. I appreciate the very elderly and unfit want a cart and caddy

[topt]

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's 90% of the people I played with over the last 5 years, of course tourists don't mind caddies as its a novelty. Now 100% of the guys I play with don't want a caddy. I appreciate the very elderly and unfit want a cart and caddy

We will just have to agree to disagree on this one (as usual) 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's 90% of the people I played with over the last 5 years, of course tourists don't mind caddies as its a novelty. Now 100% of the guys I play with don't want a caddy. I appreciate the very elderly and unfit want a cart and caddy

The vast majority of Thais I see on the golf courses I play take caddies, as do the farang friends I play with. I walk nine holes; the caddies struggle to keep up with me ( shorter legs ). Have a cart for 18.

I take a caddie because I used to be one myself as a teenager, they are convenient, and they need the work even more with coronavirus. It's not as if they are a huge burden on my wallet.

 

[scubascuba3]

15 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The vast majority of Thais I see on the golf courses I play take caddies, as do the farang friends I play with. 

 

That's because they are compulsory 

[JAS21]

Where my wife and I are members it is a share. Bought two of them in 2008, And we pay a nominal fee every couple of years of 500baht. Shares were about 360,000 baht each then. Worth just a little bit more now.

 

So when we pay only pay for the Caddie. In fact I have never played anywhere in Thailand that you didn’t have to have a caddy. Anyway I need a Caddy to tell me where my ball has gone....

 

Still prefer to walk, but with advancing years I may soon have to have a cart for the second nine. Especially as it seems to get hotter every year.

 

Playing away on holiday if there is an all in price, usually take that as after a few days the legs can get tired.

 

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

41 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

That's because they are compulsory 

No. Caddies are not compulsory at Mae Kok in Chiang Rai, or Gymkhana in Chiang Mai. Not compulsory at Haripunchai, Mae Moh, or Happy City either, although I wouldn't want to play Happy City without one.

As you apparently play navy courses, I think I can work out you are not from around here.

[scubascuba3]

12 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

No. Caddies are not compulsory at Mae Kok in Chiang Rai, or Gymkhana in Chiang Mai. Not compulsory at Haripunchai, Mae Moh, or Happy City either, although I wouldn't want to play Happy City without one.

As you apparently play navy courses, I think I can work out you are not from around here.

Good so they are optional, that's the way it should be for caddies

[JAS21]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

No. Caddies are not compulsory at Mae Kok in Chiang Rai, or Gymkhana in Chiang Mai. Not compulsory at Haripunchai, Mae Moh, or Happy City either, although I wouldn't want to play Happy City without one.

As you apparently play navy courses, I think I can work out you are not from around here.

I thought that at Mae Moh only EGAT staff could play without a caddy ... last time we were there had the all in price. It is supposed to be the best EGAT Course but I prefer both Sirikit and Rajjaprabha to Mae Moh. Especially as last time we were there you couldn't see either the sky or the hills!

[tgw]

Memberships aren't really an attractive proposition for me, the money they save vs. playing with discounts on many other courses are just too small.

 

Even being a member, the costs involved in playing one time are too high compared to the flexibility and freedom provided by taking advantage of promotions elsewhere.

 

I implore the clubs - ideally members should be able to play alone, with a pushkart and no caddie, at no cost other than the yearly membership.

 

If caddies can't be avoided (because reasons, obviously), then let the player pay 300 baht caddie fee + tip, with strictly no fee kept by the club.

If carts can't be avoided, then members should pay 300 baht cart fee, and allow members to buy and own their own cart, with a yearly maintenance contract with the club.

 

Even then, with 300 caddie fee, 300 cart fee and 300 caddie tip, we would already be at 900 baht just to play on your own course where you hold a membership... If someone plays 3 times a week, we are at around 100.000 baht a year in addition to the membership costs, not counting transportation costs.

 

I think compulsory caddies hold back a significant number of players from playing more often. I would welcome a new golf course project with a business plan that doesn't revolve around compulsory caddies and other fees for members.

I wonder why such a project hasn't already been launched around Pattaya.

[scubascuba3]

6 hours ago, tgw said:

Memberships aren't really an attractive proposition for me, the money they save vs. playing with discounts on many other courses are just too small.

 

Even being a member, the costs involved in playing one time are too high compared to the flexibility and freedom provided by taking advantage of promotions elsewhere.

 

I implore the clubs - ideally members should be able to play alone, with a pushkart and no caddie, at no cost other than the yearly membership.

 

If caddies can't be avoided (because reasons, obviously), then let the player pay 300 baht caddie fee + tip, with strictly no fee kept by the club.

If carts can't be avoided, then members should pay 300 baht cart fee, and allow members to buy and own their own cart, with a yearly maintenance contract with the club.

 

Even then, with 300 caddie fee, 300 cart fee and 300 caddie tip, we would already be at 900 baht just to play on your own course where you hold a membership... If someone plays 3 times a week, we are at around 100.000 baht a year in addition to the membership costs, not counting transportation costs.

 

I think compulsory caddies hold back a significant number of players from playing more often. I would welcome a new golf course project with a business plan that doesn't revolve around compulsory caddies and other fees for members.

I wonder why such a project hasn't already been launched around Pattaya.

Good ideas also wishful thinking. One solution is for farang to get together and buy a golf course, many seem to be making losses so potentially wouldn't be exorbitant. I don't know whether they could have optional caddies, people say it's the law but no one has ever been able to prove that

[Lacessit]

13 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Good ideas also wishful thinking. One solution is for farang to get together and buy a golf course, many seem to be making losses so potentially wouldn't be exorbitant. I don't know whether they could have optional caddies, people say it's the law but no one has ever been able to prove that

Getting enough farangs to agree and have sufficient funds sounds like fairly wishful thinking too. Although Cranbourne Golf Club, in Melbourne, was founded by Jews because they got tired of being blackballed when they applied for membership at the more prestigious clubs in the sand belt.

[scubascuba3]

7 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Getting enough farangs to agree and have sufficient funds sounds like fairly wishful thinking too. Although Cranbourne Golf Club, in Melbourne, was founded by Jews because they got tired of being blackballed when they applied for membership at the more prestigious clubs in the sand belt.

Yes I was a member of a Jewish course in the UK built because of the same reason. Another course nearby was bought by the members. You could do it, farang golfers always like to portray they have loads of money, you'd need to get 500+, as it would be unique it should be popular but the law needs to be confirmed 

[Lacessit]

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes I was a member of a Jewish course in the UK built because of the same reason. Another course nearby was bought by the members. You could do it, farang golfers always like to portray they have loads of money, you'd need to get 500+, as it would be unique it should be popular but the law needs to be confirmed 

Agree, I did omit mentioning land ownership laws in Thailand could be problematic.

Happy City in Chiang Rai is apparently owned by Koreans, don't know how that came about.

[Lacessit]

8 hours ago, JAS21 said:

I thought that at Mae Moh only EGAT staff could play without a caddy ... last time we were there had the all in price. It is supposed to be the best EGAT Course but I prefer both Sirikit and Rajjaprabha to Mae Moh. Especially as last time we were there you couldn't see either the sky or the hills!

Mae Moh mines lignite for the power station, which is the dirtiest and most inefficient form of coal around. Plus Lampang gets a lot of forest fires every burning season.

[tgw]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Agree, I did omit mentioning land ownership laws in Thailand could be problematic.

Happy City in Chiang Rai is apparently owned by Koreans, don't know how that came about.

Land ownership is not a big problem.

Companies can own land, especially when it's directly related to its business. All the "club" needs is enough Thai members. I don't think that would be too difficult, as many Thais are avid golfers and I am sure they would welcome the opportunity to play for less cost.

 

Another aspect is that investments of 10+ million baht into the club would provide investors with a B-visa.

 

There is a course that has been abandoned in recent years: Siracha International Golf Club.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, tgw said:

Land ownership is not a big problem.

Companies can own land, especially when it's directly related to its business. All the "club" needs is enough Thai members. I don't think that would be too difficult, as many Thais are avid golfers and I am sure they would welcome the opportunity to play for less cost.

 

Another aspect is that investments of 10+ million baht into the club would provide investors with a B-visa.

 

There is a course that has been abandoned in recent years: Siracha International Golf Club.

Many courses in Pattaya circuit have gone bust, I think Crystal Bay and Mountain Shadow were both taken over by the Bank in the past. Rayong went under, they are around it just needs motivation from all those wealthy golfers. Personally I'd opt for buying Pattavia off Chang

[Jimbo53]

On 9/10/2020 at 6:48 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Yes we are not in the UK or US, most people I've played with are easily fit enough to walk and have no caddy, 90% would prefer not to have a caddy. One day at Greenwood the caddies were away elsewhere at a competition, we loved it, the round took 3.5 hours, a record in Thailand

You obviously mean a record for yourself.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, Jimbo53 said:

You obviously mean a record for yourself.

Yes, so teeing off in a 4 ball around 10am on one of those Pattaya circuit courses, what's your record? 

[Jimbo53]

On 9/12/2020 at 10:49 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Yes, so teeing off in a 4 ball around 10am on one of those Pattaya circuit courses, what's your record? 

2 Ball  2h.55m.