Thai Courses Hardly Closed During COVID-19

Yesterday, across the UK, golf courses were allowed to re-open, and Facebook was awash with happy hackers out on the fairways again.

Our photo shows Dr Smiddy having the first shot at Reading GC. For the past months he has been working in intensive care with Covid 19 patients.

Meanwhile over the past twelve months, apart from perhaps a few isolated cases, our 260 courses across Thailand remained open for play.

Naturally, the Thai government gave strict guidelines to the club staff on how to operate during the pandemic and overall, it seemed to work.

Wearing a mask around the clubhouse was the norm, and it seemed sensible in the heat, that we were able to actually play 18 holes without wearing a mask.

Lucky Us

We expats who have remained here in Thailand, have I believed been incredibly lucky, as we have missed the stress and anxiety that went with the Covid 19 pandemic back in Europe. 

Friends back in the UK have told me it has been a tough haul coping with three full lockdowns, and handling many of their friends and family passing away too.

Here in Thailand there are mixed thoughts on how the government controlled what could have been a profoundly serious pandemic. 

Travel Industry Sacrificed

By shutting the door, overall, they kept out the Covid, but at a massive financial cost. 

The hospitality industry, so vital to the country’s GDP, was sacrificed in return for Thailand becoming one of the world’s safest Covid countries.

Back to golf. Apart from many of us experiencing millionaires golf with quieter fairways, the last 12 months have also seen a great improvement on the general playing conditions. 

One GM told us, that in the past 20 years they had never had time to close a course for vital maintenance.

Most 18-hole golf clubs just managed to get by with patch up jobs around the course. However, now with less golfers around most courses in the past few months have been given some desperately needed Tender Loving Care.

So, while UK golfers jump for joy and are at last getting their birdies and bogies, here in Thailand we are experiencing some low playing rates and can also enjoy courses in tip top condition.