Golf In Thailand, A Few Questions

[stumck219]

Hi all

I will be going to thailand in november and will be staying in sattahip for 6 months.

I am a keen golfer and play regular in the uk.

I have a few questions regarding golf in thailand.

Any information would be appreciated

are there many golf courses close to sattahip ?

Can you turn up and play ? if so what are the approximate costs

Is a 6 month membership to a course a possibility ? if so what are the approximate costs

Are the courses very busy like in the uk ?

Will it be possible to get to the courses using public transport or will i need a car

[Jonny B]

search this forum for your questions, im sure u will find all the answers, same questions been asked before. yes quite a few courses available, especially between sattahip and pattaya, go to the pattaya sports club and get ba membership when you get here for discounted green fees. nov start of high season so prices do go up a bit and courses do get a bit busier, stick to playing weekdays if u want to avoid the crowds. expect to pay anywhere from 500 - 2000 baht for green fee depending on course, 200 - 250 for caddy fee and another 200 minimum for caddy tip. There is a good map avialbale around pattaya with most courses on it, otherwise check out www.thaigolfer.com for some good info, prices, locations etc. def get the pattaya sports club membership, depending on where u play it can pay for itself in 1 round.

have fun

[xbusman]

Some more tips.

Golf in the kingdom is beastly hot, even for people from Nevada. Being from old Blighty its downright deadly.

Wear only white, buy high temperature clothing that is extremely light weight such as Nike dri-fit or Addidas climacool. Get a real umbrella with a solar shield lining (silver lining on the inside). Hats will help you survive, wide brim will keep you cooler but a hat is a must.

Taxis are painfully inexpensive but take some arranging if you dont speak thai.

Showing up and playing. I dont think that is really an option here. I have not done it nor seen it done. Courses like to have groups of at least three but I dont really know if its a hard and fast rule. Lots of golfing buddies in Thailand though, this is a golfing mecca and plenty of other demented players are looking for partners. I might be wrong on this, just dont know if playing solo is an option.

The courses will start to get crowded in about November. Last year however, an awful lot of the them were empty all winter. In fact, we saw big discounts last year during high season, never seen that before.

Small tip, when you pull into the golf course look for busses in the parking lot. If you see more than one bus, forget it unless you are looking forward to a 7 hour round in the sweltering sun. If the busses are Korean golf tours, never come back to that course under any circumstance. (A little facetious but not much....)

Equipment is dreadfully expensive here, stock up before you come. Buy all your gloves, balls, tees and assorted first aid equipment before you come. Particularly stock up on sunscreen, SPF 200 will do the trick. I have seen Englishmen burned by a 60 watt bulb, this sun will cook you by the first green. Sunscreen is expensive here, I think the British government hands it out for free during your week of summer in August.

Waterproof shoes and a golf bag condom will come in handy. Humidity on the course ranges between 98% (dry) and 140% (rain which resembles snorkeling in a rough sea).

Golfing in the kingdom is the best in the world. Its the caddies.

[bob4you]

Xbusman is spot on except for assesment of walk on, Sattahip has one of the best 36 hole courses around (Plutalong Navy course), walk on during the week always welcomed, best to start early in case the bar or tour groups have got a play date. They usually tee of between 9 and 11am.

Don't bother to play on weekend unless you tee off 6-6:30am and it still may take 5 hours for 18 holes. 7 hours if you start at 10 and play behind 4 five ballers.

[stumck219]

Thanks for the info guys, very much appreciated.

The navy course at sattahip looks like it could be interesting as i will be looking to play weekday mornings.

The pattaya sports club membership looks like a good idea as well.

Does anyone know of any societys or any other way to meet other players for a round ?

Thanks

[xbusman]

Thaigolf.com has a listing of leagues that play regularly. You can sign up for the website for free and apply to any of the hundreds of leagues. In Bangkok, we have Jacks golf which does minibus runs with other golfers, while I have never done it I think it would be a great way to form an informal league.

Doug at the restaurant Bourban Street in washington square is somewhat central to the golfing world in Bangkok. He has a great tournament every year which supports some very worthwhile causes.

You should have no problem finding golf buddies or a date in Thailand.

[chuckd]

The web site for Pattaya Sports Club will give you quite a bit of information.

http://pattayasports.org

Check it out. Plutaluang will welcome singles. I do it often when I am home.

[Jonny B]

The web site for Pattaya Sports Club will give you quite a bit of information.

http://pattayasports.org

Check it out. Plutaluang will welcome singles. I do it often when I am home.

EXBUSMAMN: h do you know for a fact that white is cooler, i have been told before that actually over a long period of time black will repell the heat more than hite will, in the first 10 minutes or so white will be cooler but after that black is better. I have a friend on the asian tour who swears by wearing black on the scorching days, much to every1 elses disbalieve tho. not sure if i believe it either.

[xbusman]

I did a lot of research in using colors to paint vehicles. White is amazingly cooler. Can create over 5 degree delta over black. Thats why planes and bus roofs are always white.

The black mistake comes in from traditional desert garb. In the desert, you actually have to load up on coverings to keep the sun off you. By wearing your tent, you can actually keep cooler and retain moisture. Because the desert is very dirty and has no water to waste on washing, black is often the color of choice, not for temperature reasons.

Use white colors when you play in the tropics, you dont need to retain moisture, you need to evacuate heat. Plenty of moisture every third green or when your flopping around in the water hazards.

[JAS21]

Thanks for the info guys, very much appreciated.

The navy course at sattahip looks like it could be interesting as i will be looking to play weekday mornings.

The pattaya sports club membership looks like a good idea as well.

Does anyone know of any societys or any other way to meet other players for a round ?

Thanks

Very good advice is drink plenty of water and often. Not just every three holes. We joined with two guys the other day. Told him to drink plenty but he didn't...he packed in after 11 holes...I didn't even think it was that hot...he still looked ill when we saw him at the the 19th. In the UK it was rare for me to make 9 holes without peeing..here I frequently make 18..so be warned..if you pee is not clear you are not dringing enough and you will regret it.

[Jonny B]

exbusman, ah cool, thanks for that, interesting to know.