Spreading The Gospel Of Golfing In The Kingdom

[thailandgolf]

http://www.asiangolfmonthly.com/news2.php?reg_id=1372

http://www.golfinakingdom.com/

Spreading The Gospel Of Golfing In The Kingdom

Asian Golf Monthly Team

Bangkok (June 24): In a bid to tell world golfers what Asian golfers already know, the golf establishment in Thailand has launched 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience', a co-operative itinerary that matches the country's top courses with its most desirable hotels.

The Kingdom of Thailand has for decades been the destination of choice for Asian golfers, thanks to its stellar courses, superb year-round climate and welcoming culture. By banding together to form 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience' - www.golfinakingdom.com - these courses and hotels mean to cement a place for Thailand alongside the world's premier golf destinations.

Mark Siegel, president of Bangkok-based tour operator Golfasian, said: "I think golfers in North America have an inkling that golf is played in Thailand; Europeans have slightly more of an inkling, but I don't think golfers on either continent fully realise that this is a country with more than 250 courses, many of them as good as you'll find anywhere in the world."

The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with eight premium golf properties, Golfasian and six of the country's premier hotels to form 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience'.

The co-operative effort has been in the planning since 2007, but its launch this month is timely. According to TAT, some 3.2 million visitors arrived in Thailand in the first quarter of 2009 — a 19 per cent decrease from the previous year. It's unclear whether this drop is attributable to the peaceful-but-on-going political disquiet in Thailand or the worldwide economic slump.

"I live here and the reality is, the political issues in Thailand haven't had any effect on the day-to-day lives of citizens or tourists — but the economic slowdown has surely affected tourists: prices have dropped across the board," Siegel said. "I don't think there's ever been a more economical time to visit here. That's not hype; it's a fact. Launching 'Golf in a Kingdom' now has allowed us to offer value we could not have offered in 2008."

In May 2009, a CNN International tourism poll asserted that Thailand, among first-world nations, represents the best value for travellers in the Asia Pacific region. Conducted across CNN English websites, the survey had more than 5,000 respondents globally.

"The world gets a bit smaller every day," Siegel continued. "We hope to shrink it just enough with 'Golf in a Kingdom' to give North American and European golfers a taste of Thai culture and hospitality, because one visit is normally all it takes. The number of golfers who try Thailand then return for a second and third helping is pretty extraordinary."

From the mystical hill country of Chiang Rai in the northwest corner to the breathtaking beaches of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience' takes in some of the most lush and varied terrain on the planet. That sort of real estate — linked by Thailand's enviably modern transportation infrastructure — translates into the Kingdom's stunning golf properties, including:

*Banyan Golf Club, a new hillside course just outside the charming coastal town of Hua Hin, preferred holiday retreat of the Thai Royal Family for almost a century.

*Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, an inventive Schmidt/Curley design 1,000 feet above sea level in the cool, northern region.

*Muang Kaew Golf Club, the closest course to bustling Bangkok, with excellent greens and a par-three that looks eerily similar to the 12th at Augusta National.

*Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club, where Robert Trent Jones II crafted 18 dramatic holes that either skirt a chain of lakes or flow over the low hills of Bang Bor.

*Santiburi Samui Country Club, site of the newest Asian Tour event, the Queen's Cup, and traversing a jungle of towering coconut trees at the foot of Khao Pom Mountain.

*Siam Country Club, Plantation Course, this 27-hole Schmidt-Curley design played host to the 2009 Honda LPGA Thailand just two years after opening.

*Siam Country Club, Old Course, always immaculately maintained, it hosted the 2007 Honda LPGA event and features perhaps the toughest closing stretch in the country.

*Thai Country Club, site of Tiger Woods's 1997 Asia Honda Classic victory and the 'Best Championship Course in Asia', as voted by Asian Golf Monthly readers in 2008.

Thailand also harbours Asia's newest and broadest collection of five-star accommodations ­— at prices North Americans and Europeans may not believe at first. 'Golf in a Kingdom' embraces that development by bridging rounds of golf with nights at posh, brand-name resorts, including Anantara Phuket, Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa, Anantara Golden Triangle, Anantara Hua Hin, Anantara Koh Samui and Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa.

The attraction extends beyond golf and resorts. Never colonised by foreign powers and known as Siam until 1939, Thailand remains a constitutional monarchy. But during the past half century it has managed to seamlessly blend Western influences and Buddhist beliefs, producing a first-world destination with an 'Old World' feel.

Six distinct geographical regions — ranging from 8,000-foot-high mountains in the north to a maze of limestone islands rising out of the Andaman Sea in the south — only add to the country's diverse allure.

"Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand provides the greatest value," said Santi Chudintra, Director of TAT Los Angeles. "The people are welcoming, the culture is unique and the scenery is spectacular. Thai food, which everyone wants to talk about, is just a small part of the menu."