Learning To Play Golf In Chiang Mai

[JimShortz]

I want to learn to play golf along with my girlfriend's 10 year old son. Actually, I played quite a bit 20 years ago, but it really has all gone and I would like to go right back to basics and be treated as a complete beginner...

It seems that we would be best starting with some lessons on a driving range to get the basics in place before getting out in the countryside and scaring the wildlife. To get the ball rolling we headed down to Chiang Mai Golf Driving Range (next to airport plaza) this morning and I talked to the lady there about the possibility of a teacher. She gave us the phone number of a farang teacher who I rang and was informed the price is 700 Baht an hour. This is not too bad, but really we would be better off with a good Thai teacher. He/she would (hopefully) be cheaper and my gf's son would get a lot more out of it (I can get by in Thai too, so should be fine).

Can anyone recommend a good Thai golf instructor? Am I going about this the right way? Have any of you golf nuts out there got better ideas about how/where we should go about learning to play golf?

PS Any miserable old codger planning to butt in with 700 Baht is a bargain... that's less than 1% of any normal foreigners daily expenditure, blah, blah, blah, etc. please put your shoes on, go out and irritate somebody else. Pretty please

[doppa]

well i can only recommend spike at prem school, hes looking after my son of 5 , now although spike is no. 1 coach, his assistant is thai, her name is narh.

i believe she also coaches at star dome one day a week as well as school.

dont know what costs are, but check it out, goto prem schol website and get details there.

ps. have a look on u tube type in young patrick junior at golf- theres 2 videos of him. thats my son.

[Fore Man]

Go to Golf Avenue (formerly called Sansai Driving Range) on CM-Mae Jo Road (left side just before reaching 121 intersection). There is a golf academy upstairs on the far right side called Genius Golf Academy. The head pro is known as Khun Gai ("Pro Gai"); he is also a playing professional on the Thai PGA Tour. Gai is fantastic and very, very patient in his teaching mannerisms. I had taken instruction previously from three Thai teachers and one American here in CM...the latter was mainly interested in emptying my wallet over time and did not help me at all to improve my swing. He confused me more than helped me. PM me and I will supply his name. Khun Gai made all the difference and his pricing is extremely reasonable. He also does not have a set hourly fee, but a one-time rate based on where you are as a golfer. As a beginner, Gai will structure roughly 8-10 lessons for a fee of around THB 5,000. That does not include range balls used. But he will not consider you as a 'passed' until both you and he are satisfied. If this takes 12 lessons, so be it. Once you complete his Beginner syllabus, he'll move you on to Intermediate and then to Advanced. There is a price for each of these courses, which are also very reasonable. You can't go wrong. After 30 lessons he had completely revamped my old ugly swing and gave me the tools I needed to go out and steadily make improvements on my own. For a fraction of the price other local teachers charge. Khun Gai will also tailor his instruction to match your age and physical condition, along with any impairments that you might have. Unlike many teachers here in CM, Gai uses several useful training aids to supplement the one-on-one instruction he gives you. I lowered my 18-hole scoring from the high 90s to the low 80s thanks to this expert instruction. In a single, 5-minute bit of coaching, he turned my short, slice-prone driver swing to a long and dead straight one...adding 50 yards in the process. Since then, his tips have sunken in and I have found an additional 50-yards. As a result I am now longer and much more accurate than all but a few of my playing partners instead of being 'Tail-End Charlie'. Go see him...you will not be disappointed!