Shocking Price Rises At Phoenix Golf Club Pattaya

[bartpix]

nocklaus you should move to the sunny south-east where you have a choice of 18-20 courses within 1 hours drive with reasonable rates except for the new rates at Phoenix Gold Golf & Country Club where the new management have yet to see sense.

[bartpix]

Thanks to all you fellow golfers who have avoided Phoenix Golf & Country Club since November 1st. I know it is a struggle for those of you who relish playing there , but you have to remain strong to the principle of right and wrong.

How strange that our situation seems to mimic the country's!

[thinkingman]

Thanks to all you fellow golfers who have avoided Phoenix Golf & Country Club since November 1st. I know it is a struggle for those of you who relish playing there , but you have to remain strong to the principle of right and wrong.

How strange that our situation seems to mimic the country's!

It is easy to not play Phoenix as it is overpriced and scruffy. Better to pay B1350 and play at Green Valley.

[thaijett]

Thanks to all you fellow golfers who have avoided Phoenix Golf & Country Club since November 1st. I know it is a struggle for those of you who relish playing there , but you have to remain strong to the principle of right and wrong.

How strange that our situation seems to mimic the country's!

Very few groups play Phoenix in the High season, as it has always been overpriced thru that period. Over the past few years I have played there 2 or 3 times each year in their Low season Sport Days when it is realistically priced. Otherwise it is purely a tourist trap, & members, of course!

With your comment "How strange that our situation seems to mimic the country's!" Do you mean where a minority (in Phoenix's case, members) expect the rest of the (golfing) community to change the mind of those in power (the management/owner).

Include me out of that, why do you now expect others to fight your battles? Previously the members were not interested in other groups, in fact decrying that they made Phoenix crowded for them . I do not concur with your thin end of the wedge prophecy, Phoenix is a 1 off due to several contributing factors, including close proximity to Pattaya, and particularly Ban Amphur, ie Ambassador.

I wish the members no personal ill will in their pursuit, just don't be a hypocrite, now that things are taking a turn for the worst, when before your ilk bemoaned visitors.

[Fisherman194]

Thaijett this is not just about members it is about astronomical increases in the cost to play there,I am not a member but will no longer be able to play there.As a fellow golfer it would have been nice to have your support but as they say "up to you"

[bartpix]

Thaijett:

" Include me out of that, why do you now expect others to fight your battles? Previously the members were not interested in other groups, in fact decrying that they made Phoenix crowded for them . I do not concur with your thin end of the wedge prophecy, Phoenix is a 1 off due to several contributing factors, including close proximity to Pattaya, and particularly Ban Amphur, ie Ambassador.

I wish the members no personal ill will in their pursuit, just don't be a hypocrite, now that things are taking a turn for the worst, when before your ilk bemoaned visitors."

I think you will find the members of all golf clubs moan about visitors clogging up their course as do residents of tourist areas about tourists causing traffic jams, price rises because of tourists etc... ad finitum.

You will find many of the expat residents bemoan all things Thai. I would not take it too seriously, as they carry on residing here as against returning to their own " wonderful " country.

I am surprised that you as a golfer would not support your fellow golfing fraternity against unjust charges and rules regardless of the particular club.

The purpose of this particular forum was for I and my ilk to show support for the scandelous charges and changes imposed at Phoenix Golf & Country Club.

Thank you for your " roundabout " support.

[johnsmith2]

why do you now expect others to fight your battles? Previously the members were not interested in other groups,

The members are not only fighting for their own rights but also for their guests' conditions! We all have regular visitors, friends, family, etc., who come here for a few days or weeks per year, and it is silly that we would have to go play elsewhere than on our own home-club because it is too expensive to take them there. And yes, our concern also includes our friends who live in the area and who share our passion for golf but who are members of another club or just not committed to any course in particular. We have very good reasons to all stand together in the boycott of Phoenix for now: don't you think other clubs are closely watching the issue, to check whether they could get away with pulling a similar trick? It is a dangerous precedent in our area...

[bartpix]

I couldn't agree more johnsmith. Because all of the golf clubs on the Eastern Seaboard are in an association and meet regularly. I have no doubt that the other clubs are watching this case to see how far they could push members and guests. Golf charges in the US and Europe are on a downward trend as clubs struggle for members and guests, but Thai clubs are ignoring this.

[bartpix]

Latest check with caddies (2) at Phoenix say they have very few customers and caddie numbers are down due to moving elsewhere. Also mentioned customers having checked bags in, leaving without playing because of prices.

[thinkingman]

Latest check with caddies (2) at Phoenix say they have very few customers and caddie numbers are down due to moving elsewhere. Also mentioned customers having checked bags in, leaving without playing because of prices.

Not surprising--Phoenix is not competitive with other courses. My prediction is that new owners are screwed for this high season (i.e., won't bank any money) and it will really be ugly in April through October. Latest is that member fee is back down to B200 instead of B400 with Bzero fee on Mondays. Folks, it is not enough. Wonder which bank will own Phoenix next?

[Fisherman194]

My first thoughts were that the new owners of Phoenix were sophisticated business people and there was logic behind what they were doing.I am now thinking that they are clueless and just thought they could get away with it.Keep up the policy of staying away.If I played there as a none member and gave my caddy a 300 baht tip it would cost me £72 to play !!!

[bartpix]

Management at Phoenix Golf & Country Club are not paying attention or ignoring the state of golf courses worldwide. Prices have plummeted because of world recession except in Thailand.

[bartpix]

I should have added to above post that the Eastern Seaboard courses would do well to hold 2013 pricing for the coming year to hold on to their resident expat customers, who keep the courses viable - especially out of season.

[golfmadstudent]

The courses around Pattaya do not value their year-round customers. Instead they should be taking the best care of their regular customers.

[Fisherman194]

Bartpix I believe there is a large group of members of Phoenix that are now playing other courses as visitors for the same as it would cost them at Phoenix as Members.How do I get in touch with them ?

[bartpix]

You can PM me Fisherman for any information.

[bartpix]

Just to update you loyal golfers. The meeting between the management of Phoenix , the Consumer Protection Board and the Phoenix Members Action Group takes place in the first week of January. Will keep you all posted of all developments.

[Paddelad]

Have just built a house on the fairway at Phoenix, witness every weekday very quiet but weekends busy with usual Korean tours......as previously mentioned the crunch will come low season when the Koreans go home.....if anyone wants a friendly game of golf please contact me.....I have transport, don,t mind driving.

Ricki

[bartpix]

Paddelad, we are the Phoenix Members that are playing away from Phoenix at the moment until our case with the Consumer Protection Board and Phoenix Management comes to a satisfactory conclusion. We are playing the other courses around Pattaya every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to join - PM me.

[impulse]

Seems like there's 2 issues going on:

1) They're reneging on their agreement(s) with the members. All those fighting that issue have my complete empathy.

2) They're jacking up the price of a round for non-members. I'm wondering if anyone here has actually calculated how much revenue they're seeing now vs. the old price? It may be that they're actually making more money at the higher price with fewer rounds.

Superintendents are usually freer with the data concerning rounds than back room management might be, and you may have to your own math to calculate the revenue before and after. Supers generally may not have a complete revenue picture, including concessions, etc. But they generally know how many rounds are played because that helps them allocate their resources.

In any case, that would be good info to have before tilting at windmills.

Once again, for all the members, best of luck getting what you were promised when you signed on!

Edited December 31, 2013 by impulse

[bartpix]

The reason this forum was started was to alert both the members and visitors to the goings on at Phoenix by the new management. They increased the charges astronomically ( for the condition / state of the course ) and changed the rules / regulations to demean the existing shareholders /members rights.

Having personally both observed the numbers playing at various times and talked to staff in different positions at the course, the numbers playing are definitely down with a number of last year's visitors complaining about Phoenix's fees as against the local courses.

Without " tilting at windmills" a sound business decision would be better based on keeping existing members (year-round business) and increasing revenue through increasing use of course by new players /members.

[impulse]

The reason this forum was started was to alert both the members and visitors to the goings on at Phoenix by the new management. They increased the charges astronomically ( for the condition / state of the course ) and changed the rules / regulations to demean the existing shareholders /members rights.

Having personally both observed the numbers playing at various times and talked to staff in different positions at the course, the numbers playing are definitely down with a number of last year's visitors complaining about Phoenix's fees as against the local courses.

Without " tilting at windmills" a sound business decision would be better based on keeping existing members (year-round business) and increasing revenue through increasing use of course by new players /members.

What's the comparison of the revenue and profit, before and after the price increase?

A sound business decision is one that maximizes profits and the value of the resource, not one that keeps more bodies on the course, or keeps more caddies hanging around, or keeps the most carts in operation, or keeps the fewest customers griping about a price increase.

They could be having a banner year, with an even better forecast for next year as their target demographic discovers they no longer take 6+ hours to finish a round, and course conditions improve because they're getting less wear and tear on the course. Or they may be choking to death on their new pricing.

I don't know. Because so far, I haven't seen a single post that indicates anyone tuned in here actually knows whether the profit numbers are up or down with the reduced rounds at higher prices. And it's really pretty simple to figure out- and basic to this discussion.

Once again, I'm in complete support of the members whose agreements are being reneged. That's a separate issue to raising prices for the public.

Edited December 31, 2013 by impulse

[bartpix]

Without being Impulsive:

1. The tourist numbers

2. The rice situation

3. The flood precautions

4. The protest numbers

5. The anti-protest numbers

etc. etc. etc.

Please tell me how you know the EXACT answers to anything here.

All I'm relating is from personal experience not second-hand

[Paddelad]

Paddelad, we are the Phoenix Members that are playing away from Phoenix at the moment until our case with the Consumer Protection Board and Phoenix Management comes to a satisfactory conclusion. We are playing the other courses around Pattaya every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to join - PM me.

[Paddelad]

Paddelad, we are the Phoenix Members that are playing away from Phoenix at the moment until our case with the Consumer Protection Board and Phoenix Management comes to a satisfactory conclusion. We are playing the other courses around Pattaya every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to join - PM me.

Thanks for that, usually play every Tues, just looking for friendly 3 or 4 ball , how many usually go out in your group, can I contact you on email?

[Fisherman194]

Paddelad, we are the Phoenix Members that are playing away from Phoenix at the moment until our case with the Consumer Protection Board and Phoenix Management comes to a satisfactory conclusion. We are playing the other courses around Pattaya every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to join - PM me.

Thanks for that, usually play every Tues, just looking for friendly 3 or 4 ball , how many usually go out in your group, can I contact you on email?

I can vouch for them being a very sociable and friendly group usually around a dozen play.Send Bartpix a private message and he will give you details.

[bartpix]

For todays meeting between the management of Phoenix, the Consumer Prorection Board (CPB) and the Action Group, the Phoenix management sought a delay due to their legal advisor not having sufficent time to study the case (their words). So Wednesday the 8th January was confirmed with the Phoenix management and the CPB.

Consequently we'll continue to enjoy the alternative golfing amenities of the Eastern Seaboard until then.

[Fisherman194]

I don't think them asking for more time is a bad thing,it suggests that they are taking the matter seriously.

[bartpix]

I agree. The CPB have already stated that management have misconstrued the situation. And " normality should resume soon ".

[bartpix]

I believe it just requires patience and belief from our side and success is within our grasp.