Chiang Mai Golf and the 2014-2015

[Mapguy]

From all I have heard it seems that the golf courses in Chiang Mai have been having a very profitable crowded high session. Is this true? If so, it doesn't seem to agree with "common wisdom" that the number of tourists is down, or is it? What's going on out on the links?

[thaigolfer]

Alpine is raking in with on average 300 players a day. This over the last 3 months. I know a member who cannot get on the course.

Highlands, Mae Jo, Green Valley and even Inthanon are very very busy. Tourists might be down but golfers are up for sure.

[Thailand]

Made a post on ChiangmaiGolfCourses .com/blog relating to the numbers of Korean ,Japanese and other Asian golfers here at the moment.

Next month will see it cool down dramatically if previous seasons are anything to go by and a few deals will likely start to appear.

[bangmai]

It seems like there is a core of Japanese guys that have been coming here for years to play golf in the winter. As far as green fees; they always manage to elevate them pretty high about now, but the same places can be empty in the low season. It can be 90% cheaper in low season in Arizona, not likely to get that large of a discount here, but I would expect at least half. A smaller than usual crowd last Sunday at the Phoenix Open, 85,552, but the Super Bowl was being played across town. An Italian aced #16 on Saturday, at the most popular hole.

Edited February 7, 2015 by bangmai

[kennalder]

Alpine is raking in with on average 300 players a day. This over the last 3 months. I know a member who cannot get on the course.

Highlands, Mae Jo, Green Valley and even Inthanon are very very busy. Tourists might be down but golfers are up for sure.

Really?, I have friend who has a caddie / girlfriend. Her and her fellow caddies are complaining about how slow it is. Last year getting two trips a day in November, this year, getting days off even in December and January.

This is at MaeJo, where I also play, and it seems quiet to me.

[beau thai]

Alpine is raking in with on average 300 players a day. This over the last 3 months. I know a member who cannot get on the course.

Highlands, Mae Jo, Green Valley and even Inthanon are very very busy. Tourists might be down but golfers are up for sure.

Really?, I have friend who has a caddie / girlfriend. Her and her fellow caddies are complaining about how slow it is. Last year getting two trips a day in November, this year, getting days off even in December and January.

This is at MaeJo, where I also play, and it seems quiet to me.

Mae Jo is actually very busy with about 280 players a day- their max is 300. They 'lock down' about 9-9.30 and they start off 1 and 10, then re-open tees at 11.30 .

There are about 180 caddies, so most work twice in a day and many dont want to, but have to if they want to keep their job. Sorry, but you are getting duff info.

I am hoping it will get quieter next month when at least some korean/japanese return home, as their winter eases and our weather gets too hot for them.

The koreans are used to paying equivalent of 6000 baht in korea so a green fee around 2800 in Mae Jo is no big deal.

[cardinalblue]

I am much more interested in sport days and that low season special certain courses run come April-June. What one doesn't know is what courses agree/not agree to be part of that group...

I like Mae Jo but is over-valued at their present prices....It ain't Highland nor Alpine nice....

CB

[Thailand]

I am much more interested in sport days and that low season special certain courses run come April-June. What one doesn't know is what courses agree/not agree to be part of that group...

I like Mae Jo but is over-valued at their present prices....It ain't Highland nor Alpine nice....

CB

It's May/June -Chiang Mai Golf Festival. Most of the major courses take part and likely to be THB1000 + caddy fees.

[chingmai331]

Yeah, Alpine must be nice at 4000+ baht. MaeJo substantially less in cost.

[JLT]

Yeah, Alpine must be nice at 4000+ baht. MaeJo substantially less in cost.

I played at Mae Jo for the first time on Wednesday last week and although it's a very pretty and tricky course this was not an experience I'll be repeating in a hurry. The total cost (as a guest of a member) was 3,000 baht (2,100 green fee + 300 baht caddy fee + an outrageous charge of 600 baht just for for my wife to sit in the golf cart and accompany me. The course was absolutely packed and the pace of play was alarmingly slow with groups in front of us treating every match as though it was the Ryder Cup. Lunch was at best average and expensive at 250baht per person for a buffet.

There are better deals available at Hang Dong; Stardome, North Hill (Koolpuntville) and Green Valley.

[iainiain101]

Every course I have played at recently is having issues with lack of caddies and the girls not wanting to go out more than once. Gassan and Inthanon are having to restrict numbers due to lack of caddies rather than the courses being full.

If a friends girlfriend is saying work is slow she is probably working some other angle!

As an aside, I played Happy City in Chiang Rai last week, and taking a caddie was not mandatory. Possibly the answer for Chiang Mai.

[chingmai331]

I have read, maybe these pages, that caddies in Thailand are mandatory, legally. Certain private courses seem to be able to permit members only to pull own trolley, eg., Gymkhana in Chiang Mai. I am pleased to read that Happy Valley also permits self-trolley operations.

And to offer a comment on MaeJo of late: this is certainly high season with huge inflow of golfers, all demanding tee-times, best before 9 am. I heard that at least on Friday last, that the course had filled up that day to maximum possible number of players, that was 300. Many of these folks were from Korea, a cold and wintery place with rude and arrogant men, who smoke a lot. And the Korean men are often not too nice to the caddy lasses. Pinching, butt-squeezings, crude offers of money for pleasure, things like that, and oh yeah, the Koreans have tiny tipping wallets. So yes, maybe there is a caddy shortage in Chiang Mai Province just now. I agree the buffet is very ordinary but i only paid 200 baht. The coffee horrible.

[cardinalblue]

I really thought the CM golf festival was Apr-May last year not May-Jun? Is it just off-season rates then for March, April, July and Aug?

I'll be in town the month of April so hoping for then. Also need to see when the CR golf courses sport days kick in as well. Outside of GV and lanna, CM courses don't seem to have weekly sport days....

CB