If you are a golfer, you would love golfing in Thailand. Especially if you are used to golfing in Europe or other countries where caddies are a rarity and you would usually use a golf buggy instead.
There are so many fabulous golf courses in Thailand, most designed by the the most famous golf course designers. Couple this with stunning locations, beautiful landscaping and the hospitality. It’s unbeatable.
One of my best golf trips to Thailand was to Phuket. We flew there on a private plane with a group of golfing buddies, no excess baggage issues with the golf clubs. Eased through customs and immigration with no hassle and were swiftly driven to our hotel resort on the beach.
On this long weekend trip, we stayed at the Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort which has its own private beach. Like other beach resorts in the area, it has several pool, a spa and array of water sports too. This is one of the older beach resorts in Phuket so parts of the hotel looks like it’s in need or refurbishment. We did however sample the spa and had some amazing Thai massages (mush needed after the daily 18 holes)
Golf Courses on Phuket
On this trip, we managed to play at only 2 of the stunning courses on Phuket. On the first day, we played at the award winning Blue Canyon Country Club, so named because of the gaping canyon which feature in holes 13, 14 and 17 on the Canyon Course. I lost a lot of balls on these holes and I can’t always carry the massive distance required to clear the canyon. There are 2 courses at the Blue Canyon, the Canyon Course and the Lakes course. Both are equally challenging.
The greens are pristine and the attention to detail on the course is exceptional. We each hired 3 caddies which is the norm here as caddie fees are really cheap. One to carry the bag, one to carry the umbrella and one to run off for drinks and give the occasional shoulder massage on the way. My caddie even pushed me up the hill on the 18th hole. Over and above the service expected. You do need to learn a few Thai words to speak to the caddies, like “is it in the sand”, is it in the water, find my ball, etc.
There are multiple drinks huts along the course as this is much needed when you play golf in Thailand. It gets extremely hot, especially if you play in the middle of the afternoon.
The clubhouse is luxuriously appointed with very posh changing rooms with power showers. If you fancy, you could also stay here as they have rooms and villas too.
The second course we played on Phuket Country Club which also has championship courses as they have hosted several tournaments like Ladies Kosaido Thailand Open, Prince Bernard Cup, Thai Senior PGA Challenge, Phuket Thailand Ladies Masters. We played on the Old Course and it was every bit as challenging as the Blue Canyon’s courses. The course is well kept and the greens were superb too. The clubhouse was not as well appointed as Blue Canyon but the hospitality was still brilliant.
Golfing in Hua Hin
On another golfing trip we went to Hua Hin which is a Royal Resort Town and the oldest holiday resort in Thailand. It is about 200km South of Bangkok and dependant on the traffic, you can get there in about 3 hours. We got picked up by a hotel limo from the airport to take us down to Hua Hin. It’s a bit of long drive but the view is quite scenic along the way.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency resort and our standard room was enormous and the bathroom was as big as the room itself. Great strong showers and they had double sinks too. Of course not forgetting the spa for the massages. Again, the treatment did not disappoint but when we were there, the spa area was not as luxurious as some other resorts who have gone all out to pamper their guests. This might have changed since our visit.
We really enjoyed playing at the Jack Nicklaus designed Springfield Royal Country Club. Very long and challenging course. The golf course is beautifully maintained and is ranked one of the top 10 courses in Thailand. Green fees are about Bht 3,500 for a round.
For a golfer, you really can’t get a better destination for a golf holiday than Thailand. Superb choice of championship courses, great food, Thai massage and the most unique thing, multiple caddies.
WTM 654720
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