Golf Tourism Business in Thailand

There can be no finer destination for your golf vacation than the Kingdom of Thailand, with over 260 golf courses and an all year round golfing climate, golf played at a relaxing pace, a refreshment stop every 4 holes, excellent golf caddies, and truly magnificent clubhouses and much more Thailand has got to be at the top of your list for a golf holiday.

Wherever you travel in Thailand you will find magnificent golf courses throughout the kingdom, the most popular regions are Bangkok, Hua Hin, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Kanchanaburi, and you will find championship courses in all of these regions.

Asia as a golfing destination is becoming increasingly popular and Thailand is Asia’s leading golf destination, the green fees compared to western rates are inexpensive and there literally 100’s of courses from which to choose.

Add to this a wide range of excellent hotels providing all levels of accommodation and a standard of service that is second to none, this combined with excellent restaurants serving fine Thai and Western cuisine at a fraction of the cost you would expect to pay elsewhere.

The Caddy Factor

The one thing that sets Thailand apart from all other Asian golf destinations is Thailand’s golf caddies, they add another dimension to your round of golf by providing excellent reading of the greens, they also mark, clean and re-place your ball, you never even have to take your ball out of the cup.

Your only responsibility on the golf course is to hit the ball apart from when you tee-up the ball that of course is after the caddy has handed you the washed ball and the tee. Many of the caddies are beautiful and would be strong contenders in a beauty contest elsewhere.

In short your caddy can add value to your Thailand golfing experience, with their friendly smiles, and fun loving nature they will surely add another ingredient to a pleasurable Thailand golfing vacation.

Bangkok Golf

Bangkok is a modern vibrant city of towering office blocks, ribbons of expressways, teeming traffic and a Skytrain, the elevated mass transit system that threads its way above Bangkok’s main thoroughfares. Yet alongside these futuristic trimmings lie the ancient traditions that visitors love so much – glittering temples and palaces, barefoot monks in orange robes, old wooden buildings, and ceremonies like the magnificent Royal Barge procession on the River of Kings.

Bangkok is the business, financial and political centre of Thailand. Yet it remains a fun place to visit; a renowned city of entertainment, cuisine, night markets and shopping for the whole of Asia. Hospitality is legendary. All are welcome and many come.

In Bangkok alone there are over 60 golf courses in the greater Bangkok area, the most popular being Thai Country Club, Alpine Golf Club, Navatanee Golf Club, Amata Springs Country Club, all championship courses that have hosted PGA tournaments.

Summary

No matter where you go in Thailand you will find a host of activities to whet your appetite for adventure, from elephant trekking, river rafting, mountain biking, sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving or just plain sightseeing, whatever you desire you’ll find in Thailand.

I have been in the golf tourism business in Thailand since year 2000 and there can be no truer testament to golf in Thailand than the number of clients I have who return year after year to relive their golfing experiences in Thailand.

White Water Adventure in Thailand

During The monsoon season (July to October) Thailand’s lush jungles becomes a white water adventurers dream, with heeps of small creeks and drainage’s pumping from the seasonal rains.

Thailand and S.E.Asia have not been know for its whitewater .. only until a few years ago has Thailand’s White water started attracting both novice and experienced whitewater paddlers from around the world.

S.E. Asia’s white water was “discovered” back in the 1990’s when A white water outfit in Malaysia organized a multi-country white water comp. That was held in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The competition attracted some of the the World’s best pro paddlers such as Eric Southwick, Sam Drevo, & Nate Nash. The compitetion seemed to get off to a great start however when they reached Indonesia the government wouldn’t pay up the prize money and all hell broke loose!

In Thailand there are literally hundreds if not thousands of runnable creeks and rivers. It seems that most of the “better runs” are situated in the North of Thailand around Chiang Mai, Chaing Rai, and Nan Provinces but there are some around Bangkok and the South of Thailand.

Recently there have been “crews” of paddlers coming over to paddle the world class white water. In 2006
some of the world’s top white water pro’s such as Steve Fischer, Ben Brown, and Thailand Local Eric Southwick where here to film an episode of “Focused” which was shot by Scott Lindgren & Nate Nash of SLP Productions.

The program “Focused” is reality based adventure series that concentrates on extreme sports and them in the action of making of paddling the rivers, getting there and getting away safely.. In the Thailand episode New Zealand’s Ben Brown ends up braking his back on his first drop of the trip. Not too worry, Steve Fischer & Eric Southwick continue there Journey Through the jungle’s of Thailand for some more serious whitewater adventures.

Last Year another set of paddlers came out, this time a younger group from the UK and NZ. Paddlers Josh Neilson, Will Clark and Sam Ward. These guys got about 10+ first descents on some incredible whitewater and waterfalls in and around Chiang Mai and Chaing Rai as well as in Nan.

To sum this all up, Thailand offers a wide range of Whitewater for novices and advanced paddlers alike, not to mention, great food, great people, cheap accommodation & Travel and a wonderful Culture.

See you on the water!