Patong vs. Karon vs. Kata Beach, Phuket Thailand (Part 1 of 2)

Today’s post is the first of a two part article to help you plan your golf holiday in Phuket. It is a comparison of three popular locations to stay: Patong Beach, Karon Beach and Kata Beach. Patong is the most famous – some would say infamous – beach resort on Phuket. With its wide variety […]

Singha Thailand PGA Championship June 26-29, 2008

Here is a trip report from Graham Sampson, one of only a few professional PGA golf instructors in Northern Thailand. Santiburi Country Club in Chiang Rai recently hosted the Singha Thailand PGA Championship. The new Asian Tour event was presented by the Sports Authority of Thailand. Most golfers that have played Santiburi consider it one […]

How I Score Well By Not Scoring

Here is an amazing Thailand golf statistic. My best five out of my last 20 Thailand golf scores were all when I shot over well my handicap on the front nine and stopped counting on the back nice. How can this be? Here is what I found out. Normally I track my score hole by […]

Thailand: Golf and My 2008 Ryder Cup Plans

If you are planning a Thailand golfing holiday later this year, you may wish to consider being here at the same time as the Ryder Cup. The 2008 USA versus Europe shootout is scheduled for the weekend of 19-21 September at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Thailand is a great place to catch all […]

Santiburi Samui Country Club

Santiburi Samui Country Club is one of the two most beautiful golf courses in Thailand, with scenic sea view panoramas on almost every hole. Only Red Mountain in Phuket comes close to having such spectacular scenery. Santiburi may also be the most challenging Thailand golf course due to steep elevation changes and lost ball possibilities […]

Hua Hin Golf Update

This week I had the pleasure of playing the Hua Hin golf courses. In general, Hua Hin is seeing less golf visitors due to the resurgence of Phuket as the number one Thailand golf destination. Hua Hin golf clubs, resorts, and golf travel operators have all experienced a slowdown this past season. This week despite […]

Two Thailand Golf Chip Shots

Lately my game has been pretty good, well at least I am consistently shooting my handicap.  Then one day three weeks ago while playing the Faldo designed Summit Windmill golf course in Bangkok our golf professional advised me to analyze my shot statistics to find out what was going “right” with my game. Two rounds […]

Japanese Golf Course Designers In Thailand (Part 3)

Leave it to the Japanese to not only design great golf courses by individuals, but also by corporations. That’s right major Japanese companies are also involved in golf course design and they also have left their mark on Thailand golf courses. One of the more interesting Japanese golf course developments in Thailand is Bangpra International […]

Japanese Golf Course Designers In Thailand (Part 2)

Continuing with a look at the Japanese designers who have contributed to the development of golf in Thailand, other well-known architects include: Isao Izumi: Siam Country Club (1971), Pattaya, Yoshihara Aihara: Pinehurst Golf & Country Club (1990), Bangkok, and Isao Katsumata: Sawang Resort Golf Club (1993), Hua Hin. Siam Country Club is one of the […]

Japanese Golf Course Designers In Thailand

Much has been said about the role famous American and British golf course designers such as Nicklaus, Faldo, Dye, and Trent Jones in Thailand, but how about the Japanese? Well, in the next 2 articles I will focus on Japanese designers who have contributed to the development of golf here in the Kingdom and I […]