I had a chat the other day with my friend Mark Siegel of www.thailandgolfzone.com about golfing in Thailandand he started with a very surprising comment – if any one just wants to play golf, he suggests they stay at home and play golf and not come to Thailand because really it is just the same so what is the point.

However if you want to immerse yourself in a new culture, experience eating food from a different continent every night, spend $1 on dinner one night then $500 the next THEN you should come to Thailand to enjoy a golfing holiday no other country in the world can offer.

OK so now he has my attention and what he talked about was so true. You are simply treated like a king from the minute you arrive at a golf course till the minute you leave. Staff at golf courses around the world can spend all the money they like on staff training – it will not compare to 1000’s of years Thai culture where they are brought up to be respectful. As Mark put it, the,Thai-ness of the people here is some thing special.

Most people that live here have a massage every week, usually for me and my friends it is the day after our golf game. But this is not excessive as it costs under $10 and it is part of the culture here. Most Thai’s have a foot or traditional massage each week, it is just what they do. So coming to Thailand and having a massage (or a couple) is much cheaper than at home, it is very good for you mentally and physically and it is getting yourself in to the local customs.

There are of course what you immediately imagine when you hear the word Thailand – some of the best beaches in the world. Combine this with world class diving, some excellent trekking, fabulous cooking classes and you have all your non golf days jam packed with treats. Compare that holiday to going to Valderrama which is world class golf destination, but what else can you do? Who wants to learn how to cook paella anyway!

Then of course the clincher – the world famous Thai caddies. Some people feel a little uncomfortable at the start when having a caddie, having a person one who quite literally does everything for you on the golf course except hit the ball (sometimes I think I should let them do that as well). But by the end of the week they are dreading going home and playing with out a caddy in the future. Mark Penfold of Thailand Golf tours laughs when he recalls the time he returned to Australia after 3 weeks of golfing in Thailand, tees of on the first hole and walks down to his ball only to realise he has left his clubs on the tee box, no caddy!!!

The caddies are happy smiley, laughing, they are your friend and often can read a green better a scratch golfer. Whilst in Thailand you are more likely to enjoy the company of your caddie than you are talking about your score card which is why the caddies are often the highlight of your day.

So there you have it for combination of golf, value for money, world class locations, incredible weather year round, resorts that are anything upto are 5* plus, a wonderful culture and of course the unique experience of Thai caddies there is now only one choice for your next golfing holiday, it has to be Thailand

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