My name is David Rendall. I recently travelled to Thailand with a golfing party of 12, the majority from Scotland & Ireland, however a couple of our group are based in Dubai and Thailand.
Most of the guys are members of the same golf club, Pumpherston, which is 10 miles from Edinburgh. Pumpherston is a lovely parkland course but also features a lot of water; it’s a very modern design considering its age. I have been a member for the last 25 years and currently play off 12, however our group’s handicaps range from 5 to 18.
Our group have holidayed in Thailand for the last 6 years, initially for a friend’s 50th birthday celebration. We have golfed all over the world; America, the Caribbean, China, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the Canaries. Finding that the cost of golf in mainland Europe had become very expensive prompted us to venture as far afield as Asia. We love the quality of the courses in Thailand with Hua Hin a favourite (Thailand’s “Myrtle Beach”); in particular, Black Mountain, Banyan, Majestic Creek and Sea Pines are some of our favourites. We have booked with Golfasian for the last 5 years through a mutual friend and have never looked back. Golfasian’s attention to detail is superb…they never let us down.
In Hua Hin, where possible we always stay in a small 3 star hotel right in the centre of town, La Maison, which has rooms that are a good size and a first class breakfast. The staff are always delighted to see us, perhaps because our group of 12 fills the bar each early evening while we exchange stories after our round, prior to heading out to dinner. We tend to play a Ryder Cup-style event every day teeing off around 10.30am
We love all the courses but have a soft spot for Royal Hua Hin which is a great test of golf and is designed by a Scotsman. The caddies’ knowledge of the greens is amazing; your eyes tell you it’s three holes right but the caddy says half a grip left…an oft-repeated phrase follows “why you not listen” but always with a twinkle in their eyes. My favourite day was last November. I started with a triple bogey 7 on the 1st at Banyan, par at the 9th saw me out in 35 gross and 7 up. I didn’t play that well on the back 9 but won the match 6&5 so happy days. The weather in November is perfect, just before we return home to the bleak Scottish winter.
After golf we normally have lunch at the course (losers paying the bill) and enjoy a few beers before Golfasian’s Khun Noh (best driver in Hua Hin and a very good golfer) returns us to the hotel. Some of the guys go for a nap or do some shopping prior to us all meeting in the hotel bar at 7pm for a few drinks. Hua Hin has some wonderful restaurants from the Moon Smile (Thai) to some great Italians. The French restaurant next to La Maison, La Paillotte, is fabulous. We have even found a very good Indian restaurant so everyone is happy with the quality of the food.
All in all Thailand golf ranks amongst the best in the world as an experience as far as we are concerned. If you haven’t tried it, I thoroughly recommend it and am confident you won’t be disappointed.
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