Golfing
Thailand's first golf course, described as "second to none east of Suez", was o pened
in the “'," 1920's as part of the Railway Hotel at the seaside resort of
Hua Hin. The course is still popular with”. visitors to the resort, but
today there are some 50 others throughout the country, from Chiang Mai
in’; the north to Phuket in the south, for golf has been enthusiastically
adopted as a favorite sport by a remarkable number of Thais.
Most courses boast modem clubhouses wiih restaurants
and pro shops stocking a full range of the latest equipment. Play is possible
at almost any time of the year, even in the rainy season when downpours
are usually short-lived and rarely bring a game to a complete halt.Low
labor costs mean that clubs can afford the luxury of large ground staffs
to maintain the fairways and greens in first-class condition and also that
they can offer extremely reasonable green fees and costs for caddy hire.
Not surprisingly in view of these amenities, many foreign
visitors are adding golf to the list of things to do while on a holiday
or business trip in Thailand. Numerous top international tournaments have
been held here as well, among them the World Cup and the Ladies Asia Professional
Circuit.
The majority of the best courses are located in or close
to Bangkok, among them the superb >Navatanee,
designed by Robert Trent Jones and the site of
the 1975 World Cup Tournament; and the COLOR="#00CC00">Rose
Gardee, some 45 minutes southwest of Bangkok, which
also has a hotel and Thai-style bungalows for rent.
Other superb courses are located outside the capital
near popular travel destina-tions. The Siam
Country Club and the Bang Phra
Golf Course, for example, are near the beach resort
of Pattaya,while theLanea Golf Club
is in Chiang Mai, in a spectacular setting at the foot of Doi Suthep
Mountain. Phuket has been the scene of considerable development in recent
years and now has a number of world-class courses, among them the R="#00CC00">Blue
Caeyon Country Club, the Phuket Country Club, and
the Banyan Tree Club.
Golf Courses:
1..Course Navatanee Golf
22 Mu 1, Sukhaphiban 2 Rd., Bang Kapi, Bangkok 10230
Tel (02) 376-1034-6
Fax. (02) 376-1685
2. Rose Garden Golf Club
53/1 Mu 4, Tha-Talat, Amphoe Samphran,
Nakhon Pathom
Bangkok: Tel (02) 295-3261-4
Tel (034) 322769-71
Fax (034) 322768
3. Royal Thai Army Golf Club
459 Ra-Indra Rd., Bang Khen, Bangkok 10220
TeL (02) 521-5338-9
4. Ekachai Golf k Country Club
8 Mu 5, Bangnumchurd, Amphoe Muang, Samut Sakhon
Tel (02) 416-5557-9
5. Muang-Ake Golf Course
52 Mu 7, Phahonyothin Rd., Amphoe Muang,
Pathum Thani
TeL (02) 535-9335-8
6. Royal Dusit Golf Course
Phitsanulok Rd., Dusit, Bangkok 10300
TeL (02) 281-4320, 281-1330-1
7. Siam Country Club
500 Mu 9, Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chon Buri 20150
TeL (038) 249381-6
Fax. (038) 249387
8. Bangpra Golf Course
45 Mu 6, Bang Phra, Si Racha, Chon Buri
Bangkok: Tel. (02) 285-0670-2 Fax. (02) 285-0669
Chon Buri: Tel. (038) 341149-50, 341405-7
Fax. (038) 341151
9. Panya Resort Country Club
502 Mu 10, Sukhumvit Rd., Bang Phra, Chon Buri
TeL (038) 379370-81
Fax. (038) 349365
10. Royal Hua Hin Golf Course
Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan
TeL (032) 512475
Fax, (032) 513038
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