In Thailand, golf is played with a caddie: on most courses the caddie is the rule and walks with each player from the first hole to the last. Around Bangkok, the leading clubs lie forty-five minutes to an hour and a quarter by road, from the Thai Country Club to Gil Hanse's Ballyshear links. To the south, Hua Hin, a royal seaside resort since the 1920s, brings together Black Mountain and Royal Hua Hin, opened in 1922, between the hills and the Gulf of Thailand; on the east coast, Pattaya offers a wide choice of courses, from Siam Country Club to Jack Nicklaus's Laem Chabang. Phuket plays among old tin mines, lakes and jungle at Blue Canyon and Red Mountain, while Isan opens up a more rural country, with the cooler hills of Khao Yai and the quiet courses of Khon Kaen.
The best season is November to February, when the air is drier and less hot; in Hua Hin and Phuket it runs on into March or April. March and April are the hottest months, and the monsoon, from May to October, brings showers, often in the afternoon. We arrange tailor-made trips there: reserved tee times, private transfers, beach or hill hotels, and tables chosen for the evening.
Bangkok's great courses are not in the city but in the clubs around it, forty-five minutes to an hour and a quarter away by road: Thai Country Club, where Tiger Woods won in 1997, Gil Hanse's Ballyshear links, Alpine to the north and Nikanti to the west. Golfers come to pair a round in the morning with the city at night, ideally from November to February, in the dry, less hot season.
Hua Hin, a royal seaside resort about 200 km south of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand, gathers within half an hour's drive Black Mountain, the Royal Hua Hin opened in 1922, Pineapple Valley and Springfield Royal, designed by Jack Nicklaus. Golfers come for valley golf among rocky hills, for the grand beach hotels and for a 1920s heritage that has survived intact. The best period runs from December to March, at the height of the dry season.
Khao Yai, about 200 km north-east of Bangkok, gathers around Pak Chong some ten hilly courses on the edge of the national park, among them Jack Nicklaus's Kirimaya and Bob McFarland's Toscana Valley and Rancho Charnvee. Golfers come for hill golf that is cooler than on the plain, for vineyards and for the wildlife of a UNESCO-listed forest. The best time is from November to February, in the cool, dry season.
Khon Kaen, a large university city in Isan, north-eastern Thailand, has two courses worth the journey: Singha Park Khon Kaen, a Pirapon Namatra design that hosted the Asian Tour's King's Cup, and Dancoon Golf Club, ten minutes from the airport. The golf is straightforward and uncrowded, suited to a short stay of two to four nights, ideally from November to February, in the cool, dry season.
Pattaya, on Thailand's east coast about 150 km from Bangkok, gathers a remarkable choice of courses in its hinterland: Siam Country Club and its four courses, Laem Chabang designed by Jack Nicklaus, Phoenix Gold and Chee Chan, all 25 to 40 minutes from the beach. Golfers come for the variety of layouts, the quality of the caddies and a trip that is easy to organise from Suvarnabhumi airport. The best time is from November to February, dry and cooler.
Phuket, Thailand's largest island, in the Andaman Sea, brings together within three-quarters of an hour's drive of one another the two Blue Canyon courses (Canyon and Lakes), Red Mountain and Laguna Golf Phuket. Golfers come for layouts cut through former tin mines and jungle, for hillside villas and for Phang Nga Bay. The best period runs from November to April, in the heart of the dry season.
