The brown circles stretching across the grass didn’t initially grab my attention as the caddie drove down the fairway at Khao Yai Country Club.
My partner and I were in the midst of a tight match on day five of my first ever trip to Thailand. However when the caddie gave me a nudge , pointed and said: ‘elephant’ , my eyes instantly lit up.
Elephants are a sacred animal in Buddhist Thailand , where around 8,000 Asian elephants currently live in the wild. This particular one clearly enjoyed thundering around fairways before stopping for drinks in the water hazards judging by the footprints.
We never did catch up with the roaming elephant but I discovered dozens of other memorable experiences, golf courses and tastes in the country dubbed ‘Amazing Thailand’.
The golf holiday, from the moment we checked into the Lancaster Bangkok after touching down in the capital at Suvarnabhumi Airport, was superb. In Thailand you get five star luxury for Premier Inn prices with our hotel even having a rooftop swimming pool and jacuzzi.
After a refreshing dip to revive our group following the journey, it was straight off into night. Here you will find food, alcohol and fun for everyone’s tastes – though I did pass on the grilled crocodile, insects and scorpions at the market.
Instead we opted for a delicious meal at ‘The Original Fried Curry Crab’ , where they pluck your seafood fresh from tanks outside the restaurant. We finished off the night at a live music bar before retiring in good spirits ahead of our opening tee time at Siam Country Club.
James Nursey at Riverdale Golf Club
(Image credit: James Nursey)
The biggest revelation I found about golf in Thailand, wasn’t the fine courses or hot weather, which I had been expecting, but rather the caddies. As someone who has practically never had a caddie, I was blown away by how much help they can be assisting with club selection and the line on putts.
Your green fee of approximately £100 includes a buggy and a caddie who drives you around, finds your ball , ensures play flows promptly and advises you on your shots. In a land where the minimum daily wage is £8, being a caddie is a reasonable job as the usual tip per round is 500 Baht, which is about £11.
The caddies, who are always all female, were extremely professional, well-trained and helpful. Siam CC proved a good loosener after the 12-hour direct flight on Thai Airways from Heathrow as it is a new course with wide fairways , big greens and young, staked trees with free drops.
I was on track to break 80 and play to single figures when the heavens opened after 16 holes and we called it a day – which is the risk of playing in the rainy season from May-October.
After another night out in Bangkok, there was a chance for sightseeing the following day at the Grand Palace, which is home to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Then we enjoyed a 90-minute full body massage at the top Oasis spa which was invigorating and therapeutic.
James Nursey visits the Grand Palace in Bangkok
(Image credit: James Nursey)
Thailand promotes itself as a ‘health and wellness’ destination and the massage helped my game improve the next day as I began to acclimatise on and off the course. The fact motorists in Thailand drive on the left hand side of the road and use yards on the golf course probably helped too.
Riverdale Golf Club was our second course, which measured 6213 yards off the middle set of five tees. This track featured beautiful undulating slopes with an island green on the 100-yard par 3 eighth, which is the signature hole.
The eighth bizarrely has two greens on the same hole to give golfers a choice but I took on the challenge over the water and walked off with a regulation par. The course also featured another first for me which was a ‘gimme circle’ drawn around the cup measuring about two feet in diameter.
Anything in it was picked up which helped speed up play on a day when temperatures were well into their 30s. The caddies play a crucial role helping with the heat too as they held umbrellas to keep you shaded when waiting to play a shot.
Most courses in Thailand also have ‘comfort stops’ every three-four holes where you can get some ice, drink, food or use the restroom in facilities akin to a plush halfway house back home. It all makes playing in searing temperatures do-able if you let the buggy do the donkey work and refuel regularly.
After a final night in Bangkok at the cool Akara Hanuman Sky Bar, we headed for the hills on a three-hour road trip to Khao Yai, where temperatures are cooler. We stayed in the DusitD2 hotel with infinity pool but for train enthusiasts, the nearby railway-themed the InterContinenal also looked a jaw-dropping option.
After ditching the bags, we headed to Khao Yai Country Club , which was designed by Jack Nicklaus. This was another step up in calibre , set amidst the backdrop of forest-covered hills by the national park , which clearly was home for lots of wildlife, including elephants and er..snakes, if you strayed far off the fairway.
(Image credit: James Nursey)
Here I learned another valuable lesson about golfing in Thailand: beware playing the keen-gambling locals for money! I had a sub 80 round, including three birdies, and my partner and I still managed to lose on the last in fourball betterball to a couple of Thais, whose caddies appeared to even give them preferred lies in the deep rough.
Nevertheless the stunning scenery and 6285-yard course off the whites was still a joy with four par 5s and four par 3s so we took defeat gracefully….I think. After shaking hands and handing over 500 Baht, the local Singha beer, which they tend to drink with ice, hit the spot as we all reflected on a memorable game.
Dinner followed at Midwinter in Khao Yai, where the nightlife in the region is noticeably more subdued than Bangkok – but then again most places are. Here local specialities included raw shrimp, which was another first, but there were no repercussions ahead of our final course in the mock Italian village of Toscana.
Toscana Valley Country Club is nestled in the hills with beautiful views over the valley. The immaculate course had a wow factor from the moment we stood on the first tee and looked down to a par four with a green heavily guarded by water.
Toscana Valley Country Club
(Image credit: James Nursey)
At Toscana they claim every hole is a signature hole and it was hard to argue with water in play at every turn as the course weaved through narrow gorges and over ravines to greens on plateaus. They also didn’t just have island greens but island tees too.
Assisted by my fantastic caddie ‘Aoi’ – pronounced ‘oi’ she said – I was really chuffed to play my best golf here. Not only did ‘Aoi’ give perfect reads on putts, but her club selection usually matched my own thoughts and probably gave me more confidence to commit to the shot.
With her help, I played the four par 3s in two-under and finished with a four-over 76 in a five-ball – yes the Thais play as they like – to win the Baht which went back in the kitty for dinner at the clubhouse. Here we were treated to delicious squid and steak, accompanied by more live music with drinks provided by renowned Thai importer BNK Pattaya Wine, who supported the trip by the Thailand Tourism Authority.
Around 600,000 Brits visit Thailand every year but there are plans to grow numbers to around 1m annually using golf as a big attraction. That was a message at the 2024 Thailand Golf Travel Mart which we attended in the capital as guests of Chatree Selahom from the London office of TTA.
The 2024 Thai Golf Travel Mart
(Image credit: James Nursey)
Here we met a number of representatives from resorts from all over the country plus exhibitors including Scotsman Michael Moir , who quit a potential life on tour to set-up his own successful golf clothing brand Fenix, which is based in Thailand and exports to the UK.
He is one of thousands of ex-pats who have made Thailand their home and I can see the appeal as your money goes so far over there. But personally I would be quite delighted just to visit again as a tourist using the 60-day visa free entry to check out more of its 250 golf courses.
Or if you are struggling with your game, just leave the clubs at home and you will still have a brilliant time enjoying the climate, food, nightlife, scenery and affordable luxury experiences.
