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Asian Golf Nation - September 2009

 
Dear Travel Partners & Golf Travelers,

 Welcome to the September 2009 edition of the "Asian Golf Travel Nation", the source for news breaking information about Asian Golf. In addition, unique golf playing tips for Indochina's tropical environment, announcements of golf travel promotions, and our latest subscription offer are all integral parts of today's newsletter.

Most of the world's summer holidays are over and it is now back-to-school time for the kids. In Asia, we are in the midst of the "rainy season" with daily afternoon showers being the norm across the region. The golf courses are wet for sure, but all remain open for play, still have low season prices in effect, and due to the lack of visitors quick sub 4 hour rounds are common. Really hard to beat in fact!!

Nevertheless, with fewer visitors, this is a good time for us to catch up on things, update our tours for the high season and inspect all of the area golf courses and hotels.

I was in Phuket last month and found Loch Palm, Red Mountain, and Phuket Country Club to be in very good condition. On the other hand, Mission Hills, while better than the past, is still in need of an experienced superintendent, especially to get the greens in shape for the high season. Up the road at Blue Canyon, a few friends mentioned the course was in superb condition, so I was really looking forward to playing there.

However, I found the courses to be just so-so with the greens being on the slow side at around 8 on the stimpmeter. I guess it just goes to show you that conditions can change from day-to-day. Just another reason to have a professional golf tour company who can assess the course conditions in real time arrange your trip rather than doing things yourself and risk running into coring or some other course maintenance.

With that, I invite you to read on and hear what's new in golf around the region.


Thailand
*Gold Mountain golf courseChiang Mai: Jim is up north again and played the new Gold Mountain golf course. The first nine at Gold Mountain seems to be coming along nicely if not for a few trees left in the fairway (see photo at right). The back nine will require around 6 months for the grass to fully grow in at which time we will start including this new course into our Chiang Mai golf packages.

Bangkok: Green replacement is all but finished at Suwan Golf & Country Club. 15 of the 18 greens are back in play and the remaining 3 greens will be put back in service in the next 1-2 weeks. Once complete, we will give the course an overall inspection and if as expected plan is to start sending golfers there from November.

Phuket: The new Phunaka Golf Club in Chalong is open for play, and what a joy it is. At only 750 baht a round and a par 31, with 5 par 3's and 1 par 5, it sounds as if it would be a simple pitch-and-putt, right? Well nothing could be further from the truth. I bet any golfer that the Phunaka's none holes are as hard as any nine on the island to par. Narrow fairways lined by large areas of native grasses are the norm. Well bunkered sloping greens with tight pin positions force one to make perfect approach shots into every hole to have any chance for making par. Give this one a try, in fact go around twice and make it 18, you will be very satisfied at what has been created at Phunaka Golf Club. (Great job Jon, I can't wait to play Rangsit!!!!)

Vietnam
*Dalat Palace Golf ClubDalat: Dalat is a beautiful town high in the mountains north of Saigon. The French settled the area long ago as a cool weekend retreat from the hot humid Saigon city. Right now, the only reason I can think of not to go to Dalat for golf is that there is only the Dalat Palace Golf Club in the area. Well not for long. A Peter Rousseau design a few miles from the Dalat airport, named Royal City Golf Club is coming up and nine holes are scheduled to open by end of year. Eventually, there will be 36 holes on this amazing piece of property which feels more like Lake Tahoe than Vietnam. Stay tuned!

Malaysia
*Royal Selangor Golf clubKuala Lumpur, Langkawi, & beyond: Looking for a new golf destination this year? Why not check out the 2008 award-winning best up-and-coming golf destination as named by the International Golf Travel Writers? Our new web site, www.malaysiagolfholiday.com is almost finished and we are already booking golf tours to Malaysia. Take a look at the site and if you are interested be sure to drop me an email. I will be glad to discuss the various options and propose something for you.

Remember if you want to get regular updates about golf in Indochina, then sign-up for uninterrupted email delivery of this newsletter. In addition, all persons signing up will automatically receive the latest "Thailand Golf Insider Tips" special report.

Also, GOLFASIAN have secured special deals with over 100 golf courses and 600 hotels in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia to offer the very best promotions for the rest of 2009 and 2010. Please contact us for details and your request at [email protected]

Until the next newsletter, happy golfing!

Mark Siegel
Managing Director

 

* Meet Golfasian at these Trade/Roadshows

Golfasian has a full schedule of tradeshows and roadshows during the next 5 months.

You can find us at the following exhibits:

  • September 13-16 - The Trade Show (Las Vegas)
  • October 4-16 - North America Road Show (San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Detroit, New York)
  • November 16-19 - International Golf Travel Mart (Malaga, Spain)
  • December 1-4 - Luxury Travel Mart (Las Vegas)
  • January 29-31 - USPGA Merchandise Show (Orlando)

Arrange an appointment with Mark Siegel, MD of Golfasian, at one of these exhibits.

* Featured Resort - Putahracsa Hua Hin

Putahracsa Hua HinPutahracsa Hua Hin is one of three Kingdom resorts in the charming coastal town of Hua Hin, the preferred holiday retreat of the Thai Royal Family for almost a century. The stylish boutique hideaway boasts 59 contemporary rooms and villas in a seaside residential setting not far from Banyan Golf Club, a new hillside Kingdom course racking up accolades from the region’s top golf publications.

The resort's simple but sophisticated design philosophy is exemplified by natural earth tones and clean white lines, inside and out. For the ultimate experience, book either the La Canna Beachfront Pool Villa -- 140 square meters of luxury and privacy -- or one of eight, two-storey SanSky Villas with rooftop lounges. At night, dig into some of the best Thai food in Hua Hin at the Oceanside restaurant, just paces from the sea.

* Featured Golf Course - Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club
Santiburi Chiang Rai Country ClubThe Chiang Rai Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed course is laid out over vast fields with excellent placement of holes and an abundance of water hazards and bunkers. The golf course is playable and enjoyable for golfers on every skill level.

The course features some exciting holes with undulating fairways and perfectly rolling fast greens. Most of the holes are characterized by rolling greens guarded by countless sand and grass bunkers, trees and huge water hazards. Designed to maximize the risk and reward, there are varied options for many of the par 4 and 5 giving conservative approaches for the novice and challenging hazards for the more experienced golfers.

At holes 2, 3 and 4, you have to play alongside a huge lake which ruins the length of the holes. Most greens are protected by bunkers and there are several good dog leg holes. The par-five 18th finishing hole is particularly impressive, where you have to negotiate water on the left side from the tee short and again on the right side of the fairway on the approach short.

The course is kept in excellent condition year round. The fully functional club house dominates the highest point of the club area and is first class in every way. Santiburi will hold the Kings Cup Asian Tour event in December and golfers living in Thailand will tell you that Santiburi in Chiang Rai is one of their favorite golf courses; these are no small compliments!

[Read More]

- Special - ONLY for Asian Golf Nation Subscribers!

Once again, we have created a surprise for all Asian Golf Nation subscribers.
As a subscriber you are entitled to book one of these two very special value packages. These packages are available ONLY to Asian Golf Nation subscribers.

Thailand / Cambodia Golf & Culture Package 
RSS Best of the Blog thailandgolfzone.com

How To Golf With A Caddie In Thailand?

More from our roving golf reporter in the USA, Mr. Andy Harris.

Golf with a caddie is the most enjoyable way to play golf. To have the best possible experience and get the most out of your rounds with your Thai golf caddies, I'd like to offer six helpful tips:

Here is what you are missing. [Read More]

Other golf stories can be found at the Thailand Golf Zone where there are over 450 other original articles dealing exclusively with golf in Asia and golf travel.

I would love to hear about any golf tips that any of you may have developed for getting the maximum enjoyment from your golf trips, and can incorporate some in future articles. Therefore if you have any golf tips or suggestions you would like to share, please let me know by dropping me an email.

 Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

RSS Thai courses debate viability of price cuts

Thai courses debate viability of price cuts

Thailand's premier golf and hotel properties, which have pooled their resources and formed a marketing cooperative called "Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience". The 13 hotels and courses in this cooperative (www.golfinakingdom.com) have kept prices level, have focused on maintaining course quality, and have invested in building/broadening new markets abroad, in North America and Europe.

[Read More]

ProGolfIQ Improve Your Handicap

Revolutionary training program allows hackers to think like pros on the course.

I would like to draw your attention to something that captivated me. A few months ago I was contacted by an Australian company called Pro Golf IQ, who claimed to have a program that could increase my enjoyment of golf and reduce my handicap. I was obviously skeptical, but they were persistent so I gave it a go. And now I can see why they were so adamant that I try it. They have created something revolutionary that I think will eventually become apart of every golfer's game. The phenomenal results I saw from the program have prompted me to share it with you, our readers.

Basically, it's a 5 week audio program that actually trains your brain to think like a pro. Its basic principal is to teach you to balance the left and right side of your brain. After completing the program my confidence went up, my relaxation on the t-box went up and my enjoyment of the game went up. This made me more consistent and ultimately reduced my handicap from 18 to 9. Amazing.

Normally I wouldn't endorse any product so strongly, but this is too good not to share. I have managed to negotiate a 20% discount for our readers. And in addition to that, the guys at Pro Golf IQ will throw in a bonus audio track that is so powerful, I use it the night before every game.

Have a look at the downloadble PowerPoint, which helps to explain how it all works, then click through to their website for more information. Use the promotional code: GOLFASIAN to redeem the discount and free bonus track.

I look forward to hearing your results and feedback.

Dear Readers,Pro Golf IQ

Happy golfing,

Mark Siegel
Managing Director
Golf Asian

* About Us & Contacts

Golfasian Co., Ltd.

GolfasianIf any reader would like to suggest a topic to be covered or better yet contribute materials, photos, or even commissions an article please contact me by e-mail, I welcome the help.

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Golf Holidays in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam

 
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