Leaving your hotel It’s golf day! Your first time in Thailand and your first game! Excitement levels are through the roof! Here is what you can expect… Before you leave, have you packed your change of clothes for after golf? It’s customary here to shower after the game, all of the courses have shower facilities and some better than 5* hotels! Get freshened up after the game, it is well worth it! Your driver will be waiting in the lobby of your hotel, after introducing himself he will load your clubs in to the van and show you inside to spacious seats where you can relax on the way to the golf course. Log into the free Wi-Fi in the vans, send some messages put some music on and enjoy the ride! Grab a cold bottle of water from the chiller in the front of the van and one extra for the round. Arriving at the golf course Driving up to the ‘Bag Drop’ is something else in itself! There can be anywhere from 20 to 200 caddies inline waiting for you! All players must have a caddie and the fee is about 400 baht. IF you are with Golfasian the caddie fee is included. Your driver will open the door for you, get your golf bag out and give to allocated caddie. Take a look which caddie is yours. From that moment your caddie will look after you until the end of your game. A few things will happen now. The caddies will go and either put your bag on a pull cart or on a golf cart depending on what you have paid for. The driver will go to the Pro Shop, get your tickets and give them to the starter. You can head to the locker room… Locker Room You’ll be greeted here by the staff who will ask you to sign in and get your locker key. Get changed, leave your non essentials in the locker. Take enough money for on course snacks, drinks, sun cream if you need to reapply in the heat and anything else you usually need for golf and stroll down to the course where your caddie will be waiting Driving Range Driving range, not all courses have them but if you want to use them before let us know, so we can adjust pick up times. Often next to the waiting area to go to the 1^st tee the is a putting and chipping green. Greens in Thailand can vary in pace. There is usually a sign with the speed of the day EG 9.5. Give the practice green a go before you play! On the golf course Give your caddie a few golf balls and tees and she is set. She will have the scorecard ready for you. At this point I think it’s time to explain the role of the caddie… The role of the caddie They take your Golf bag, prepare the golf cart and drive you to the driving range if needed and onto the first tee. They will if you like tee the ball up for you. Will definitely mark your ball, repair your divots and pitch marks, hold up your umbrella in the sun and rain, get you water or a nice cold towel and depending on the caddie can often give you a nice shoulder massage while you are waiting to tee off! They can be lovely, playful, good fun, smiling but most importantly to remember is they want to improve your game and leave you with a smile on your face! They don’t give you the wrong club on purpose or read a put wrongly. For me it pays to listen when they are reading putts for you, particularly if they are experienced. If you don’t agree then have a go yourself and go from there. Thailand’s female caddies are a big reason why the country is such a popular golf destination! Keep it light hearted and you will love it! Kiosk You will find one of these roughly every three holes on the golf course serving everything from water, beer, boiled eggs, noodles, kit kats, cold towels, fried rice and ice cream! After three holes take a minute to relax here before heading off again. One important thing to note is you can buy your caddie a drink or something to eat, they are with you for 5 hours and they really appreciate it. You can often buy second hand golf balls here for great value! A common site is someone swimming in the lake on the golf course… not because it’s hot but because they are fishing your balls out of the water and selling them to the kiosks! Call Holes Some courses use this on Par 3’s, if it is the case and you are on the green, the caddie will mark your ball and you stand aside and let the group behind tee off. Once they have done you go ahead and complete the hole. End of your game It is customary to tip your caddie. We Recommend 400 Baht (USD 15) upwards depending on how good your experience was and how much fun you had! The caddie will take your golf clubs to the driver and he will load them into the van for you. Head on into the locker room, get your shoes cleaned, the staff will take them while you shower and when you give you key in we recommend 50 Baht (USD 1.50) for cleaning your shoes. At this point if you want something to eat or drink in the clubhouse or get off back to the hotel it is up to you, the driver will be on hand for either. Back at the hotel Tip the driver, we recommend 400 Baht (USD 15) for the day. Get your clubs from him, if you are playing again tomorrow it is worth confirming the time again. All that done you can get ready to enjoy your evening! Ready? Start booking your next Asia golf holiday with Golfasian today.