New Travel insurance for Tourists

TAT has implemented a new insurance program called "Thailand Travel Shield" in conjunction with a number of reputable Thai insurance carriers.  Looking at the plan, it seems like a great way to get insurance coverage for those traveling to the LOS and those that are here on extended stays who travel in and out of the country and stay no longer than 60 days at a time, .  This is especially useful to those whose medical coverage do not extend overseas (i.e. medicare) and do not have supplemental coverage that deals with out of country illnesses.  

It offers trip interruption,  baggage, and comprehensive life and medical coverage.  Click on this link for he details of the plan:  http://www.tourismthailand.org/ThailandTravelShield/.  In some countries, travel restrictions prevented travelers from getting insurance, but this program offers local coverage for visitors to the kingdom.  

The premiums vary in cost from 650 baht to 12,000 baht depending on the length of coverage.  For the top end coverage, you have 1 year of  coverage (but you can't stay longer than 60 days on each individual  trip) for up to 2,000,000 baht for loss of life, accidents, or sickness. The medical costs in Thailand are very reasonable, but can add up quickly if you have a complicated problem that prevents one from returning to their home country for treatment.  

Off the golf course, If you are into active activities like renting a jet ski, riding a rented motorbike or car, or sports like Thai boxing, it makes sense to get some kind of accident coverage.  The way some buses, taxis, and cars drive here in the land of smiles, a bit of insurance can prevent a whole lot of misery and financial loss.  Also, you can never tell when a stray golf ball or some other kind of mishap will pop up.

You can apply for the policy coverage online before your trip.  I know that I am seriously considering the annual coverage and think readers of this blog might consider something that is right for themselves before their next trip over to the land of smiles.  

Caddies - Tipping in Thailand

Always tip your caddies in Thailand.  I say this without reservation and unless you got that 'caddie from hell' that didn't know a golf ball from a tee and punched you out verbally on the 5th hole, please leave them a fair tip.  I've  had a caddie who was working her first day and her first real golfer was yours truly.  It was not a pleasant experience, but she received a small tip anyway because I knew the circumstances around which she had to work.  I've also seen instances where golfers that had a bad day on the course take their anger out on the caddies by leaving them no tip at all - blaming them for everything. 

But for most golfers, the caddie experience in Thailand is unrivaled in its friendliness and service and they want and expect you to leave some kind of tip.  So, how much?

Most golf courses retain a portion of the caddie fees you pay for their services.  That is why you do not pay the caddies directly, but instead are issued a coupon which they keep to redeem their wages.  While the stated caddie fees sounds like a fair amount for a day's work, they don't get to work everyday.  When they are not doing caddie work, such as on slow days, they must work on the golf course pulling weeds, sweeping pathways, and doing other general maintenance with no salary.  If they are part of a large and popular golf course, they might be part of a pool of 300 or more caddies and may only get to caddie a couple of times a week.  A lot of who gets to work depends on their seniority and ratings by their customers.  They are responsible for cleaning their uniforms and providing their own food during the work day.  

I speak Thai fluently and enjoy conversing with my caddies as we make our trek of 3-4 hours around the course.  Its a great way to improve one's Thai language skills and get to know the person behind that smart uniform and hat.  I've also developed friendships with many caddies over the years at my club and it makes a round of golf more fun when you can joke around a bit too.   A tip:  Don't always pick the youngest and best looking caddies, instead look for the older, more seasoned caddies with the face that has shown some time in the sun (The younger and prettier caddies are usually more interested in their face than your golf game).

Most good caddies have worked on their golf course for many years.  Its not uncommon for senior caddies to have 10-15 or more years of service.  They know their courses extremely well, especially the greens.  I don't know how many times I have sworn a putt should have broken in one direction only to find out that my caddie was right all along.  After all, they've seen that darn put hundreds of times before with other stupid golfers like me....it always breaks right dummy!

How much do you tip?  I would say at the time of this posting, a least 50-75% of their fees and that in some cases would just make them whole after the golf courses deduct their share and their cost to come to work.  If they are really good, then your heart and enjoyment of the day should be the guide.  They work hard in the boiling sun, hauling your bag, and putting up with your bad shots with a big smile around the course for the entire day.  I would say that is a lot for a few hundred baht so please tip generously!

St. Andrews 2000 golf and country club

When I am asked which course is my favorite in Thailand, I usually respond by giving a list of courses instead of just one because there are so many great courses to chose from.  But in recent times, a course that is always on that list is St. Andrews 2000 in Rayong.  People who play this course usually either really like the course or hate it. I'm one of those that really like it and feel its one of the courses in Thailand you should experience at least once.

Those that hate the course are usually golf course purists or beginners that have not yet developed the distance or skills to navigate the course.  Those that love the course are often golfers that like something unusual and challenging and are tired of the same traditional course layouts where many of the holes fall into a predictable pattern.  Its a challenging course and previously a HCP 18 was recommended.  My personal view is that if you can hit the ball pretty straight, have decent distance, and a decent short game around the greens, you will enjoy this course.  If you are a beginner still learning to play the game, its likely that you will not like anything about this course except the beautiful vistas and views from many holes around the course.

St. Andrews 2000 is part of a golf complex named St. Andrews Village which contains two other courses, Rayong Green Valley, and Silky Oak.  You can book 'stay and play' packages directly from them and they are currently offering a promotion (see right image) where you can play any combination of two courses on two days, stay one night, and have an ABF too starting at 2600 baht per person, double occupancy.  Works out to about $79 USD per person.   A really great deal for such quality courses and accommodations. 

The GLT Review of the course

St. Andrews 2000 is a links styled golf course.  But as most people who have played links style courses know, without a lot of wind, the golf course loses much of its main defense against low scores.  Thailand is not always blessed with a lot of strong wind on the eastern part of the gulf, so perhaps the designers thought by adding some usual features, they could make this course more difficult.  These features include two par 6s, dual fairways, lots of bunkers, smaller elevated greens, and some long mandatory carries.  Some purists may call these 'gimmicks' but I think it takes it out of the 'cookie cutter' class of golf courses so often seen around the planet and puts in a fun element.

GLT editor posing for a shot at the real Swilcan Bridge 

on the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland

Obviously inspired by the Old Course at St. Andrews, there is little resemblance except for the name and the style of design.  The Old Course is very flat and next to the sea where there is almost always a strong breeze.  The 2000 course is quite hilly, and while there is a breeze, its mostly mild.  Due to its hilly conditions, golf carts are required.

The reception area

The key to playing St. Andrews 2000 is hitting the ball straight.  With the many elevated fairways, bunkers, uneven fairways, and small greens, those who cannot hit the ball straight are going to have big numbers, no matter how long you can hit the ball.  For example, look at hole #1 below.  The tee shot is to a 'U' shaped gully to a smallish green.  Not long, but drives off the fairway will get you into a lot of trouble.  There is going to be either an uphill or downhill or uneven lie for the second shot unless your shot placement is perfect.

Hole #1

In the next example, we look at the first Par 6 on hole #4.  The perfect shot is long over the little lip that extends from the rock ridge on the right.  But if you hit it too short, there is a water hazard behind that rock formation.  A good shot would be just on the very edge of the rocky edge.  Hook it left and your dead.   That tee shot is going to be followed by three other long shots, including a water carry, to the green.  Fun, Fun, Fun!

The first Par 6 tee

This next hole is nicknamed the lady hole.  Click on the photo below to see the obvious reason for the name.  Its shaped like the hour glass figure of a woman!  Fun hole, but drive it long and straight or end up off the elevated fairway with a very long second shot to the green.

The Lady Hole

Challenging  par 3 17th hole.  

Be careful, a bad downhill putt can cause your ball to roll off the green!

The photos above shows the beautiful vistas and views from the course.  Its very well maintained and the caddies are good.  It helps to speak a bit of Thai, as most are not too proficient in English even though they may know the course well.  Hand signals are wonderful aids in communicating your needs.  

I've included a copy of the scorecard below.  A map from their website is also provided.

Score Card for St. Andrews 2000

Food and Service:

Food and drinks are available on the course and in the complex.  There is a Japanese restaurant as well as Thai food.  The locker and clubhouse facilities are nice, but not opulent like at some other high end courses in the area.  You will be comfortable and well taken care of.  Prices are mid range as at most courses of this class.   

Map to the course:

If you are staying in Pattaya, its about a 20-30 minute drive from the center of town.  From Bangkok, I would allocate at least two hours and take the motorway towards Pattaya and then take the Rayong turnoff before getting into town.  

Would love to hear your personal comments on this course.

Golfing Life Thailand is Back!

After taking a bit of a personal break, Golfing Life Thailand is back.  The GLT editor was a bit pre-occupied as he had to make a couple of extended trips back to California.  I am happy that I can again start reporting on the interesting courses I've played and some of the developments for the golfers here in Thailand.

In May, there was a coup e'tat in Thailand when the military took over the country due to the escalating violence from prolonged political demonstrations.  There was martial  law declared, curfew hours, and other restrictions on the gathering of large groups.  Those restrictions have all been lifted country wide and there has not been any violence since the takeover.  In Thailand, coups are unlike their counterparts in other areas of the world.  When the soldiers come out, they are greeted with flowers, snacks and cold water.  Tourist take 'selfies' with the troops and tanks and everyone is smiling.  In this coup, there was no bloodshed nor was there even one single shot fired by the military.

Sure, there were anti-government protesters, but those were very small and over quickly due to the lack of support plus the massive show of force by the military.  Things are so quiet now that its hard to even find a soldier unless they are on a corruption clean-up or law enforcement mission.

This video shows how most of the people reacted in Bangkok during the weeks after the coup and not the exaggerated main stream media reports where the reporters outnumbered the protesters. 

In fact, for many of us residents here in Bangkok, life is better now after the coup than before.  Many others seem to agree as a recent Dusit poll has shown that 85% of the Thais think things are better now than before the coup.  With their actions and policies to date, the junta seems to be truly benevolent and appears to have the best interest of the country in mind.   I can personally testify that Thailand is not only safe, but its a great time to come visit to take advantage of the bargain rates at the hotels and many golf courses around the country.

So with all that as a backdrop, I will be posting more and trying to give you an idea of what to expect when you get here to the land of smiles.

TAT organizes Special Golf Promotion for Hua Hin Area

A GOLF FESTIVAL!

Looks like TAT is organizing a great event for those that are going to be in the land of Smiles in August and September.  Some great golf courses in Hua Hin for as little as 1000 baht ($33 USD) per person.  Great area and some of these courses are world class.  Play some golf and then hang out on the beach, and then have a wonderful seafood dinner...all for a bargain price.  

Link here:  http://www.tatnews.org/time-tee-tat-organise-hua-hin-cha-golf-festival-2014/

Website here:  http://www.huahingolffestival.com/

I have a couple of nights that I can use at the Hyatt Hua Hin due to CC points.   It looks like a great way to spend a couple of relaxing days with B and Marina when I get back to the LOS next month!