Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club

Chachoengsao is a province the lies between Bangkok and  Chonburi (Pattaya).  Mostly an industrial area, one of its characteristics is the large river (Bangpakong) that runs through the area.  Its about an hour's drive from the center of Bangkok along either the Chonburi Motorway or via the Bangna Trad Expressway.  Anyway, on the invitation from my police general friend, I had a chance to play a nice golf course in the province yesterday.  Situated right along the river, its appropriately called Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club.

Like many other courses, this is a resort type course with the developers hoping to sell land for homes, etc.  Its has full restaurant and clubhouse facilities and the course was well maintained.  This time of the year with the rains, many golf courses are partially flooded in some spots and the fairways very muddy.  At Bangprakong, the course was dry and very firm, with excellent greens that rolled very true.  Unfortunately, there is no actual view of the Bangpakong River at any point on the golf course except at the clubhouse area and on the way into the facility.

As far as layout is concerned, this course is very mild with slight doglegs and bunkers being the main challenges.  Water comes into play on a couple of holes, and unless one is really wild off the tee, the generous fairways offer a lot of forgiveness.  The course's primary defense is its length, which at 6700 yards off the whites and over 7100 yards off the tips offers all but the longest hitters a bit of a challenge.  It was windy yesterday and on some holes with a strong headwind, it made getting to the greens in regulation impossible for the average golfer.  There are four par 4 holes longer than 400 yards, and the par 3's were playing 170, 185, 200, 208 yards yesterday.

They are running sports day promotions on Monday and Thursday for 750 baht.  Also there is another special that runs Tues to Thursday that offers the green fee, caddie, and golf cart for 900 baht.  We got our round done in under 4 hours yesterday, just in time to duck a tournament of the Thai Golfer Society which started at noon.   Didn't have a great round, but considering my knee problems which has been flaring up lately, it wasn't too bad for such a long course.   No excuses though, it was a fun outing.  

The restaurant where we had lunch was fair.  Not exceptional in any way except that it had a sweeping view of the course from the dinning room.  Overall, the course was a decent experience and great for a fun day out with good friends.

Score Card Here:

Wilding Golf Performance Centers

The Wilding Golf Performance Centers provide a unique indoor golf experience in Bangkok using the latest swing, putting, and short game improvement technology.  They currently have five centers with around 50 swing bays, indoor putting greens, fitting centers, and a large professional teaching staff. They also have a hybrid center where the short game section is outside.  Its a great destination stop for golf visitors as well for a quick tune up or a packaged set of lessons from their multi-lingual staff of professionals.

Founded by Australian Shane Wilding, the golf centers use simulator technology from aboutGolf, USA.  The MauMee, Ohio based company also produced Microsoft golf and Greg Norman Ultimate Golf and has the world's most widely distributed golf simulator package.  You will find these simulators on cruise ships and training centers all over the planet - especially in places where its too hot or cold to be outside in the elements.  You also see it being used every week during the Golf Fix show on the Golf Channel as their backdrop.

I had been considering this option for a bit now since they first made the scene in the big mango a few years back.  It was an ideal supplement to the driving range and great self improvement tool, especially on those days when its unbearably hot and humid or when its raining hard outside.  While doing some shopping at Thaniya Plaza yesterday, I finally made the plunge and bought a one year elite membership.  The elite membership allows one to play at all the centers, as often as one likes for an entire year.  There are also discounts for lessons and food and beverages, etc.  I am not getting any endorsement or advertising compensation for posting this so in the next few months as I begin using the facilities, I can freely post my honest experiences with them and share them with the readers of this blog.

For now, I am really excited about replacing a few of my outdoor driving range sessions with the indoor ones and seeing if there is an improvement.  What really sold me over was that one of their newest centers is only 2 blocks from my condo and no more than a 5 minute walk away and that center has the large virtual surround  golf bay on the planet!  I might actually be living over there if I don't watch out!  I'm also looking forward to playing some of the fifty virtual courses on the swing bays, such as Pebble Beach.

For more details, you can visit their website or take this virtual 360 Tour of their facilities.

A new driver in the bag

Sorry for the absence away from the blogosphere, but I've been in California the last couple of months taking care of some person stuff and I can't write about the Golfing life in Thailand if I'm not there right?  Anyway, this post is about the addition of a new driver to my bag.  Every year, I evaluate my bag and compare it to the latest and greatest stuff that comes out and decide if I should upgrade my clubs.  This year is no different and most of the new clubs have been announced and have been or soon to be released.

Drivers are the big guns of every golf bag.  Its the heavy artillery you bring out to boom it down the fairway. Its the 'show' club.   Its the club of choice in TV commercials when someone is on the Tee, and most recreation golfers have the most difficult time with this club.  I've always struggled to get that 'perfect' driver - the one that is balanced with both distance and accuracy and have gone through so many in the past, I've lost count.  I guess I'm dreaming of one day finding that mythical, magical, and elusive 300 yard club somewhere. 

So this year the journey continues and I've added a new driver, the Nike SQ Machspeed Black to the bag.  How long its going to stay in the bag is anyone's guess.  It will stay there until I have a really bad driving day or something else comes along that blows my socks off.  Why the SQ Machspeed?  

For the most part, I ignore most of the marketing hype around the golf clubs.  What peaked my interest on this driver was the all black finish - a stark contrast to the all white drivers which are debuting on the PGA tour this week. Its a club that Darth Vader would use on the Death Star Course  or a club that the Ninjas  use to lop someone's head off.   Aside from the good looks, my first few test drives using this driver have been among the longest I've hit and they were for the most part, in the fairways.  The other selling feature was its price point.  At $299 USD retail and less than $200 on Ebay, it was a clear price performance winner over the more expensive 'tour everything' models of 2011.  

The Nike SQ Machspeed has the  Str8-fit adjustable hosel that allows eight different head settings and comes standard with their Nike version of the Mitsubishi Fubuki shaft which weighs only 52 grams in their stiff flex.  At less than 300 grams total, its one of the lightest drivers I've ever hit.  The strange thing is that the driver doesn't feel too light to swing and you can still feel the head, even at that weight.  Mine had a swingweight of D4.    Its great for someone like myself who has gotten on in the age department and needs a little help in distance while still having some control.

So far, I've played two rounds with the driver and missed only four fairways.  I noticed the balls have a bit of a fade on the finish, but the carry and roll after landing is longer.  A session to the driving range with the str8-fit wrench to adjust the face angle is scheduled today and hopefully that little fade is going to change to a little draw.  I also noticed that the str8-fit hosel adapters are not the same as the ones used for the Sumo drivers which I have now which makes reusing my Sumo shafts a lot harder.  You are going to have to buy new shafts or new adapters in order to swap out shafts.

So as I get ready to return to the Land of Smiles for some more golf, it will be equipment testing and acquisition time for the 2011 season.

Evergreen Hills Golf Club

Evergreen Hills Golf Club is located in Kanchanaburi Province about 2 1/2 hours west of Bangkok.    We had a chance to play this course in early December when the weather was absolutely perfect. They currently have very reasonable weekday green fees of 800 baht per golfer and only 1200 baht on weekends.  Caddie fees are 220 baht, typical for courses in this area.  

Evergreen Hills offers an interesting format of holes, of which more than half are dog legs of some kind or another.  Couple that with blind tee shots and smallish raised greens and you have a pretty decent venue for some interesting golf.  The course is not long at only 6,471 yards at the blue tees, but the black tee (tips) come out to 7,111 yards.  The yardages seem long due to the many dog legs which can be shorten with the proper placement of your tee shots.  A good drive off the tee on the shorter par 4s will give you a mid to short iron approach shot on most holes.  Miss the fairway, like I did on a couple of holes,  and you can quickly run up big numbers getting out of those beautiful trees.  In my case two snowmen ruined my score card for the day.

fairways in beautiful condition

There are 18 varieties of trees (one for each hole) that give the course a feeling unlike others in Thailand.  For one thing, the general impression is that the course looks really green, even though we are in the dry season this time of year.  Also the variety of trees gives one the impression that the course is somewhere other than Thailand where its too common for courses to use local vegetation and native trees.  The fairways were in terrific shape and were neatly mowed in anticipation of a big tournament scheduled for the following week.

As for the course, right off the bat, the first hole is a par 5 to get your blood moving.  Water doesn't come into play much on the front nine, but hole #6 requires an approach shot over water to the green.  As mentioned previously, if you can shape your drives you can shorten your approach shots on the many doglegs.  On the back nine, water comes into play on four holes, with hole #16 simulating an island green.  The greens were hard but in pretty decent shape - modestly fast and rolled true.  

Very basic but neat locker room facilities

The clubhouse, restaurant, and locker rooms are modest and didn't match up with this great course.  The locker room was very basic and the showers were outdated and in need of renovation.  The restaurant was large and had a good view, but we didn't stay for the food after our round as we had a tip on a local restaurant down the road which turned out to be really good (and cheap too).  

Evergreen Hills in a complete resort with a hotel, meeting and banquet facilities.  Its obviously set up more for corporate meetings and seminars where leisure time between sessions can be spent playing golf, tennis, snookers, or swimming.   

Online booking is available on their website which is:  http://www.evergreenhillsgolfclub.co.th/home.php.

Overall rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Course was in great condition (getting ready for a big tournament), caddie service good, lockers and clubhouse was below average, restaurant and food facilities on the course was also average.  Value was very good at 800 baht on weekdays.

Here is a map of how to get to Evergreen Hills.  GPS:  13.813473,99.473219

My score card for the day...

Blue Sapphire Golf and Resort

Had a chance to play at Blue Sapphire Golf and Resort this week.  Haven't been there for a couple of years now due to scheduling conflicts.  We used to come to Kanchanaburi province to play golf every few months because of the great deals on the golf courses and resorts in this area.  Previous review from my other blog is here.   Aside from the beautiful River Kwai and its bridge made famous by the David Lean Movie in 1957, the area is blessed with mountains and vistas ideal for golf courses.

Blue Sapphire Golf & Resort got its name from the Sapphire mine that once operated there and the one that is adjacent that is still in operation.  The big holes created by the mining operation were reclaimed by filling them with water to create some beautiful lakes and water hazards for the golf resort.  On a few holes, petrified trees unearthed during the mining operation are used to add beauty to the layout.  

Consisting of 36 holes (A-B-C-D), the A&B Canyon course is more resort oriented while the Ocean Course (B&C) is a bit more difficult with more water in play.  You can play any combination of 9 holes as well, so depending on the starter, you may be assigned to courses A/C or B/D etc if you desire and scheduling permits.

Hole 3, Canyon Course - Drive over the water or else!

Hole #16 - Par 3, 181 yards from elevated tee

Both courses offer challenging carries over water on some holes (either your drive or your approach shot to the green) so bring some extra balls if your game is not up to snuff.  The fairways are fairly wide but if you miss the fairways there are many hills, mounds and trees that can quickly kill your score.  Golf carts are mandatory here as the terrain is very hilly.

On this visit, the greens again had just been sanded so the greens were very coarse and unpredictable due to the large sand pebbles used.  The dry weather and wind also brought down a lot of leaves from the nearby trees and thus a few greens were littered with both leaves and sand.  The fairways were in decent shape and our caddies were quite pleasant and knowledgeable.

A little map at the tee box to indicate the layout of the hole

Basic locker room facilites

Locker rooms were still very basic, although they said during our last visit that they would be improved but they looked the same to us.  We didn't stay for the food at the restaurant because we had a previous arrangement at the resort we were staying at.  There is a jewelry shop located near the pro shop which features sapphires found at the mine site before its renovation - a very unique souvenir if you are looking for something special to remember the visit.   

To get to Blue Sapphire, take 323 from Kanchanaburi City to 3398 and then 3086 .  The total driving time is about 2 1/2  hours from Bangkok.  Currently the green fees are only 800 baht during the week, and 1500 baht during weekends.  GPS Coordinates:  14.351751,99.508538

Overall rating:  3 out of a possible 5.  Challenging layout, decent fairways, good service.  Locker and greens (on this day anyway) need improvement.  A great value for a course of this caliber.

The Perfect Husband

One thing great is that you won't get one of these calls when you are in the locker room here in the Land of Smiles.....

LPGA could change their 'female at birth' rule this month - Devil Ball Golf - Golf - Yahoo! Sports

One of the things I love so much about the LPGA are the ladies, and not that is to be changed.

LPGA could change their 'female at birth' rule this month - Devil Ball Golf - Golf - Yahoo! Sports

A visit to Thaniya Plaza

I had a chance to drop by Thaniya Plaza the other day.  Thaniya Plaza is one place in Bangkok where golfers visit to see the latest golf equipment and to shop for those things only golfers will appreciate.  Its a shopping mall where the majority of tenants are golf shops.  From major manufacturers like Titleist, Ping, and Nike to the specialized high end shops like Honma, to the used golf equipment shops, there is something for almost everyone.  There is clothing, lessons, and resort bookings available.  Here is a directory of all the shops in Thaniya Plaza from their website.

Thaniya Plaza is in the Silom District of Bangkok and can be easily reached by the BTS Skytrain.  Get off at the Saladaeng station and follow the signs to the Thaniya plaza exit.  The plaza itself is connected via their 'BTS Wing' which has a door right from the platform and eventually connects to the 3rd floor of the mall.  The biggest shops are naturally on the first floor, but I also like the Mizuno store and Fitting one on the 4th floor.  A pretty well stocked bookstore chain called Asia Books also has a shop here with lots of golf books in English.

One can not only buy golf equipment, but can get it repaired or customized to your specs.  If you want your lofts and lie set on your clubs, or your grips replaced, or your club re-shafted, Thaniya has many stores that can do it for you as you wait.  The cost is quite reasonable and a few shops have club makers that have been certified by US companies.  For example, the cost of a lie or loft adjustment is around 100 baht ($3.50 USD) per club and a shaft change with your own replacement shaft will cost between 300 and 500 baht.  With all the mess and fuss of doing things on your own, its may be better to find a good shop and have them do it for you.  I haven't been disappointed with the results yet.

If you want to make sure things are to your specifications, make sure you tell them exactly what is necessary and ask them to explain it back to you.  For shaft alignment and things like swing weight, I usually pre-spine and mark the shafts for them and watch them do a preliminary swing weight check before they epoxy the head or put on the grips.  Grips are cheaper if you buy them online in the USA so it might be to your advantage to purchase the grips there and bring them for installation.  Otherwise, there is a large selection of grips, including some you can't find online, available at the various shops.

If you are a Japanese Golf equipment fan like I am, you will like the many shops that offer both new and used clubs from Japan.  You can also get sets built to order with Japanese market heads like this shop that is selling Miura irons.  There is a Honma shop on the 3rd floor for those who have lots of money to spend and a great used golf club place on the first floor where I picked up my current set of Miuras at a bargain price.

One of my favorite shops is Iron Fox.  This shop sells golf shoes, which are handmade and exclusive to their shop.  There are many unique designs, colors, and patterns for someone looking for something different.  Women especially like this shop because they can get shoes in colors that match their outfits (i.e. pink, yellow, etc.).    I have a couple of pair that I bought many years ago that I still wear periodically -- I don't wear them on every outing because they are just too nice looking for me to get them dirty or muddy, so I save them for that special occasional round.  You can also have them made to order in your size and to your specifications here as well.

Lastly, if you get tired or a bit hungry, there is a great all you can eat Sushi place called 'Kozo' on the 3rd floor.  If you get there between 12PM and 1PM, the all you can eat Sushi buffet is only 220 baht (subject to the date of this post).  Different plates of Sushi go round and round a mechanized belt and all you have to do is to snag what you want and enjoy!  Many other shops and restaurants offer a variety of food, including the snack bar right in the middle of the mall as pictured above.

The 'Call Hole'

I realized I used a new term that may be unique to Thailand golf in yesterday's post, namely the words "Call Hole".  What is a Call Hole?  On some golf courses, its a tactic to avoid logjams at a specific hole, usually a par 3.  The golfers on the green are asked to mark their balls, find a safe spot, and signal the following group to hit their tee shots to the green.  Once the shots are made, the first group then finishes their putts while the following group is walking up to the green.  I guess that because the caddies 'call' for the other group to go ahead and tee off,  the term was since adopted.

Thailand golf courses do this on crowded days and believes it saves time (1 stroke per group), and it does seem to work.  In California, we use the term "waving the group up to the green".  Fortunately we don't have 'wave holes' in California...except maybe in surfing.

Khao Cha-Ngok Golf and Country Club

This course is about two hours driving distance northeast from central Bangkok in Nakhon Nayok and is part of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Sports Academy.  Its a military course but it is open to the general public.  As you enter the Academy gate and pass the guards, make a sharp left and follow the road up to the clubhouse and golf bag drop off area.  Its a bit off the beaten path and not especially easy to get to,  so I don't recommend this course for the first time visitor - but its a great value for the expat  or returning visitor who has his/her own transportation.  

My main reason for recommending this course is value.  Where else can you find a Pete Dye designed course to play for around $15 USD?  While the course is not as well maintained  as some of the more expensive resort courses that can have green fees five times that amount (its a military golf course), it offers many diabolical challenges typical of a classic Pete Dye design.  For those unfamiliar with Pete Dye, he is notorious for his unique and diabolical design elements, including the famous 17th island green hole at TPC Sawgrass, which has been copied by courses all over the world.  Each hole offers a unique challenge and big numbers are lurking at each turn.  I will typically shoot five or even ten shots more here than other courses because its so easy to get a blow up hole.

The course is almost 7000 yards at the tips, but even from the white tees, its 6463 yards and quite a challenge.  What is deceiving is that while the white tees are only 3440 yards on the front and only 3023 on the back nine, the back nine includes a drivable par 4 at 284 yards, a very short par 3 at 113 yards, and a nasty par 3, 15th hole at 145 yards,  which I call the 'call hole from hell'.  This course plays like a very long course despite the yardage on paper.  The greens are smallish and some have water carries to reach them.   On two greens, a bad putt or approach shot will cause your balls to roll completely off the green.

Here are some of the interesting design elements on the course:

From the Tee, the idea drive is over the tree

The second shot is over water to the smallish green

If you are short, you're in the water as the face will stop your balls

On this hole, the best and safest position for your ball is obstructed by this big tree- hit over it or else.  Play it safe to the left and have a very long second shot over the water to the green or take your chances and try to drive it over the 200 yard marker...miss right and you're wet.

Drivable par 4

At only 284 yards, it looks on paper to be an easily drivable par 4 for longer hitters.  But its severely uphill and guarded by a tree on the right third of the fairway.  Right is dead..you'll never find your ball.  Once at the green, its bunkered and a severe drop on the left side will leave you 40 feet below the hole in the woods.  Safest bet is to drive it left off the tree and maybe a short pitching wedge into the green.  This hole is a drivable par 4, but it can turn into a snowman 8 real quick.

The 'call hole' from hell

Up the hill to the pin

Chip or putt it hard enough or it will roll back to your feet

Holes numbers 14 and 15 have greens than punish bad putts or approach shots by sliding them completely off. I got to the green in regulation on 14, but four putted because my first putt uphill wasn't hard enough and it rolled back off the green.   Hole 15 requires a precise shot to a pin on the upper left hand quadrant of the green, or its off the green completely.  The first time I played this hole a few years back, I thought I hit a pretty decent shot which landed about five feet to the right of the pin, but soon found out to my amazement that it was rolling ever so slowly, then quickly, completely off the green!. At 145 yards, it really plays like a 160 yard hole because its severely uphill.  I double bogeyed both of these holes the other day - lost 4 strokes in two holes..brutal.

There are other unique design elements for this course, like a severely elevated 18th green off a severe dog leg left, but I will leave those for you to discover for yourself.  I'll conclude by telling you that this course is a lot of fun and definitely a challenge.  Don't look for country club conditions, in fact the locker room is really basic, old, and military like, but for a avid golfer, this place is great for a pleasant day at the links.

My score card for last Friday, not great, but its Khao-Cha-Ngok.  

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