Thailand Extends Royal Invitation to Golfers Worldwide

With Golf in a Kingdom, premier courses and luxury hotels aim to put country on world golf map.

BANGKOK (June 24, 2009) - In an bid to tell world golfers what Asian golfers already know, the golf establishment in Thailand has launched 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience', a cooperative itinerary that matches the country's top courses with its most desirable hotels.

The Kingdom of Thailand has for decades been the destination of choice for Asian golfers, thanks to its stellar courses, superb year-round climate and welcoming culture. By banding together to form 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience' (www.golfinakingdom.com), these courses and hotels mean to cement a place for Thailand alongside the world's premier golf destinations.

"I think golfers in North America have an inkling that golf is played in Thailand; Europeans have slightly more of an inkling, but I don't think golfers on either continent fully realize that this is a country with more than 250 courses, many of them as good as you'll find anywhere in the world," said Mark Siegel, president of Bangkok-based tour operator Golfasian.

The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with eight premium golf properties, Golfasian and six of the country's premier hotels to form 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience'.

The cooperative effort has been in the planning since 2007, but its launch this month is timely. According to TAT, some 3.2 million visitors arrived in Thailand the first quarter of 2009 - a 19 percent decrease from the previous year. It's unclear whether this drop is attributable to the peaceful-but-ongoing political disquiet in Thailand or the worldwide economic slump.

"I live here and the reality is, the political issues in Thailand haven't had any effect on the day-to-day lives of citizens or tourists - but the economic slowdown has surely affected tourists: prices have dropped across the board," Siegel asserted. "I don't think there's ever been a more economical time to visit here. That's not hype; it's a fact. Launching 'Golf in a Kingdom' now has allowed us to offer value we could not have offered in 2008."

In May 2009, a CNN International tourism poll asserted that Thailand, among first-world nations, represents the best value for travelers in the entire Asia Pacific region. Conducted across CNN English websites, the survey had more than 5,000 respondents globally.

"The world gets a bit smaller every day," Siegel continued. "We hope to shrink it just enough with 'Golf in a Kingdom' to give North American and European golfers a taste of Thai culture and hospitality, because one visit is normally all it takes. The number of golfers who try Thailand then return for a second and third helping is pretty extraordinary."

From the mystical hill country of Chiang Rai in the northwest corner to the breathtaking beaches of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience' takes in some of the most lush and varied terrain on the planet. That sort of real estate - linked by Thailand's enviably modern transportation infrastructure - translates into the Kingdom's stunning golf properties, including:

• Banyan Golf Club, a new hillside course just outside the charming coastal town of Hua Hin, preferred holiday retreat of the Thai Royal Family for almost a century.
• Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, an inventive Schmidt/Curley design 1,000 feet above sea level in the cool, northern region.
• Muang Kaew Golf Club, the closest course to bustling Bangkok, with sterling greens and a par 3 that looks eerily similar to the 12th at Augusta National.
• Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club, where Robert Trent Jones II crafted 18 dramatic holes that either skirt a chain of lakes or flow over the low hills of Bang Bor.
• Santiburi Samui Country Club, site of the newest Asian Tour event, the Queen's Cup, and traversing a jungle of towering coconut trees at the foot of Khao Pom Mountain.
• Siam Country Club, Plantation Course, this 27-hole Schmidt-Curley design played host to the 2009 Honda LPGA Thailand just two years after opening
• Siam Country Club, Old Course, always immaculately maintained, it hosted the 2007 Honda LPGA event and features perhaps the toughest closing stretch in the country.
• Thai Country Club, site of Tiger Woods's 1997 Asia Honda Classic victory and the 'Best Championship Course in Asia', as voted by Asian Golf Monthly readers in 2008.

Thailand also harbors the Asia's newest and broadest collection of 5-star accommodations ¬- at prices North Americans and Europeans may not believe at first. 'Golf in a Kingdom' embraces that development by bridging rounds of golf with nights at posh, brand-name resorts, including:

• Anantara Phuket, a collection of 83 private pool villas set within indigenous gardens of jasmine, orchids and birds of paradise. Conde Nast Traveller magazine just named this property to its coveted worldwide "Hot List" for 2009.
• Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa, located across the Chao Phraya River from the city center but with all the tranquility and kick-back appeal a traveler could wish for in an urban setting.
• Anantara Golden Triangle, a luxury nature retreat set amid 160 acres of tropical jungle, all of it hewing to the winding Mekong River and a border dividing three countries.
• Anantara Hua Hin, nestled in 14 acres of luxuriant tropical gardens along the white sand beaches on the Gulf of Thailand.
• Anantara Koh Samui, serenely perched above a quiet stretch of sand, and just steps from the shimmering waters that lap Samui Island.
• Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, whose architecture combines space, color and natural light with traditional Thai design themes to create a sense of harmony and grandeur.

"The beauty of this marked shift toward high-quality lodging, which has been taking place here for 20 years actually, is that Thailand remains affordable," said Boyd Barker, Hua Hin Marriott's general manager. "If there's a positive to the hit tourism has taken here, of late, it's that prices reflect this drop in demand. There's no better place to go on holiday, and there's no better time than right now."

The attraction extends beyond golf and resorts. Never colonized by foreign powers and known as Siam until 1939, Thailand remains a constitutional monarchy. But during the past half century it has managed to seamlessly blend Western influences and Buddhist beliefs, producing a first-world destination with an Old World feel.

Six distinct geographical regions - ranging from 8,000-foot-high mountains in the north to a maze of limestone islands rising out of the Andaman Sea in the south - only add to the country's diverse allure.

"Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand provides the greatest value," said Santi Chudintra, Director of TAT Los Angeles. "The people are welcoming, the culture is unique and the scenery is spectacular. Thai food, which everyone wants to talk about, is just a small part of the menu."

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For more information on 'Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience', or to make golf travel plans in Thailand, visit www.golfinakingdom.com, or send email to info@golfinakingdom.com

JUNIOR GOLF IN THAILAND

Increasing junior golfer participation at Thailand golf courses boosts revenues and rounds played. Most Thai golfers were introduced to the game as a youngster by a parent or relative. It's a bonding experience that many Phuket golf course owners and operators likely see every week-watching Mom or Dad show their son how to hold the club or hoisting their daughter into the golf cart for the first time. For the parent, it's a cherished moment. For the child, it's just plain fun, as is playing golf in Bangkok in general.


For the Asia golf course owner-operator, it's rewarding not only to witness family togetherness but also to increase revenue. This young person is a new customer. If Mom is the only customer in the family and the two youngsters become regular customers, things are looking up. Not only did you pick up two new customers, but Mom will also be able to play more now, usually at off-peak times.

According to a recent Golf 20/20 study, adding a Thailand junior golfer to the mix has a dramatic impact on the bottom line. A golfing household in which the golfer was introduced to golf as a junior in a structured program plays 58 percent more rounds and spends 71 percent more annually than its counterparts. Here's an even more startling statistic: There are 6.4 million juniors not currently playing who want to play. Ninety percent of those would definitely go to the course if they only had a parent or mentor to play with. Imagine the same effect in Thailand, one of Asia’s best golf destinations.

Take Your Daughter To The Course Week in Thailand

Take Your Daughter to the Course Week would be a great opportunity to grow Golf in Thailand - It's easy, fun and a great way for many of Thailands golf courses to get more customers.

Now more than ever in Thailand and throughout Asia, there is an increased awareness of the need for player-development programs that increase both short-term profits as well as programs that increase long-term profits
With an emphasis on family golf.


Take Your Daughter to the Course Week in Thailand would target both areas, thus making it one of the most popular and successful player-development programs Asia golf has seen. The National Golf Course Owners Association of Thailand could sponsor this event in partnership with some of Thailands biggest golf businesses like Golfasian and Golforient.com. 

Suzy Whaley, the first woman to qualify for a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias in 1945, is the national spokesperson for the Take Your Daughter program in the USA. In 2003, approximately 650 courses (not in Thailand) registered and more than 15,000 girls participated

This event could garner much media attention on both the national and local level in Thailand, and consumers could call in from all over the country looking for a golf course in Thailand to take their daughters to .

The attention from consumers and the Bangkok golf media would be one of the reasons for the possible great success of this event.

Take Your Daughter to the Course Week could be advertised in Thailand golf publications and on www.phuket-golfthailand.com a web site that will be advertised nationally in many different ways including links on other Thailand golf industry sites. Bangkok golf courses participating in the event could receive a free listing on one of Thailands best golf web sites, complete with contact information, details about their offerings and a hyperlink to their course site.


Thailand golf’s Take Your Daughter would be open to golf courses in Phuket and actually everywhere in Thailand, and there would be no fee to sign up. To participate, golf courses courses must offer a complimentary green fee to a young lady accompanied by a paying adult all during the week and offer a free clinic for the girls sometime during the week.

Courses would be welcome to modify these guidelines as needed. For example, while the suggested age range for the "daughter" is between 7 and 17, each course is welcome to modify the age range to suit their goals. 
Participating courses receive a promotional toolkit designed to help create a successful event. A course must register for the event to receive the toolkit and be recognized in publicity efforts. What do you think about such a week in Thailand?

Thailand Golf Tips from Bangkok Golf Pro

Welcome to another Thailand golf tip from Golfthink.com, the leading golf school in Thailand the, All great players have the ability to swing every club at a consistent tempo and with great balance. Rhythm and balance are linked. Some players, like Tom Watson, exhibit faster tempos. Some, like Ernie Els, exhibit a slower tempo. Yet all remain balanced.

The key to consistency when playing golf in Phuket or Thailand is to maintain your balance and use a smooth rhythm.

If you rush your swing you will loose your balance and the end result is inconsistent contact and poor ball flight. This is important when playing at golf in Asia at great courses like Red Mountain Golf Club Phuket Outstanding ball strikers are rarely off balance at impact and their rhythm is the "glue" that bonds their positions and movements. Often their swings seem effortless and they, as Julius Boros described it, "swing easy and hit hard." Great rhythm allows you to properly sequence your body motion and arrive at impact in a position of leverage and power.

Ten-time PGA TOUR driving accuracy champion Calvin Peete says the three keys to straight driving are "Balance, Balance and Balance." If you want to be a more consistent ball striker, you must understand how the body should be balanced in four key positions. This will help when preparing for a golf lesson in Bangkok


Although your spine is tilted away from the target at address, you should have your weight evenly balanced between your right and your left foot with your middle and long irons. Also, you should feel your weight evenly balanced between your heels and your toes, roughly on the balls of the feet.

As you pivot to the top of the back swing, your weight moves into the inside of the back foot. You should feel approximately 75-percent of your weight on the back foot and 25-percent on the front foot. The weight must never move to the outside of the back foot.

By the time you arrive at impact, approximately 70- to 75-percent of your weight should be shifted onto the front foot. Your head must be behind the ball and your hips must shift forward approximately 4 inches past their starting position. This increases the spine tilt by at least double.


At the completion of the follow through, you should have the majority of your weight - about 90-percent of it - on the outside of the front foot.

Follow the above and when you book a Thailand Golf Holiday you might have something exciting to tell your Golf Professional in Bangkok