Santiburi Golf Course

[LoveDaBlues]

I've heard Santiburi is really nice. Any comments on it's condition/playability would be welcome. I'm retiring to Thailand soon and want to play more golf on a nice course. Also, are there houses/housing development/apartments close to Santiburi? Is the course busy during the week? I HATE 6 hour rounds of golf!

Also, how about Waterford Valley?

Thanks.

[Limbo]

Dear Mr. LoveDaBlues,

As many local expats don't know yet about the existence of the new Chiang Rai Forum I have to answer you for what it is worth.

The Santiburi Golf Course is considered topp-class and also Waterford Valley belongs to the top-ten in Thailand.

One American gentleman who visits Chiang Rai once in a while just to play at Santiburi told me that the fairways there are in better condition than most greens in Europe and America.

During the week-ends some people might be playing but during the week it is not busy. If you play alone you might do the round in a little bit more than 3 hours, if you are with some other players together and you have a break once in a while you could be done in 5 hours.

On Tuesdays it is Sportsday, half price, a little bit more busy of course.

Waterford is located in the hills which makes it a little bit more difficult.

But with a cart you could do it in three hours as well.

Prices: Santiburi 1800 Baht (Tuesday 900) and Waterford 650 Baht.

Caddy about 200 Baht.

Waterford has appartments and is about 25 km out of town.

I hope it helps you a little bit.

Limbo.

[dclaryjr]

During the week-ends some people might be playing but during the week it is not busy. If you play alone you might do the round in a little bit more than 3 hours, if you are with some other players together and you have a break once in a while you could be done in 5 hours.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Five hours for a weekday round?

[LoveDaBlues]

Thanks Limbo. Some of the info I was looking for.

[Limbo]

I think the only golf-course which isn't mentioned yet is the one at the army base (Barry's is airforce) at the foot of Hom Doi.

Any information?

Yee, I wished I knew how to merge two topics.

Limbo.

[madmax]

I think the only golf-course which isn't mentioned yet is the one at the army base (Barry's is airforce) at the foot of Hom Doi.

Any information?

Yee, I wished I knew how to merge two topics.

Limbo.

I played the Maekok golf course at the army base yesterday. The fairways are not grass, lots and lots of weeds cut short, makes it difficult to control the ball. The tee boxes are very uneven and the greens are very very slow with many blemishes. Once the ball stops bouncing it hits a blemish in the green and goes wherever it wants. It is a 9 hole course which they are planning on building another 9. Right now at 550baht it is an ok deal. Even Barrys course, which is still pretty new and needs maturing, is a better deal at 100baht for 9 holes, pull cart for 50baht and you don't need a caddy. I had a membership at Waterford for the last year but cancelled it because the course has never been in very good shape. Very little sand in the bunkers, fairways in rough shape, some of the tee boxes overgrown and caddies who would rather talk on their cell phone than do their job. I play from the black tees and alot of days cannot because they do not take care of them. The greens at Waterford are excellent, very difficult to read sometimes, first time I seen a ball defy the laws of gravity.....Of the courses in this area Santiburi is about the best, not overly difficult, even from the gold tees, but overall is the best one in this area....

[svenivan]

I think the only golf-course which isn't mentioned yet is the one at the army base (Barry's is airforce) at the foot of Hom Doi.

Any information?

Yee, I wished I knew how to merge two topics.

Limbo.

I played the Maekok golf course at the army base yesterday. The fairways are not grass, lots and lots of weeds cut short, makes it difficult to control the ball. The tee boxes are very uneven and the greens are very very slow with many blemishes. Once the ball stops bouncing it hits a blemish in the green and goes wherever it wants. It is a 9 hole course which they are planning on building another 9. Right now at 550baht it is an ok deal. Even Barrys course, which is still pretty new and needs maturing, is a better deal at 100baht for 9 holes, pull cart for 50baht and you don't need a caddy. I had a membership at Waterford for the last year but cancelled it because the course has never been in very good shape. Very little sand in the bunkers, fairways in rough shape, some of the tee boxes overgrown and caddies who would rather talk on their cell phone than do their job. I play from the black tees and alot of days cannot because they do not take care of them. The greens at Waterford are excellent, very difficult to read sometimes, first time I seen a ball defy the laws of gravity.....Of the courses in this area Santiburi is about the best, not overly difficult, even from the gold tees, but overall is the best one in this area....

I can't belive you have played the same Waterford golfcourse as we (a group of 5 to 10 guys) plays 3 - 4 times a month.

I have played it for more than four years now and it has improved a lot every year. They have put a lot of work (and still works hard) in making bunkers, fairways and greens better and today it is close to the same good shape as Santiburi.

We played Waterford last Thursday after a heavy rain and there were a few bunkers that had water in them. We played Santibury yesterday were 75 % of the bunkers were full af water.

The greens in Waterford have been absolutely wonderful the last couple of months but not last Thursday when the machine broke down after 3 holes.

Still Santiburi is in better condition overall but I think Waterford will pass Santiburi within 2 years if they keep on with their progress.

But I also must say that Santiburi is so much more pleasant when it comes to the little kiosks where very sweet girls serve you beer and snacks for very reasonable prices. And when we finished our golf and come to the lunch, Santiburi has one of the best restaurants in northern Thailand for Thaifood!! (and Pizza Four Season)

I have not played Army course for more than a year but before I found that it had a good design but fairways were not very good and greens acceptable. But they had the best caddies here in Chiang Rai. They were always at the ball before you and knew their job very good.

That is not always the fact when it comes to caddies at Santiburi and Waterford. But I heard that the best caddies at Santiburi have moved to Kho Samui and the golfcourse there.

Swing easy!

[madmax]

I think the only golf-course which isn't mentioned yet is the one at the army base (Barry's is airforce) at the foot of Hom Doi.

Any information?

Yee, I wished I knew how to merge two topics.

Limbo.

I played the Maekok golf course at the army base yesterday. The fairways are not grass, lots and lots of weeds cut short, makes it difficult to control the ball. The tee boxes are very uneven and the greens are very very slow with many blemishes. Once the ball stops bouncing it hits a blemish in the green and goes wherever it wants. It is a 9 hole course which they are planning on building another 9. Right now at 550baht it is an ok deal. Even Barrys course, which is still pretty new and needs maturing, is a better deal at 100baht for 9 holes, pull cart for 50baht and you don't need a caddy. I had a membership at Waterford for the last year but cancelled it because the course has never been in very good shape. Very little sand in the bunkers, fairways in rough shape, some of the tee boxes overgrown and caddies who would rather talk on their cell phone than do their job. I play from the black tees and alot of days cannot because they do not take care of them. The greens at Waterford are excellent, very difficult to read sometimes, first time I seen a ball defy the laws of gravity.....Of the courses in this area Santiburi is about the best, not overly difficult, even from the gold tees, but overall is the best one in this area....

I can't belive you have played the same Waterford golfcourse as we (a group of 5 to 10 guys) plays 3 - 4 times a month.

I have played it for more than four years now and it has improved a lot every year. They have put a lot of work (and still works hard) in making bunkers, fairways and greens better and today it is close to the same good shape as Santiburi.

We played Waterford last Thursday after a heavy rain and there were a few bunkers that had water in them. We played Santibury yesterday were 75 % of the bunkers were full af water.

The greens in Waterford have been absolutely wonderful the last couple of months but not last Thursday when the machine broke down after 3 holes.

Still Santiburi is in better condition overall but I think Waterford will pass Santiburi within 2 years if they keep on with their progress.

But I also must say that Santiburi is so much more pleasant when it comes to the little kiosks where very sweet girls serve you beer and snacks for very reasonable prices. And when we finished our golf and come to the lunch, Santiburi has one of the best restaurants in northern Thailand for Thaifood!! (and Pizza Four Season)

I have not played Army course for more than a year but before I found that it had a good design but fairways were not very good and greens acceptable. But they had the best caddies here in Chiang Rai. They were always at the ball before you and knew their job very good.

That is not always the fact when it comes to caddies at Santiburi and Waterford. But I heard that the best caddies at Santiburi have moved to Kho Samui and the golfcourse there.

Swing easy!

The Waterford course seems to be good for short periods of time, usually during tourist season. I played there 4 - 5 times each week before I stopped playing there. They are constantly working on the course and rarely are all 18 holes in good shape, but they are trying. I have talked to the manager, Mr Tong, about the lack of sand in the bunkers aroud the greens and he has told me a couple of times that he is aware of the problem and is going to put more sand in all the bunkers, he has told me this since I joined there, still has not been done. I think I am a little bias against Waterford also because I have had some difficulty with the caddies there, the latest adventure with them was when she left my bag on the side of a hill and it tipped over and rolled, cracking the head of my 3 wood, not real happy about that. I didn't notice it until I got home and was cleaning my clubs. I don't usually use my 3 wood much on the course because I reach the par 5's with my 5 wood. They have rebuilt a couple of the fairways and keep working with the greens. Mostly the greens are in very good shape, getting to the greens is sometimes a challenge because of the fairways, very little grass and lots of sand. I have a handicap of 0.4 and usually shoot under par at Waterford but for the last couple of months it has been very difficult. I retired 3 years ago and started golfing 2 years ago. I golf every day and I love it. I would be interested in finding that other course near Maechan, sounds kind of interesting. Being the rainy season now I have a little more time to go exploring. As far as I have found here so far there are 4 golf courses in this area, Santiburi, Waterford, Army and Air Force....are there any other courses in this area worth trying out, something challenging. If you are going to play Barrys course don't bother with the driver or 3 wood unless you can hit it very very straight. The fairways are very tight and it you are off the fairway by 6 - 12 feet then it is OB. The longest club I use there is my 5 wood, which is normally lots to get close to the green. On the 4th hole you have to watch out for the dogs, 4 of them with a bit of an attitude, 5 iron usually takes care of them though I have a question,,, When I golf with Thai people, why is it that most of them do not recognize the same golf ettiquete that western golfers do. I played with 3 Thai men last week and after they hit their drives they started walking up the course, sometimes in the fairway in front of me before I teed off. It wasn't a problem hitting a drive over their heads but even now I still get the occasional worm burner and I found it quite distracting. After 3 holes I sat and told them to carry on without me and I finished by myself. Is this the case at most places or just the exception. I golfed with a Japanese couple yesterday and had no problems at all. A couple of days ago I was stuck behind a 5some and they would not let me play through, even on the par 3 where the call hole sign is posted. I average 300 yards off the tee and had to wait for them to hit their 3rd shots before I could drive. On the back 9 me and the caddie skipped 2 holes and got in front of them but has anyone else ran into these problems with thai golfers. Anyway that is enough blathering for this morning, golfing the army course today, have to get used to all the distractions....have a good day...

[OneeyedJohn]

[ A couple of days ago I was stuck behind a 5some and they would not let me play through, even on the par 3 where the call hole sign is posted. I average 300 yards off the tee and had to wait for them to hit their 3rd shots before I could drive. On the back 9 me and the caddie skipped 2 holes and got in front of them but has anyone else ran into these problems with thai golfers.

[/quote

It is generally accepted ( if not in the local rules ) that a single player has no standing on a golf course, which means u must give way at all times. It matters not a jot how good or bad a player you are.

Play it as it lies and u'll never get into trouble with the rules

[svenivan]

I have a question,,, When I golf with Thai people, why is it that most of them do not recognize the same golf ettiquete that western golfers do. I played with 3 Thai men last week and after they hit their drives they started walking up the course, sometimes in the fairway in front of me before I teed off. It wasn't a problem hitting a drive over their heads but even now I still get the occasional worm burner and I found it quite distracting. After 3 holes I sat and told them to carry on without me and I finished by myself. Is this the case at most places or just the exception. I golfed with a Japanese couple yesterday and had no problems at all. A couple of days ago I was stuck behind a 5some and they would not let me play through, even on the par 3 where the call hole sign is posted. I average 300 yards off the tee and had to wait for them to hit their 3rd shots before I could drive. On the back 9 me and the caddie skipped 2 holes and got in front of them but has anyone else ran into these problems with thai golfers. Anyway that is enough blathering for this morning, golfing the army course today, have to get used to all the distractions....have a good day...

TiT (This is Thailand) and this is the way they can play a group of 5 or 6 people almost as quick we westerners play a 4-ball. They leave the tee after the shot and it is the same on the green. They leave the green after they holed the ball and go to next tee to tee off and then they start walking.

The slow part of the Thai game is their putting. Probably because there is a lot of betting they try to read the green very carefully and it is SO SLOW.

Yes, OEJ is right, you got no rights anywhere in the world when you are a single player.

So madmax, why don't you join our group CRAPS. We play Santiburi every Tuesday and either Santi or Waterford Thursdays. Saterday - Sunday there is always something going on

Talking about golfcourses around Chiang Rai: there is one in Tachilek, about 4-5 km from the border. You can take a tuktuk there from the border.

They have 18 holes and it is a very interesting design. During the hotseason the fairways can be a little dry. It is absolutely worth playing it. Less then 500 bath incl caddie.

[madmax]

I have a question,,, When I golf with Thai people, why is it that most of them do not recognize the same golf ettiquete that western golfers do. I played with 3 Thai men last week and after they hit their drives they started walking up the course, sometimes in the fairway in front of me before I teed off. It wasn't a problem hitting a drive over their heads but even now I still get the occasional worm burner and I found it quite distracting. After 3 holes I sat and told them to carry on without me and I finished by myself. Is this the case at most places or just the exception. I golfed with a Japanese couple yesterday and had no problems at all. A couple of days ago I was stuck behind a 5some and they would not let me play through, even on the par 3 where the call hole sign is posted. I average 300 yards off the tee and had to wait for them to hit their 3rd shots before I could drive. On the back 9 me and the caddie skipped 2 holes and got in front of them but has anyone else ran into these problems with thai golfers. Anyway that is enough blathering for this morning, golfing the army course today, have to get used to all the distractions....have a good day...

TiT (This is Thailand) and this is the way they can play a group of 5 or 6 people almost as quick we westerners play a 4-ball. They leave the tee after the shot and it is the same on the green. They leave the green after they holed the ball and go to next tee to tee off and then they start walking.

The slow part of the Thai game is their putting. Probably because there is a lot of betting they try to read the green very carefully and it is SO SLOW.

Yes, OEJ is right, you got no rights anywhere in the world when you are a single player.

So madmax, why don't you join our group CRAPS. We play Santiburi every Tuesday and either Santi or Waterford Thursdays. Saterday - Sunday there is always something going on

Talking about golfcourses around Chiang Rai: there is one in Tachilek, about 4-5 km from the border. You can take a tuktuk there from the border.

They have 18 holes and it is a very interesting design. During the hotseason the fairways can be a little dry. It is absolutely worth playing it. Less then 500 bath incl caddie.

I understand that this is Thailand but golf is golf all over the world. I understand that a single golfer has no rights but rights is not what is in question here. I am simply talking about common sense, courtesy and golf ettiqeutte. I was with another thai man this morning and we were following a group of 6 thai men. They would not let us through and we waited for up to 15 minutes to tee off at times. I stood and watched these guys take practise swing after practise swing with no sense of urgency or compassion of who is behind them, then he chilli dipped the ball 10 yards, it was kind of funny, swinging like a lumberjack. There are no marshals on the course so it is pretty much a free for all. They just do what they want. I run into this all the time at the driving range as well. The demand that other be absolutely quiet while they are practising but do not show the same courtesy when others are trying to do the same thing. I don't let it get my upset or frustrated anymore I just pull out the driver and start pounding balls over the top of the net at the back of the driving range and onto the first green, that usually keeps them quiet. I listened to comments from western and european players from a tournament they had in Bangkok and the biggest complaint from the other golfers was the disrespect for quiet control over the thai crowd during the tournament. One of the fans walked right in front of one of the golfers when they were teeing off, not real smart....but like someone already said TIT (this is thailand) I am not bias at all against thai golfers, it just seems that when something unusual happens it is usually a thai person. No big deal, life goes on. I started golfing in Canada, where they show alot of courtesy and common sense I guess I just though it would be the same here. Gotta go with the flow...TIT :D The golf course in Tachilek, is it on the Thai side or the Burma side. I think I would check that out, just because...

Thanks for the feedback...

David