Golfing in Asia - Bangkok

I found myself heading to Bangkok alone and knew I didn't want to hang around a hotel room in the city, do the sightseeing stuff or go shopping. I am a golfer, so I wanted to get out and see what the game was like in Thailand's capital. What if I could get off the plane in 85-degree weather and be whisked to a destination golf resort for three days? What if it could be done on a budget and in Thailand where, by the way, I don't speak the language or know the customs?

Fortunately, for us North Americans the Internet around the world is still predominantly in English and the Thai courses described looked inviting. But then they all do on a website. What are they really like?

This is the first installment in a travelogue for Cybergolf about my experiences golfing in Asia. I'm hoping it paves the way for readers to have the courage to try some of the many unique golf experiences on the exotic continent.

In my research I found over 10 courses within an hour's drive from Bangkok with English websites. In addition to specifically looking for courses that had stay-and-play packages, I didn't want to drive a rental car on the left-hand side in Bangkok's notorious traffic.

So the facility needed to arrange transportation to and from downtown, and include meals, a place to stay and hang out, plus a really nice golf course. I found websites for tour guides that set up packages, but most of them were for four days or more. I really wanted to see if I could do this on my own.

My criteria were:

• The course had to have an interesting design and fast greens.
• The facility needed to provide transportation to and from the city or airport.
• It needed to have decent accommodations and food.
• A swimming pool would be nice and a massage a bonus.

I was a bit suspicious yet hopeful when I found that Muang Kaew Golf Course offered everything on my list. Its package said they would pick me up at the airport or my hotel, bring me to the course, and provide accommodations for the night right next to the first and 10th tees. It also had a large pool, access to practice facilities, breakfast, caddie, cart, and a 7,000-plus-yard 18-hole golf course that was redesigned in 2003 by California architect Lee Schmidt. The package even offered a one-hour Thai massage to end the day. All this for 4,600 Thai baht ($143 U.S.) per night, or $260 for two nights including 36 holes. The deal included a free ride back to the airport or Bangkok city. It all seemed perhaps too good to be true, so I inquired further.

The course sent back a friendly email in English and confirmed all of the promises, so I took a chance and booked three days, two nights and two rounds of golf. Immediately I started second-guessing how the course and overall experience would pan out, especially since I was traveling alone.

A late-model van with the Muang Kaew logo arrived at my hotel exactly when promised and drove carefully through the Bangkok traffic and out of town. On arrival at the resort I was greeted and invited into the manager's office for a welcome drink. We scheduled my golf rounds for the next two days and I was shown around the restaurant, pool and facilities.

The Muang Kaew restaurant offers comfortable seating, looks out over the course and is pleasantly air-conditioned. It serves a variety of Japanese, Thai and Western food and all at reasonable prices. Various beers, wines and spirits from all over the world are available.

The pool is large, with plenty of lounge chairs around in either the sun or shade. Towels and drinks are on hand in the daytime.

The condo-like accommodations are on the small side and not five-star, but were adequate with a queen-sized bed, flat-screen TV, big fridge, sink, bathroom with a shower, air-conditioning and a small deck overlooking the 10th tee. Since the condos could use a slight upgrade, I grew concerned about the quality of the course I was going to play in the morning. Being alone, I was happy to find that the satellite television included Golf Channel in English and a good Wi-Fi connection.

My tee time was at 7:10 a.m. Beforehand I enjoyed a very good American-style breakfast of eggs, ham, toast and coffee. In Asia, you are required to have a caddie and that morning mine was a pleasant 30-year-old woman who showed me to the practice green and then arranged my clubs on the golf cart. It was a typical late-November morning in Bangkok: 78 degrees F and clear. Pleasant smells of blooming flowers filled the air as well as the sounds of various exotic birds. The course looked lush and green. I thought of my friends back home in Seattle slogging through another rainy, 46-degree day of golf. I felt really lucky to be here.

Since I was alone, my caddie asked, in sign language, if I wanted to join another player. I said yes and it turned out to be a young Thai businessman who fortunately spoke a little English. On the first tee, I was like all golfers at a new place: hoping my body and mind were warmed up enough to get the ball somewhere in the fairway. I paused and soaked in the pleasant warmth. I took a few practice swings and felt relaxed and limber in golf shorts and shirt. Yet I felt a decided relief when my ball, while not overly long, landed in mid-fairway. The caddie gave me a Thai-English congratulatory "good shot," which sounded pretty much like "goo shaw."

I smiled in appreciation and hopped into the cart. She drove to the 170-yard marker and asked which club I wanted. I told her my yardages, which are not very impressive and, to her credit, she didn't laugh. The rest of the day she brought me a choice of clubs that were in the correct ranges without my asking.

The fairways were what you'd expect at a well-maintained course. The first-cut rough is no problem, but beyond that things toughen up. This is not a course that funnels errant shots back into the middle. I managed to find one of the two bunkers protecting the first green with my approach. But the deep, fluffy sand was forgiving and I managed to splash onto the green.

Muang Kaew's greens are well-contoured and -conditioned, and fast. Putting is tricky and requires a very good read. I am a good putter but not used to playing with a caddie. When my looper offered to aim my ball I wasn't sure I wanted that. She didn't know hard I hit the ball so I wasn't sure if I could trust her read. But when I made par I figured it was worth getting her insights again on the next hole. My caddie took some getting used to, but after awhile I relaxed and learned to rely on her general reads, especially since this was my first outing on the course and it was tricky.

The rest of the holes present a wonderful challenge and are a treat for the eyes. There are white herons fishing in ponds, towering flowers, palm and coconut trees, and pleasant tropical smells. Each hole is set up differently with a requisite par-3 over water, a couple of dogleg par-4s and some long par-5s. The Muang Kaew course is forgiving if you stay in the fairway, but all the holes have some water that will swallow an errant shot. The par-72 course is 5,456 yards from the reds, 6,497 at the whites, and 7,025 from the tips. So it provided this 16-handicapper a good challenge.

The round went at a good pace and I was happy to finish without leaving too many lost shots out on the course. By the time I shook hands with my partner and caddie it was 88 degrees and I needed a shower before lunch. I ordered a club sandwich and a beer and brought my book to the pool. That afternoon I availed myself of the free Thai massage a little apprehensively as a massage in Thailand can mean many things. I was pleased to find the massage rooms were clean, smelled nice and that the masseuse, a small middle-aged Thai woman, was much stronger than she looked. After an hour the muscle kinks were all worked out.

I slept well that night and, knowing the course better, had an even better round the following day. The par-5 18th looks deceptively easy and tempts you to shoot your third directly at the hole from 100 to 150 yards. But any shot from the right side of the fairway has to be perfect or you will find the sand or water surrounding the green. This time I listened to my caddie and sent my second into the left side of the fairway and had a much safer shot in. I was rewarded with a par and a much happier caddie.

Overall, I would rate my experience at Muang Kaew as four out of five stars.

Course design and playability: excellent
Accommodations: adequate to good
Restaurant: excellent
Transportation: excellent
Customer service: excellent
Overall package: excellent

One of the negatives of Muang Kaew is there is no night life or town within walking distance and the place virtually shuts down after 7:30 p.m. So, after that, you are pretty much in your condo with your computer, TV or book.

In the near future I will be writing about golf in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and even Nepal and hope to introduce players to the wonderful courses I have played in Southeast Asia.

For more information about Muang Kaew, visit http://www.muangkaewgolf.com/golf.

Michael Bade is a video producer and writer from Seattle who has lived on and off in Asia for 16 years. When he is not producing videos for humanitarian causes he is either playing or practicing golf. You can contact him at michaelb@michaelbade.com.

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