Putting in Thailand
Golf, massage and great food in Thailand
Ashort detour. The early morning drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the Khao Yai National Park takes a couple of hours. Indian visitors to Thailand would have noticed the absence of potholes. I scan the roadsides for garbage, litter of any kind. None. Towards the end of the journey from Bangkok, we leave the highway and take a double-lane country road. In the middle of nowhere, with no traffic police in sight, the driver sticks to his lane despite being stymied by a truck. No swerving, no heart-stopping manoeuvres. My mind goes back to the Indian Capital which, as the crow flies, is not far away. Groggy from lack of sleep, the stark contrast in scenarios does little to perk me up.
Checking in at my resort takes longer than expected. Each time thoughts of a shower and a cool, crisp bed propel me to the receptionist, I’m thrown off with a sparkling smile complemented by a matching set of eyes. I am in the Land of Smiles and when a pleasant face flashes those pearly whites, you just go with the flow. Wonder what she made of a bleary-eyed man’s attempts to reciprocate...
Coming back on track, I’m in Thailand to play golf (an estimated 750,000 like-minded people turned up in the kingdom last year, according to Golfasian, the largest inbound golf tour operator there). Four rounds in as many days in conditions similar to that of a sauna. Truth be told, I not only live to tell but also leave with a smile. Let me tell you how.
Airport, shower (finally!), no sleep and on to Rancho Charnvee Resort & Country Club. I’m being eased in. This is the gentlest of the courses on my itinerary. Besides, the Asia-Pacific golf writers’ event is at the same venue the following day, thoughtfully put together by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Some acknowledgment for the backbreaking work we do.
Of the over 250 courses in Thailand, this one figures around the middle of the pack. The same course, locker room and F&B facilities in India would move it into the top 10. The track has a fair amount of water, some sharp dog-legs with undulating fairways that end in fast, elevated greens, well guarded by sand traps. Worth the 1,000 baht (around ₹ 1,850) on weekdays. Double that on weekends.
Here’s a sample of the course conditioning. The 80-odd golf hacks were hit by a tropical thundershower on competition day. Within minutes of the dark clouds moving on, there were no remnants of what had just happened. The course was drained dry and the greens were back to speed. I couldn’t believe it. Wi-lie, my on-course companion for the two days, had to administer a shoulder rub to get me out of shock. She was also spot-on with yardages and putting lines, like most of her colleagues in that country. And she smiled, even when she waded into thick shrub after my golf ball.
Next up the Bangpra International Golf Club, short of Pattaya, for the TAT Governor’s Cup. At 55 years of age, this is one of the older layouts in Thailand and similar in appearance to the Royal Calcutta Golf Club or the Bombay Presidency Golf Club. The same crabgrass on the fairways, lots of water bodies and a fair sprinkling of gulmohar and other familiar trees. The telling differences were, again, the course upkeep and happy faces.
Some beautiful golf holes here. The par-five fifth with water guarding the front of the green is popular but the hole that caught my attention was the next. Not long at 400 yards from the black tee, the tree-lined fairway led to a slightly elevated, contoured green with a thickly foliaged hillock as backdrop. Pretty but with bite, as the par-four is considered the toughest hole on the course. All the four par-threes had water coming into play and there was plenty of it going inside as well just to keep going.
Finally, the Riverdale Golf Club is a swishy new offering about half an hour’s drive from downtown Bangkok. I half expected Betty and Veronica lookalikes on the course. With its mirror-polished floors, glass sliding doors, big flat-screen TVs playing the Golf Channel, the clubhouse could well have been the Lodges’ residence. Nothing comic about the course (or the green fee at 2,750 baht). Large mounds, sprawling sand traps and water make up this layout. Most of the tees here are elevated and play down to fairly tight and bunker-protected fairways. The trees will come into play in a few years. The par-three eighth, with its island green well below the tee, stands out.
As the round drew to a close, the body, not accustomed to such generous doses of golf in quick succession, began to show signs of wear and tear. I am in the land also known for its massage therapies and, therefore, am guided willingly to a Thai massage establishment.
Soft lighting, young, pretty but, wait a minute, the bass levels were a little heavy… could it be? Never mind. My masseuse was adept at the art of fixing a tired body—elbowing, kneading, turning and twisting me back into shape in our 2-hour session.
The day ended on the banks of the Chao Phraya in a Thai version of a dhaba which we got to after negotiating Bangkok’s narrow (but clean) bylanes with stores selling local treats, including some rather large and live amphibians. I arrived at the eatery somewhat sceptical but my doubts were unfounded. This hidden gem served up an absolute cracker of a seafood meal to a tandoori chicken man.
Golf, massage, great food. A happy ending.
Prabhdev Singh is the founding editor of Golf Digest India and a part-time golfer.
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First Published:12 Jun 2013, 11:36 PM IST
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