There is a golf course in Chiang Mai, Thailand. How much is a game?

The flood in Bangkok discouraged many Thais, but Chiang Mai, the second largest city in northern Thailand, was crowded with tourists.

Although some traces of floods can be found on the Pinghe River that passes through the city, sandbags for flood control are piled up on the streets. However, the crowded restaurants and lively bars around make people mistakenly think that these sandbags lying quietly on the street just forgot to move away.

"The oasis of golf is in Bangkok, but Chiang Mai can be enjoyed by your whole family." 20 1 1 Thailand ministerial cup golf invitational tournament was held in Chiang Mai last weekend. The reporter visited the local Highland Stadium, Alpine Stadium and Golden Canyon Stadium. As for feelings, this sentence in the publicity materials of a club in Chiang Mai is the most appropriate description.

● Find the difference.

What are the characteristics of golf in Thailand?

A long time ago, there was a popular saying, "You can play golf in Kunming for 364 days, 365 days a year, and one day you don't play, not because of the bad weather, but because you are in a bad mood."

The word golf paradise is often used to describe Kunming, and in Thailand, there are many professionals and amateurs from all over the world, and many people describe Thailand's golf paradise.

Being in Asia, which is heaven?

A large number of courses

Thailand has a total land area of 5 1.4 1 10,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 60 million. Compared with people and places, Yunnan is similar. But in terms of the number of golf courses, Yunnan can't compare with Thailand.

At present, there are more than 460 golf courses in Thailand, including more than 80 near Bangkok, 1 1 golf course in Chiang Mai and a population of 1.5 million in Chiang Mai.

There are nearly 10 golf clubs in Kunming, surpassing Chengdu (3 courses) and Chongqing (6 courses) in southwest China, but not as good as Chiang Mai.

The price is relatively low.

Because it is the tourist season in Thailand, some good courses in Chiang Mai cost about 2,500-3,000 baht, or about 500-600 yuan. If it is in the off-season, an ordinary stadium can even play 800- 1000 baht (160-200 RMB).

The tip for caddies is 100 baht in Chiang Mai and 200 baht in Bangkok. In addition, there are many 9-hole mini golf and driving ranges in Chiang Mai, all of which are very cheap. The cheapest nine holes are about 400 baht (less than 100 yuan), and there is a driving range. Playing a game in Thailand is equivalent to RMB 8 cents. This is in sharp contrast to the retail price of Kunming Golf Course 1000 yuan, and the unit price of customers is also higher than that of 500 yuan.

Service pays attention to details.

"We can provide the most standardized courses and professional services in the world, so we will set up a magical golf tour on 20 12." An official of the National Tourism Administration of Thailand said this in an interview.

In fact, many golf courses in Thailand are designed by masters like Nick Fodor. In addition, Chiang Mai has a century-old stadium similar to Gymthana Stadium. It can be said that golf has been rooted in Thailand for a long time.

What impressed China players who participated in the Thailand Ministerial Cup Golf Invitational Tournament was the service of the caddy. The caddies in Thailand are older, and there are even many "mother-level" caddies. In addition to guiding the ball, if it is too hot, the caddy will not only hold an umbrella on one side, but also fan the guests during the break.

The service of Kunming Club has also introduced the norms of many foreign big clubs, and the stadium is also built by famous artists, comparable to Thailand. As far as caddy is concerned, the caddy service in Kunming is more professional, that is, the advice to players is more accurate, but the service is slightly lacking in some details.

This stadium is very famous.

According to different natural conditions, golf courses in Thailand are generally either hillside or waterside. For example, in Chiang Mai in the north, many golf courses are mostly mountain courses, while in Bangkok, they are mostly beach courses or Lincks-style courses.

Thailand has hosted many large-scale events, so the stadium is very famous. For example, Aipan Stadium hosted the World Cup golf tournament in 2000, when Woods won the championship here. When the tour guide talks about this course, he always tells an allusion: 13 hole, Woods cut the third shot from the deep grass area to the green. And this has become a hole that many amateurs can't miss.

Due to the frequent holding of high-level competitions, some competitions in Thailand have become the leading competitions in the industry and are loved by star players. Most of the stadiums in Kunming are mountain and lake views. Although there is a world-class stadium with hardware conditions, it lacks competition and big-name players, and lacks external influence.

Huge climate difference

Thailand is also a place where you can play golf all year round, but it is greatly affected by the weather.

March to May is the hottest season in Thailand every year. Even in a northern city like Chiang Mai, the temperature can reach about 40 degrees. It is necessary to play in such weather conditions and prevent heatstroke.

Put two bottles of iced drinks in the ball bag, a wet towel, two changed clothes, a big parasol, sunglasses, sunscreen, sunscreen sleeves, and choose a stadium protected by a big tree ... these are all instructions for playing.

June to 10 is the rainy season in Thailand. Although it rains, you can play ball games, but you should pay attention to umbrella and lightning protection. 165438+1October to February is the coolest and most suitable season for sightseeing in Thailand. The temperature in Chiang Mai is about 20-30 degrees, which is acceptable to most people.

Kunming Stadium is not affected by climate. You can play all year round as long as it doesn't rain or snow, especially in summer and winter.

Good tourism resources

Known as "Beauty and Rose", Chiang Mai is a political, economic, cultural and educational center and transportation hub in northern Thailand. Rich tourism resources, world-famous food and SPA, if the whole family goes to Chiang Mai, they can all enjoy themselves.

Yunnan is also competitive in this respect. As the capital city of Yunnan, Kunming is the transportation hub of the whole province, with the most complete living facilities. Coupled with the unique natural landscape and Yunnan's multi-ethnic culture, Kunming has gradually become a must for high-end tourists from home and abroad to travel to Yunnan.

● Why?

Seven questions about golf in Thailand

Thailand's English Thailand literally means "king of thailand". The only country in Southeast Asia that has not been colonized by Europe is often associated with Buddhist temples, temples, elephants, water markets, beautiful dances and beautiful beaches.

Every morning, reporters can see a group of Koreans or Japanese wearing golf in the hotel. In the suburbs of Chiang Mai, it is easy to find traces of golf courses. After visiting several golf courses, the reporter found that the courses here do not have much advantage compared with Kunming, but why can they attract so many people to play here?

Why are there so many stadiums in Thailand?

First of all, golf is not a new sport in Thailand. As early as the beginning of the last century, four courses were opened, and then they spread from Bangkok to the surrounding areas.

Secondly, Thailand has hosted the World Classic, Volvo Professional Golf Tour, World Cup, Asian Women's Professional Tour and other large-scale events. The demonstration role of events and stars has made more Thais understand and come into contact with this sport.

Finally, because of the rich tourism resources and the influence of hosting world competitions, more and more tourists come to Thailand to play, and more and more new stadiums are built. According to the statistics of Thailand National Tourism Administration, about 400,000 people come to Thailand to play golf every year, and golf alone can bring 8 billion baht to the local economy every year.

How to develop golf in Thailand?

Thailand's cultivated land accounts for more than 60% of its land area, so they are not worried about the occupation of cultivated land. In addition, golf has greatly promoted the tourism industry in Thailand, and the government also supports the development of golf.

In addition to facilitating visas to Thailand, the government also subsidizes airlines and hotels to attract tourists to Thailand to play golf at preferential prices.

In addition, the high popularity of golf in Thailand, perfect tourism and holiday facilities and barrier-free language environment have also attracted a large number of overseas tourists.

Why is playing ball so cheap?

There are many golf courses in Thailand, and the prices are relatively cheap. It is understood that the visitor price of high-grade courses (including green fee, caddy fee and ball fee) is between 500-700 yuan, while that of middle-grade courses is between 300-500 yuan RMB. But playing ball is also an aristocratic sport of local people.

According to Tiger, a tour guide who often brings golf, the income of ordinary people in Thailand is about 8,000 baht per month, but it costs about 2,000 baht to play a game. "This is something that ordinary people can't afford!" So golf in Thailand can only be said to be cheaper.

Why is the stadium villa also very cheap?

After asking the caddy, the reporter learned that the villas of the golf course in Thailand do not sell at sky-high prices, and the cheapest ones cost 3 million baht (about 600,000 RMB).

Why is it so cheap? The staff of the club said that most of the houses next to the stadium were built by themselves. "Many people like to play ball games and have some money. Then they bought a piece of land and built a house next to the stadium. Even if the house is built by the club, the land is yours. When the club is closed, the house and land still belong to the buyer. " However, foreigners are not allowed to buy these houses.

Why are caddies mostly "mom-level"?

After several classes, we all found that Thai caddies are not "children", but are between 20 and 40 years old.

A 42-year-old caddy at Highland Stadium said that she has been doing this job for more than 20 years and is now a mother of two children. As for why it took so long, she said: "First of all, clubs in Thailand don't have strict requirements on the age of caddies. As long as caddies like it, they can continue to work; " Secondly, the club also attaches great importance to their service experience. Caddies with long working years are familiar with the court, experienced and more careful. "

Those people in Thailand are playing ball games?

Because of the arrival of big-spleen players and the rise of local player Tongcha Jadi, Thais have a high enthusiasm for golf.

There are many driving ranges, golf schools, golf shops, indoor golf, night golf and golf bookstores in cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Because of the high consumption, the current players are mainly children from high-income families. In addition, most people can only play some relatively low-priced mini golf and golf driving range.

How popular is basketball?

Someone said on Facebook that golf is as popular as basketball in Thailand. This statement is a bit exaggerated. There are indeed many golf courses in Thailand, but people who can play golf are still the same as those in China, and only some elites can compete with the rich.

However, the genius of Thailand is that not everything related to golf is unattainable. There are high, middle and low-grade courses, as well as mini-golf.

● How to play

How to get there?

Play ball in Chiang Mai

You can go to Chiang Mai freely, but it is best to book through a travel agency, because the price of the stadium obtained by the travel agency is obviously advantageous.

court

Aipan Golf Resort in Chiang Mai

Alpine Golf Resort Club

Full length 754 1 yard, 72 par 18. It was built and put into use by the world-famous golf course designer Ron M. Garlo in 2008. Almost all golfers who come to Chiang Mai will play here. 1996 The golf competition of the Asian Games was held here, and tiger woods also won the championship trophy here.

Chiang Mai Highland Stadium

Chiang Mai Highland Golf Club

Total length 7003 yards, 18 holes, 72 strokes. It was completed and put into use by American designer Lee Schmid in 2005. Chiang Mai Highland Stadium is located in the east of Chiang Mai, surrounded by mountains and about 40 minutes' drive from downtown. It was selected as "the third best new stadium in Asia Golf Monthly in 2007" and one of the best courses in Asia in 2009.

Thailand country club

Thailand country club

Full-length 7 15 1 yard, 18 hole 72, 1996 completed and put into use, Dennis Griffith. The golf course is the most strict (for the golfer's clothes, manners, etc.). ) Thailand Private Member Stadium. The stadium can feel the European style design. Obstacles such as fairways, bushes, coconut groves, ponds, bunkers, etc. are not divorced from their due rigor and show their elegance.

Plateau golf club

Royal Jiang MAI golf club

As the only Royal Chiang Mai Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand, it takes the people-friendly route. Photos of celebrities from all walks of life visiting the club are hung on the wall, and their fame can be seen. The rugged mountain terrain and the scattered bunkers and ponds on the fairway are very suitable for self-challenge and honing skills.

Male caddy

Thai caddies don't give players much advice or how to play, which requires players to watch the line themselves. Many times, they pay more attention to the details of service. In addition, they will play jokes on the guests during the service, which makes people feel relaxed.

language

The caddies on the court can basically speak simple English. If you can't speak English, remember a few simple Thai words to play ball.

Hello: Sawadika; Straight line: winter and winter; On the right: Sai; Left: slippery; Sandpit: hole race; Water: Dong Nan; Quick: slip away; Slow: wipe; Thank you: OK Cuenca. If you want to ask the caddy the distance, you can ask her to write it down in numbers on paper.