Pattana A loop - greens condition warning

[Kanga]

Played Pattana yesterday. Sport day rate 900 baht which is a good price for this course - normally..........

Played A and B 9s. The course conditions overall were very good - apart from the greens on A. They were dreadful (to be fair comparing to their normal condition). Very, very slow and many almost bare patches supposedly due to too much rain and not enough sun......... By slow I mean slower even then Pleasant Valley used to be (I have not played there recently)

Some weeks ago played there and thought some of the greens looked like they might be suffering as bits looked almost shaved to the earth. Either they have some disease or someone badly miscalculated. It is now way worse. A real shame. 

Greens on B were good and caddy said same for C. So if you are going there suggest avoiding playing A loop for at least the next month. 

[farcanal]

On 5/1/2018 at 14:38, Kanga said:

Played Pattana yesterday. Sport day rate 900 baht which is a good price for this course - normally..........

Played A and B 9s. The course conditions overall were very good - apart from the greens on A. They were dreadful (to be fair comparing to their normal condition). Very, very slow and many almost bare patches supposedly due to too much rain and not enough sun......... By slow I mean slower even then Pleasant Valley used to be (I have not played there recently)

Some weeks ago played there and thought some of the greens looked like they might be suffering as bits looked almost shaved to the earth. Either they have some disease or someone badly miscalculated. It is now way worse. A real shame. 

Greens on B were good and caddy said same for C. So if you are going there suggest avoiding playing A loop for at least the next month. 

Do you actually get a choice?

In my experience the club decides which nines are played on any given day, especially when there's only 3 nines.

We have, in the past, been able to choose at Burapha because they have 4 nines.

I tried to get up a dedicated thread for this before.....golf course condition report for the benefit of all golfers  so we can avoid courses where there's a problem such as this ....or sanded greens etc etc

[Kanga]

4 hours ago, farcanal said:

Do you actually get a choice?

In my experience the club decides which nines are played on any given day, especially when there's only 3 nines.

You can request specific loops when you book - although that does not mean you always get to play them.

Sometimes we have changed 9's at Pattana but other times when they are busy they will not allow it. They seem to try and make sure you will not be unduly held up when they can.

[Birdieboy]

I played Pattana yesterday for the fourth or fifth time this season and the course is in very shabby condition to what I have seen from it in the past I would recommend avoiding it!

[maxtroy]

Pattana taking the piss by charging 400 baht for caddies that are  high school students on summer break and are of very little value when it comes to golf .

The great caddie scam rolls on .

[Taa_Saparot]

5 hours ago, maxtroy said:

Pattana taking the piss by charging 400 baht for caddies that are  high school students on summer break and are of very little value when it comes to golf .

The great caddie scam rolls on .

Are they mandatory ?

[maxtroy]

On 31/03/2019 at 22:08, Taa_Saparot said:

Are they mandatory ?

Yes . Unfortunately they are mandatory and after you pay the 400 baht caddie fee to the course and the 300 baht tip ( personal choice but 300 is pretty standard in my expereince) and 40 baht for a caddie drink you are paying an extra  740  baht for your round of golf . Particularly stinging for those that take buggies at Pattana as now you pay 700 baht for the buggy and still need to take a caddy to drive the buggy . 

It is a make work program that has evolved to a huge piss take .  Fair enough if they made caddies optional but not currently the case so golfers continue to get robbed in plain view .

 

 

[farcanal]

8 hours ago, maxtroy said:

Yes . Unfortunately they are mandatory and after you pay the 400 baht caddie fee to the course and the 300 baht tip ( personal choice but 300 is pretty standard in my expereince) and 40 baht for a caddie drink you are paying an extra  740  baht for your round of golf . Particularly stinging for those that take buggies at Pattana as now you pay 700 baht for the buggy and still need to take a caddy to drive the buggy . 

It is a make work program that has evolved to a huge piss take .  Fair enough if they made caddies optional but not currently the case so golfers continue to get robbed in plain view .

 

 

We've agreed to disagree before on this one max. I can see your point, but I think you'll find most golf tourists love to have a cute Thai lady driving them around the course. The clubs would definitely NOT want falangs driving their carts, so the only option if you don't want a caddie is to walk, either pulling a small trolley or carrying your bag....fuck that.

My other concern is, if you're new to the course, finding your way around. On some courses there's quite a distance from one green to the next tee.....and a lack of signs . You could find yourself lost. Silky Oak and St Andrews come to mind.

I don't think it's "robbery" as you say......500 baht barfines, 500 baht "shop" fines in massage shops and ladydrinks are all robbery in my opinion.

Anyway....nothing wrong with healthy debate. Peace.

[Taa_Saparot]

1 hour ago, farcanal said:

 but I think you'll find most golf tourists love to have a cute Thai lady driving them around the course.

LOL

[farcanal]

5 hours ago, Taa_Saparot said:

LOL

I didn't think that was funny

[Mr Wombat]

7 hours ago, farcanal said:

The clubs would definitely NOT want falangs driving their carts,

Why not. All the resort courses in Aus farangs are allowed to drive

[farcanal]

10 minutes ago, Mr Wombat said:

Why not. All the resort courses in Aus farangs are allowed to drive

Australia is not Thailand. Neither is America.

The Thai golf clubs do not want golfers driving their carts....their rules.

Ask them if you can drive the cart and not have a caddie.

 

[Mr Wombat]

32 minutes ago, farcanal said:

Australia is not Thailand. Neither is America.

The Thai golf clubs do not want golfers driving their carts....their rules.

Ask them if you can drive the cart and not have a caddie.

 

It is crazy. Carts speed up play. I have never played golf in thailand because I have plenty of top golf courses where I live. But the number one complaint i hear from guys that play golf in thailand is the rounds taking too long. Carts would solve that problem

[Taa_Saparot]

44 minutes ago, Mr Wombat said:

It is crazy. Carts speed up play.

Not if two golfers are sharing a cart, they do not.

[Mr Wombat]

1 hour ago, Taa_Saparot said:

Not if two golfers are sharing a cart, they do not.

It depends how shit at golf you are. In aus there are plenty of courses you cant walk because you will slow everyone down

[Taa_Saparot]

6 hours ago, Mr Wombat said:

In aus there are plenty of courses you cant walk because you will slow everyone down

Then it aint golf IMO.

[Kanga]

On 30/03/2019 at 13:26, Birdieboy said:

I played Pattana yesterday for the fourth or fifth time this season and the course is in very shabby condition to what I have seen from it in the past I would recommend avoiding it!

I played it last week for about the 3rd week running and thought the course was in pretty good nick.........

YMMV 

On 05/04/2019 at 14:23, Mr Wombat said:

Carts would solve that problem

I prefer to walk for a bit of exercise  so paying for a cart I don't need is a bit of a waste.

As the cart cost will soon be more than the green fee cost at many courses it pushes up the cost considerably for those who prefer to walk....... which is why I rarely play mandatory cart courses

[Mr Wombat]

12 hours ago, Kanga said:

I played it last week for about the 3rd week running and thought the course was in pretty good nick.........

YMMV 

I prefer to walk for a bit of exercise  so paying for a cart I don't need is a bit of a waste.

As the cart cost will soon be more than the green fee cost at many courses it pushes up the cost considerably for those who prefer to walk....... which is why I rarely play mandatory cart courses

How much is a cart? 

[farcanal]

29 minutes ago, Mr Wombat said:

How much is a cart? 

600 - 700 baht.

You can pay a green fee of 500 baht at some courses but they're 500 baht for a reason.

[Kanga]

32 minutes ago, farcanal said:

600 - 700 baht.

You can pay a green fee of 500 baht at some courses but they're 500 baht for a reason.

I agree the overall experience at Kings Naga (400 baht) is a bit lacking especially the changing facilities 

We are not in the low season properly yet (for golf prices) but I take it you don't like Pattavia (currently 600 baht), Greenwood (800 baht), Khao Kheow 750 with voucher (800 baht standard), Eastern Star 550 baht.......

The supposedly "premium" courses are pushing up their mandatory cart prices as well. Siam are now 850, LC and Chee Chan 750. 

However If you go to Hua Hin you can walk both Black Mountain and Banyan......... 

[farcanal]

1 hour ago, Kanga said:

I agree the overall experience at Kings Naga (400 baht) is a bit lacking especially the changing facilities 

We are not in the low season properly yet (for golf prices) but I take it you don't like Pattavia (currently 600 baht), Greenwood (800 baht), Khao Kheow 750 with voucher (800 baht standard), Eastern Star 550 baht.......

The supposedly "premium" courses are pushing up their mandatory cart prices as well. Siam are now 850, LC and Chee Chan 750. 

However If you go to Hua Hin you can walk both Black Mountain and Banyan......... 

Haven't played Pattavia or Greenwood.

We played Kings Naga when it was Rayong Country Club...an absolute goat track.

Love Khao kheow...always have good deals going ....we had the 900 baht vouchers for March.

Will be a long time  (if ever) before we go back to Eastern Star......ridiculous greens.....I think they buried a few elephants under them.

We don't go to the Siam courses simply because the cost is too much and a mate played Chee Chan recently and said it wasn't worth the 4000 baht green fee.

Our favourites are Khao Kheow,  Burapha,  Phoenix,  Pattana , Laem Chabang (in low season) Rayong Green Valley and, to a lesser extent, Silky Oak.

Course we've dropped off our list due to lack of maintenance are Crystal Bay, Mountain Shadow, Bangpra and Pattaya Country Club.

Emerald we'll give a crack occasionally.

[Kanga]

On 05/04/2019 at 13:49, farcanal said:

The Thai golf clubs do not want golfers driving their carts....their rules.

I don't want to pick holes but where courses offer shared carts obviously a golfer will be driving and the caddies hanging off the back........

I always used to shake my head reading the notice on some carts. Apparently It does not matter who is driving as most courses have a policy that if any damage is caused it is the golfer's responsibility - even if the caddie is driving......

[Kanga]

On 31/03/2019 at 22:08, Taa_Saparot said:

Are they mandatory ?

I take it from that question that you have never played golf around Pattaya (other than possibly a couple of small 9 hole courses) ?

[Taa_Saparot]

1 hour ago, Kanga said:

I take it from that question that you have never played golf around Pattaya (other than possibly a couple of small 9 hole courses) ?

First played golf in 1988, when there was only 3 courses in the area.

Apart from the occasional round, gave up playing regularly in Thailand about 10 years ago.

[Taa_Saparot]

1 minute ago, Taa_Saparot said:

First played golf in 1988, when there was only 3 courses in the area.

Apart from the occasional round, gave up playing regularly in Thailand about 10 years ago.

And yes, I have carried my clubs caddyless on the majority of the courses in the area.

Different days, sadly.