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Phuket Golf Needs Fresh Ideas, Say Experts
By Chutima Sidasathian Sunday, August 7, 2011
PHUKET: The golden age of golf has passed for Phuket and no new courses can be expected because of high real estate prices, the industry has been told.
Declaring the need for a fresh outlook was Chanwoot Hongyok, General Manager of the Phuket Country Club, one of seven golf centres on Phuket.
''The days have gone when golf was the boom sport and Tiger Woods has not played on Phuket since the 1990s,'' he said. ''We need to rethink where golf on Phuket goes from here.''
Another course is unlikely to be built because of the high cost of land. Competition is also more intense now from Pattaya and Bangkok in Thailand and in Malaysia, Vietnam and China, he said.
Developing young players may become a fresh option, says the deputy president of the Golf Association of Phuket, Kitja Pongprapas.
''Young people need to be attracted,'' Khun Kitja said. ''We need to adapt to improve services and drive income.''
Phuket's first golf course was on the coast at Surin beach but that disappeared decades ago.
The Phuket courses now are: Phuket Country Club (27 holes); Blue Canyon (36 holes); Lock Palm (18 holes); Red Mountain (18 holes); Laguna Phuket Golf Club (18 holes); Mission Hills Phuket (18 holes); Phunaka (nine holes, floodlit.)
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Comments
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Why doesn't the Hongyok family expand the existing PCCC 9 hole course into an 18 hole course. It would become one of the best and most popular courses on Phuket. Other than that, Phuket golf is too expensive compared to HuaHin and Pattaya.
Posted by
Richard C
on
August 7, 2011 17:34
IMHO Phuket golf is the most expensive in Thailand. Greens fees 3 - 4K at most courses (5 - 6K at the canyon and Red Mountain). Plus caddie fee (most caddies average at best) and buggy fee at the courses that have them.
Golf is considered a rich mans sport in Asia. In other countries, not so much. I have played at top notch courses around the world and the prices are on par (no pun intended) with Phuket prices. Unfortunately, our courses and facilities are well below par. See comparison below:
St. Andrews Old Course - THB 6700
Celtic Manor (2010 Ryder Cup) - THB 5000
Bethpage Black (US Open) - THB 4500
Black Mountain(Asian Tours) - THB 2500
Gulf Harbour (NZ Open's) - THB 4500
Sun City Gary Player Course - THB 3800
The Mines in KL - THB 5000
So why pay so much in Phuket? Tourist destination, I guess. But no value for money.
Did a tour with friends to Pattaya and Hua Hin and no course was over 2K, all in.
I was a member of PCC, but sold out a few years ago when the greens fees went up. You can't raise the fees with no improvement in services. The changing rooms at PCC (Loch Palm as well, but they are renovating) are the worst I have ever seen.
Also, when you are a member, you don't get to have a say in what goes on. No annual members meeting, etc... All you get as a member is reduced greens fees.
My comments to GM Chanwoot:
Members hours - members have exclusive hours, but if somebody shows up, they get out on the course. So that's a crock.
5 or 6 players in a group - Why do you allow this?
Locker Room - Needs upgrading.
Caddies - Most don't know the rules of golf. My favorite is when the caddie takes the flag and touches the green to show the putt direction. Penalty!
Booking Time - When you book a time, you rarely get out when you book. Late comers are put in the queue, even when they are late. Face saving?
Buggies - Many golfers want buggies in the hot weather.
Villa / Condo's - The course was more picturesque before you started building around the course.
Roads - Roads need to be fixed. Lots of pot holes all around.
Snooker Room - Water World course has a snooker room, but the table is in poor condition.
So in summary, high end tourist golfers will go to Blue Canyon, etc... but golfers that normally pay THB 2000 or less at home will pass. Local expats also aren't interested in paying tourist rates and this might be a way to attract more punters.
Posted by
GiantFan
on
August 7, 2011 19:52
Just a reply to Giant fan on the Country club issues: first: I never had any problem at member hour.Second The new locker rooms are in construction & will be ready soon. Caddies carry bags in the sun for 5 hours & mostly of the time are friendly & happy. Regarding the rules of golf I found that 80% of the members don't know much about them. Leave the caddies alone.Buggies: nine hole course have buggies. the 18 hole course is an easy walk, if you can't walk change course.The condos around the 18 hole course do not belong to the property. The booking time is rough only in the peak season (same in the other courses) Roads need to be fixed?Are you German? Yes the snooker table has to be fixed.this is your main problem. The only thing I agree is the 5 & 6 balls but Thais love to gambling & more people means more money! Enjoy your golf & remember that a lot of people spend their time in the office.
Posted by
alex
on
August 7, 2011 21:47
Smart Alex - agree with everything you say (except for German comment), but my post was already long enough. I guess what I am trying to say is that for a premium price, one would expect a premium service.
When you rock into PCC (both courses), they look very tired. Glad to hear that they are upgrading the locker rooms. One area that they excel in is in keeping the grounds in top shape. A lick of paint, fixing cracks in the walls, and yes, re-taring the roads and parking areas would give it a much needed facelift.
Posted by
GiantFan
on
August 8, 2011 17:18
If the Golf Association of Phuket was really wanting golf to grow on the island, then they would look at the pricing structures in the other centres which are taking tourist trade away from them. Frankly, golf is too expensive by comparison to Bangkok, Hau Hin and Pattaya. Golf is in the hands of a few corporations who have the monopoly. There just isn't enough competition.
Posted by
crayman
on
August 10, 2011 03:09
Phuket was being promoted as a golfing destination until the courses got greedy. It is now more expensive to play golf in Phuket than in Europe. The courses here are empty - why? Most tourists are now going to Hua Hin and Pattaya to play. Hua Hin have a golfing special from 1st August until 31st November, with average green fees of only 1000thb. Wake up Phuket, before it is too late.
Posted by
swerv
on
August 11, 2011 08:15
The problem with golf in Phuket is price. Its just to damn expensive, yes its more expensive than many places in Europe.
Some ideas (hardly revolutionary but here we go) :
Weekend and weekday rates. Should be cheaper on weekdays, and after 15.00.
Low season specials, just like in Hua Hin for example. Everybody in tourism, from tour operators to airlines to hotels and restaurants offer deep low season discounts. The golf courses? Nothing. Nada. This is VERY basic stuff, but they seem clueless.
Rain Checks. As of now only Loch Palm offers rain checks, so a big applause to them. Especially with the high prices, rain checks are essential.
Otherwise the standard of the golfcourses are ok, but not on par with many courses in BKK that are cheaper and not even close to say, Banyan, Black Mountain and Springfield in Hua Hin. If the prices came down this would be less of an issue, but as it is now you actually pay a lot more for a lot less in Phuket, which is unsustainable.
Posted by
christian
on
August 11, 2011 23:35
I agree with most of what's being said here. Some of the green fees on the courses in Pattaya are 1,000 baht (or less in some cases) and are still of high quality. Why would people come to Phuket to play golf when Pattaya has some fantastic courses for more than half the price of Phuket's!
Posted by
Wozza
on
August 16, 2011 17:44
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Why doesn't the Hongyok family expand the existing PCCC 9 hole course into an 18 hole course. It would become one of the best and most popular courses on Phuket. Other than that, Phuket golf is too expensive compared to HuaHin and Pattaya.
Posted by Richard C on August 7, 2011 17:34