Golf In Thailand - The Royal Gems Golf Resort

Date:  Dec 6, 2015

Last week, I had played 4 golf games in Bangkok in 6 days.

I feel very good about it.

Especially the last day playing at The Royal Gems Golf Resort.

Mr. Thomas is the one who arrange for me and my friends to play at this golf club.

He is the same Golf / Tour Guide who brought us to two fantastic course in Kao Yai last year.

Khao Yai Golf Trip:  http://miniliew.blogspot.sg/2014/11/khao-yai-golf-trip-golf.html

He is the same fellow who bring me and my kids and friends around Bangkok during the big Haze holiday in 2013.

Bangkok Trip Itinerary & Price:  http://miniliew.blogspot.sg/2013/07/bangkok-trip-itinerary-price.html

He has been a very good friend, and I have been using his services for many many years for golf mostly.

The Royal Gems Golf Resort is a private club.  The first 18 holes just build around 4 years ago.

Eventually, they have plans to build up to 63 holes.  

So, Thomas knew someone who can arrange us play in this club (up to 2 flights maximum).

Thomas told me, while he still can get us access into this club, we better play here this trip.

And yes, indeed, I enjoyed it pretty much.

The pro shops sells some nicest golf shirts too.

Couldn’t resist, so, I also buy a few and even wear the yellow one on the spot.  I like the soft material.

This are my golfing partners in Thailand.  And I even asked Thomas to join in the fun!

It was a great day for golf.

The course is quite pack on a Friday afternoon.

And the caddies wear nice pink uniforms.

We started to play at hole #10, where they have 9-holes copy exact same layout of Augusta (The Green Jacket Golf PGA Master event).

That is the reason why we come here.  To feel the PGA course.  The course is very well maintain.

Let’s take a photo with Khun Kannikar, who learned golf since every young.

By the way, she won the best gross out of 19 players just this Monday in my golf event I organised under the Stablefort with Honest John Rule.  

We played the Blue Tee.

It suppose to be for handicap 10 and below.  But what the heck, they allow us to play, we play.

And it is NO JOKE.  Most of the Par 4, need three stroke to get on the green.  HaHaHaHaHa…

I went into the bunker, and it is so far away from the flag and bunker all the way.  I need a pretty clean shot for this.  But unfortunately, I landed inside the bunker again.

It is a hot day too.

Today, only one caddie so, no umbrella caddie help me carry the umbrella.

Now you know why umbrella is important.

Oh ya… one thing about Khun Kannikar.  

She don’t wear any gloves to hit the balls.

And I think she use one hand to putt.

hahahahahaha… 

I asked here why?  She said, gloves not comfortable, no feel.  hahahaha

Take a look at the green.  It is so well maintain, and it is really those PGA tour golf course kind of green.  Where your ball will run very very fast on the green without stopping.  So the power of hitting the putt and the read of breaks on the green is very very important.

See, Khun Kannikar put one hand behind her back and swing a few putt to get the alignment and feel.

Alvin is probably one of the good player in this group of 5.  But he also amaze with this beautiful green.  And I think he miss this put by 0.5cm like that, and the ball keep on rolling.  hahahaha

After 3-holes, Alvin started to request if we can play White Tee.  We say No.  hahahahaha

Because I feel very good, and wanted to be competitive.  

Almost every hole (in Augusta copy) are challenging.  Every hole is like need you to hit a very precise shot onto the green.  And there are water around and bunkers protecting the green. 

After playing the 9-holes from Augusta copy, we are now heading back to Hole #1.  

The next 9-holes are copies of some famous holes in the world. 

This is one of the Oakmount Signature hole.  Hole #1.  Take note of that bunkers on the left.  

I say I wanted to avoid it, but I also landed by drive here.

I have to use a 7-Iron with a very clean shot to bring it out 130 meter towards the green.  It took 4 shorts for me to get on to the green and 4 putts to finish.  hahahaha Not easy man.

This is the Bay Hill signature hole.  I scored a 6 on this.  4 on and 2 putts.  

A boogie for me.  I feel so proud already.  Because my first two shots I placed it close to the water on the left.  So, it took me shorter path to get to the green.

Then, I used a wrong iron, and bring my ball over the green.

This is the TPC Sawgrass Signature Island hole.

Green is very small.  And WOW.  Cool.

And they are strong wind too.

Let’s take a quick peek on who my friend swinging her clubs.

 

My ball went into the water on this Island Green.  And my third shot from the drop zone came here.  And look at the slope that will lead your ball into the water if you hit too hard and the momentum from the down hill slope will build up the speed.

I love the green.  I double PAR this hole.  Not easy to putt.

This is Doral Blue Monster.

And again… huge water on the left.  

I like this hole, because I par it.  hahahaha

May be because I got lucky seeing this artificial rainbow?

The Par-3 from Royal Troon Golf Club.  I landed the ball just short outside the green.  So, 2 on 2 putts.  Score a boogie.

This is the copy of Hole #17 from St. Andrew.  They called it a “Road Hole”.

It is a long par 4.  And I hit three pretty good short just straight.  And two putt to get a boogie.

This is the signature hole from Bethpage State Park.  Look at all those scary bunkers.  I landed my shot 2 times in bunkers.  And got a double boogie here. 

Let’s take a look again.  How can you NOT miss the bunkers.  hahaha…

I love this hole.  Look at the scary bunker.

The Winged Foot signature hole.  This one not too bad.  I boogie it.

When you feel great on the golf course, all your swing become good too.  hahahaha

The Belfry signature hole.  I did a boogie this hole too.

Sun setting soon.  Playing the last hole of the day.

Not an easy course playing blue tee.  Very long each hole.

But I feel good.

My two good friends in Thai are very happy indeed.

Every one is happy.

Ok, I played 4 games in 6 days.

Here are some of the highlights in the previous 3 games.

Day 1.  The Vintage Club.

It is nice to be back here again.  I had hole in one last year on the 2nd hole in this course.  :)

These people arrives one day earlier just for golf.

Three very good golfers.  Two Paks from Indonesia.  Pak Natigor on the right score a 7-over in this course.  

In to the hole!

Really had a great time on this easy Sunday game.  

Day #2.  The Royal Golf Club.

What Thomas told me is “If you can apply and get the “Royal” word in your golf club, then this club club must carry a certain standards”.

I already feel so good about this golf course.  Very nice.

This game is sponsored game.  So, we have 5 flights today.

Flight #1.  The top player flights.  All these are low handicappers.  (Pak Nyoto from Telin on the left just had a 1-over game at Cebu ACC conference.  Khun Witaya who cannot decide to declare 8 or 10 as his handicap, Alvin from PCCW is one of the Causeway cup Singapore rep that do well, and Encik Cyril from Fibrecomm, who is #1 in the Causeway club.  Every year, the telco in Singapore play with the telco in Malaysias for a game of golf, called Causeway cup.  And usually, singapore will have to hire players from Indonesia and Thailand and even hong kong to help out.  Singapore telco lost big time int he last two years.

We have 3-lady golfers this year joining.  Have fun girls.  UIH, BICS & PCCW.  (I not playing in this group)

Flight #3.  Moratel, Equinix and Global Cloud Exchange.

May I introduce the hole #17 par 3, 196 yards.

There is a nearest to pin contest on this.  And this is the guy who win this hole.

I am the only player who can LUCKILY hit the ball on to this green.  Yeah!

Later I won two boxes of Pro-V1 for this.

My flight mates.  The Ramen King David (left), Shahromi from Fibrecomm, and Suzlan from Fiberail.

We played until sun set.

The prize presentation.

This is today competition rules.

This two honest John.  Share the pool of money they won.  I only play one over, so, I also contributed 100 baht.  Just one shot shy from being honest John.

Ball Sweep for first nine.

Ball Sweep for second nine.  The biggest buaya who declared 24 handicap.  How can.  hahahaha

The other Nearest to the pin winner.

Fabrizio also won a nearest to pin.

We don’t have longest drive.  But we have nearest to the LINE award.

Lay Khuan was so happy.  As long as you can hit your ball straight.  You stand a chance to win the nearest to the line award.

Of course, strong player will always be there.  Witaya won the newest to the line.

To encourage female player to join in our game, I chip in more prizes for the lady players.

Guess who won the best gross player (after handicap)… Khun Kanikar from UIH.

She beat this guy!  

Alvin comes third.

Guess what!  Kannikar also won the first price of lucky draw.

All of us were so happy to join in this sponsored event.  Very good friends in Telco world and all play golf together.

Day 3 (Dec 3):  Panya Indra

If you remember this course, I played in 2013 too and it was there I took picture with Pornanong Phatlum, Thailand’s #1 female golfer on the LPGA tour.

Take picture with Pornanong Phatlum:  http://miniliew.blogspot.sg/2013/11/thailand-1-pornanong-phatlum.html

Here are the players.  (Andrew not in picture, because he comes late)

It is fun to play here, because this is the only course that you can hire a umbrella caddie.  The one who take umbrella for you.

Of course, the normal caddie also can take the umbrella.  Here is Lay Khuan making her putt.

See.  My umbrella caddie very chio.

We can have up to 12 people on the green.  HaHaHaHaHa…

Lay Khuan and her new ISIS Mask.  The one can lift up and drink water and eat.

We told the caddie Lay Khuan is “Lady Boy”, so, the caddie all wanted to come and take photo with her.  HaHaHaHaHa…

And of course, I told them I am “Gay” (happy) so they all come take photo with me.  Hahahahahahahahaha

The green is very fast.  The weather is great!  It was a good day for golf indeed.

The whole afternoon, I took a lot a lot of photos.  It is the most photo taken golf course.  And you know why.  hahaha

Not an easy course.  Got island hole too.

Finally finished the game.  Let’s take photo with this nice tree.

Ask her to take photo of us.  She go and take selfie of us in the background.  Hahahahaha…

I think some of them really got distracted.  I played 102 on the White Tee.  Not short.  All also long hole.  HahaHaHaHa…

Most importantly, we have great company in this year’s golf game. 

That concludes my 4 days of golf in Thailand.  Very memorable trip.  Make a lot of people have huge smile on their face!