French 
Golf in Thailand
Some invaluable advice for golfers
The first thing to do before playing golf in the area is to pay a visit to the Pattaya Sports Club (PSC) on Third Road. They offer an excellent golf discount scheme for members, the cost of which you will recoup from the savings on green fees after a couple of games. The joining fee is 300 baht and the annual subscription 400 baht. The lovely young ladies working there will issue a membership card while you wait, and whilst there you can pick up details of telephone numbers and costs at each golf course around Pattaya.
If you don’t wish to drive to your chosen venue using the car provided by Luxury Thai Villas, there are various other methods getting there. You can use the local tour companies who will pick you up from your villa, local taxi or hire car if there are a few of you. However, probably the easiest and most convenient way to play is to join one of the many local bars who organize golf days to most of the courses in the area.
One such bar is The Bunker Bar in Soi Chayapoom, where you can always be assured of a friendly welcome from the owner and the regular golfers. The Bunker Boys play every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, never playing the same course twice in one month. The competitions alternate between medal and stableford to suit both high and low handicap golfers. If you wish to play in the competitions and are not staying long enough to acquire a PSC handicap (by putting in 5 cards), you should bring a handicap certificate from your home country. One of the benefits of playing with The Bunker Bar is that there are invariably enough expats with their own transport taking part, so it is very likely you will be taken to and from the course in air-conditioned comfort, rather than an open air taxi or a cramped minibus.
Courses around Pattaya welcome visitors 7 days a week, although at weekends and bank holidays green fees are usually about double those of weekdays. Carts are compulsory on a few of courses, and are available on all of them. The average tip given to the caddy after 18 holes is usually about 200 baht. If you are travelling independently to golf, it is advisable to telephone ahead to book a tee off time, especially on holidays and during high season (December to February). On the other hand in low season, especially at weekends, the courses tend to be far less crowded than in the West.
In addition, during low season many courses offer Sports Days when green fees are lower and often food or beverage vouchers are offered. The information sheets available at the Pattaya Sports Club show which days of the week the lower costs apply. As many of the expats who play regularly at The Bunker Bar live on limited means, many of the courses played are the moderately priced ones and wherever possible the organizers try to arrange their days out to coincide with a Sports Day. Below are some examples of the costs incurred at the courses played frequently.
| Course | Green Fee | Caddy Fee | Caddy Tip | Competition | Near Pin | Golf Cart |
| Noble Place | 300 | 200 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 500 (3) |
| Royal Thai Navy | 400 | 200 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 600 (4) |
| Century Chonburi | 100 | 200 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 600 (4) |
| Crystal Bay | 800 | 250 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 600 (4) |
| Pattaya Country Club (5) | 500 | 250 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 600 (4) |
| Eastern Star | 400-600 (6) | 200 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 600 (4) |
| Emerald Ban Chang | 400-600 (6) | 200 | 200 (1) | 100 (2) | 50 (2) | 500 (4) |
- Not compulsory but expected
- Not Compulsory
- Not compulsory – only one player per car permitted
- Cart can be shared
- Nearest course to Pattaya so can get very busy
- Depending on the day
The example costs shown above are subject to change but are correct as at October 2006. For a brief description of all of the courses in the area and up to date golf news, go to the Bunker Bar website.
