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There are good golf destinations and there are great golf destinations. Thailand is one of the great ones.

It is a country that might not be on the golfing radar for Canadian travellers since it sits half a world away in Asia, but it’s a place that North American golfers are starting to notice. It may have started when Tiger Woods won an Asian PGA Tour stop there in 1999 at Thai Country Club, a place where Tiger's name remains emblazoned on locker No. 1 in the clubhouse. They also have a plaque which commemorates Tiger's tee shot on the par-4 10th hole where he drove the green.

Thailand is also a place that has hosted the LPGA Tour several times in the past three years, multiple Asian Tour events and golf exhibitions featuring some of the game's top names. It's a place where terrific courses dot the landscape from the north to the south and, unlike other Asian golf hotbeds (Japan and Korea come to mind), all the best courses are resort tracks open to the public.

In addition to the golf courses, there are five-star accommodations from north to south, as well as beaches and plenty of other tourist activities. At the center of it all sits Bangkok, a city of 10 million people and a place which has it all, everything from $15 massages and $5 dinners to $50 rounds of golf and luxurious accommodations. It's a modern city that just keeps getting more modern, with a new subway, new light rail and high-rise towers everywhere you turn. And the airport is a place that must be seen to be believed. It is a modern marvel that makes your typical North American airport look like a museum.

There are more than 250 golf courses in Thailand and 64 million people. Unlike many Asian countries where golf is mainly for tourists, Thais love their golf. As many as two million play the game.

The Courses
Don't allow any lack of familiarity with Thai golf to spill over into worry over course quality. From tee to green, these are stellar layouts. From the two courses at Siam Country Club in Pattaya to Thai Country Club and Muang Kaew Golf Club in Bangkok, and Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin, the courses are award winners. They will remind you of the best courses you might have seen and played in other tropical locations. Hawaii comes to mind, and that's not a bad comparison.

Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin, about three hours southwest of Bangkok, was named as best new course in Asia last year. Siam's Plantation Course and Old Course have hosted LPGA Tournaments in each of the last two years and Thai Country Club was a long-time stop on the Asian Tour. Some of the top designers in the game today have courses in Thailand including Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Conditioning is superb on the courses and the price is right. No course will cost you more than $100, while most come in between $50-$70.

One thing that makes the courses even better is the location of re-fueling stations every three holes. You won't go hungry or thirsty at these places; there is a place to get drinks and food every few holes. The sun is hot, so make sure you stay hydrated.

As good as the courses are, the locker rooms and the clubhouses are just as impressive. When you check in, you get a locker key and the run of the facilities which are enormous and opulent compared to American and Canadian clubhouses. It makes you feel like a PGA Tour pro. When your round is done, grab a change of clothes, jump in the shower and emerge completely refreshed.

The Caddies
What makes the round even more enjoyable are the caddies. Caddies are required for every round and before you go thinking, “Who needs a caddie?,” there's one thing you need to know: You need a caddie and you will like it.

Every course in Thailand has a crew of 200 female caddies, who are all dressed in matching uniforms and who know the game. After just a few holes they know what club to give you; they can read the greens and they know the layouts better than you ever will.
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