Chiang Mai, THAILAND

Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club

January 13, 2010

We checked out of Imperial Mae Ping and checked into Shangri La, where our group was supposed to stay. There were 21 of us, 18 from Malaysia and 3 from Hong Kong. All were businessmen/women mostly in the chemical industry.

Having checked in, I was at the hotel front having a cigarrette break waiting for the group to arrive. Suddenly the hotel staffs were running around, some talking on walkie-talkies, some came out waiting for someone to arrive. Even a car parked in front was asked to clear away. I thought it must be some big shot arriving. It turned out to be the reception for our group arriving from the airport! It was quite a reception from a 5-star hotel.

Shangri La Hotel

We proceeded to Royal Chiang Mai GC, the first course in the group's itinerary. As we were being registered, I realised that my golf shoes were not in the bag. I must have left it in Boon Sung's car. One call and he confirmed that they were inside his car. So I rented a pair from the club for BHT100. It was a bit oversized for a small guy but it had to do.

The format of play was stableford and prize money BHT21,000. I was paired with Francis, Bobby and Zach.

The Flight

Royal Chiang Mai is just an average course but very popular as seen by the crowd of golfers. It was apparent that Chiang Mai is a golf destination. Golfers were on the fairways of every hole. They came by the busloads. It was truly international with westerners, Japanese, Koreans, Malaysians and local Thais all over the place. You really need to book tee time to play.

The Fairways

My game was bad, as usual. Bobby and Francis made good golf buddies and it was fun to play with them. We had a good time despite the bad scores. May be I could place the blame on the shoes!

The Club House

Dinner was supposed to be at Good View Restaurant located by the river side. When we arrived, the place was crowded and full. They definitely could not accommodate 21 of us without any prior reservation. So the group opted for another restaurant serving Teochew food. Except for Zack and I, the rest of the group were Chinese. Since we skipped lunch for golf, everybody was really hungry.

After dinner, I waited for Boon Sung to come to the hotel to send my golf shoes. I was really touched by his sincerity. I would recommend him any time. He may be contacted on his mobile at +66818818239.