Chiang Mai, THAILAND

Alpine Golf Club (formerly called Chiang Mai Lamphun)

January 14, 2010

We had booked tee off time at 12.30pm but the group was in high spirit to play 27 holes. So we left the hotel early hoping to get tee time for additional 9 holes. On arrival, we found out that as in most courses in Chiang Mai, we had to follow the alloted tee time. With nothing much we could do, we hanged around the club house. Waiting. To quote Felicia, a lady golfer in the group, "we got balls but no brains".

Clock on the tee box. To make sure that every golfer follows the tee off time

I had played at this course during my first golf trip overseas in 2000. Then, I was just a beginner in golf. I could hardly remember the course.

The format of the day was boogey play. I was paired with Daniel Ng, BC Lim, Chairman Hiu and Bobby. The purse was another BHT21,000 coming from 21 golfers.

Alpine was a far better course than Royal Chiang Mai or Gassan Lake City. We teed off from the white tee box as it was club's regulation that only golfers with handicap of 9 or below could play from the blue tee.

I played almost flawless golf for my handicap registering only 1 double boogey in the front nine. I thought I already saw the "Clarinet Jug", the prize money. Disaster struck on the first par 5 hole of the back nine. My flawless drive from the tee box was out of bound. My approach shots went about 100 meters up and 10 meters to the front, twice. I ended with a big 9. I still managed to play well on several holes but screwed another 2 holes. Despite 7 pars and 1 birdie, I did not get the Clarinet Jug.

It was at Alpine that we met Lek (trinidacnx@yahoo.co.th or HP+66817161566), a lady who introduced herself as a golf consultant, a new term at least to me, for a travel agent doing golf tour. She was pretty, jovial and friendly. Lek could see that she was with a group of upmarket golfers (with yours truly as the exception) and stayed with us for the next 2 days. Good marketing person.

We had dinner at the Good View Restaurant (053241866). At least someone made a reservation this time. We had Japanese sushi as appetizers and Thai food as the main course. The restaurant was a perfect place for dinner. The setting was beautiful and sitting by the riverside gave the ambience of a romantic place.

After dinner Zack and I went to a spa near the hotel for a massage. It was there that I accidently walked into a pool of water fronting the entrance. For aesthetic reasons or good fengshui, some spas in Thailand have a pool of water right in front of the entrance. I did not see it until it was too late. For that embarassing glitch, the spa gave us a BHT100 discount for the massage. I ended with a wet pant and red face. Luckily I brought 2 pants for the trip.