EGA THAILAND — Attraction in Chon Buri Province

I took my parents for a weekend trip to Burapha Golf & Resort from March 3 to March 5. Overall, I thought the experience was decent and I don't regret spending time and money there, but this was my first time playing golf in Thailand so those with more experience will provide a better relative comparison. Below are more details about my experience and observations.

Room (THB3,500 per night) We booked a suite room (2 units connected together with a living room area in one of the units), which was quite spacious and comfortable. However, it is pretty bare-bones in terms of service. No toilet paper, no drinking water / minibar. Unlike a hotel, I think most of the staff are gone by 5pm or 6pm (other than security), so it was very difficult to contact anyone for help. Rooms include breakfast at the club house (a choice of congee, soupy rice, western breakfast, and salad).

Golf (THB2,500 per round excluding caddy tip) The green fee includes a round, cart fee, and caddy fee (but excludes caddy tip). I was a bit surprised because it was compulsory for everyone to have their own cart. Maybe this is the norm in Thailand, but in Vietnam (where I live and usually play) you can have 2 golfers per cart. Anyway, it was fun to be able to drive the cart into the fairway (not many courses in Vietnam allows that). There are 36 holes divided into four 9-hole sections (A, B, C, D). B and D seemed to be more difficult, though I'm still a beginner so it is hard to tell. The conditions of the tee boxes and fairways were decent, though the greens were a bit patchy and sandy in certain areas, but that's ok for beginners like me. Better players and those who have played in nicer courses may find it lacking. The caddies were fine. I always feel bad for them because I'm not a very good golfer, but they were generally kind. My caddie on the first day was so so - didn't seem like she wanted to work and wasn't that helpful in finding balls. My caddie on the second day (pi Koy) was much better - she paid more attention and spotted wayward golf balls as if she had a sensor attached to her eyes. She was also more fun as well!

Driving Range (THB50 per tray of 40 balls) There is a driving range at the club which was decent. They close rather early at 5pm, but no one kicked us out after 5pm so we just continued to finish our tray and even went to pick up some more for more practice. In the afternoon / evening there are a lot of fleas, and there are no fans at the bays so the fleas were quite annoying. I took it as a challenge to practice concentration. The best thing about the driving range (as a beginner) is that they have an area where you can practice hitting off real grass to get used to taking divots. This beats swinging on a mat by far. I don't know if other country clubs in Thailand allow this, but this was my favorite thing about Burapha. The fleas were also less of an issues on the grass too. My guess is that there is more airflow being out in the open so it is harder for the...

This was our first course this time round that we golfed in Pattaya. The course was generally well maintained. As it was raining heavily in the early morning hours, the course had some water-logged fairways that impaired the shot. We eventually had to shift the ball to a dry spot. The greens were not consistent and perhaps this is because the course is rather aged.

Our two caddies Fer and Nok were professional and pleasant. They also quickly adapt to the golfers' needs and this helped greatly in making a great golfing experience. While professional, Nok also tried her level best to create a relaxing atmosphere to compensate for the wet fairways. Her age and experience gave her an edge over beautiful Fer who was more measured. Both could read their putting lines well and had eagle eyes to spot our golf balls. We were really impressed with their support. Well done Caddie Master.

The marshals were very had working going around to ensure that the golfing went smoothly.

Club's amenities were aged but functional. However, the Golf Support System mounted on the golf carts was impressive. It could even sent the individual score for the club to print out shortly after the game. Overall we had a great experience and would...

We played the A and B course. Overall, this is a very poorly managed golf course. Course: There were many spots that were over watered, especially around the greens. The fairways had many bad lies. The greens were super slow and had sand on them. Clubhouse: Smells like a toilet. Some of the showers didn’t have hot water. Outside the clubhouse smelled like a toilet. Restaurant: Food was decent. Caddies: They were the best part of the whole operation.

Conclusion: The owner and management of this course are very cheap and don’t take pride in their course. This is like playing a public municipality course. But the price is like a top tier golf course. Thus this course is a...