Asian Golf Travel Nation - June 2013

A first class experience once again.

What I tell my friends is that I hand my golf bag over in reception of the hotel and don't touch it again until I get back there. In between I play the best courses I've ever played, have the wonderful experience of Thai caddies and enjoy the grandeur and services of the most wonderful club houses and restaurants.

Kevin S.
May 2013
[Read more golf travel testimonials]
[Find out about Golfasian's Travel Satisfaction Guarantee]

Kota Kinabalu is the capital city of Sabah. Situated in the north-eastern part of the world's third largest island, Sabah is the second largest state in Malaysia. Referred often as the "Land Below The Wind", Sabah has a tropical climate with sunny blue skies most days of the year.

The state of Sabah has plenty to offer to tourists and holidaymakers. Activities like mountain climbing, jungle trekking and white water rafting are gaining popularity. There are also some fabulous islands for snorkeling, scuba diving or even simple swimming and idling away in the sun. One of the main attractions is the famous Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia. In addition to this there are some fantastic golf courses by designers such as Jack Nicklaus, Ronald Fream, Ted Parslow and Graham Marsh making this a great golf holiday destination. Kota Kinabalu is easily accessed from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore with daily flights to the international airport.

[Read the full article]

Part of the Sutera Harbour Resort complex, the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club is a 27-hole 6316 meter championship golf course designed by Graham Marsh.  Centrally located in the heart of Kota Kinabalu City and just 10 minutes from the International Airport, the course is also within walking distance of both resorts at Sutera Harbour.

The Sutera Harbour Golf Club has collected numerous awards of distinction and hosted several major tournaments including the 2nd Best Golf Resort in 2008 and the Asian Tour 2011 Sabah Masters, respectively. In 2012 Sutera Harbour hosted the One Asia Qualifying School as well a qualifier for the World Amateur Inter-Team Golf Championship, sponsored by Tourism Malaysia that attracts players from all over the world.

[Read more about one of Malaysia's Best Golf Courses]

This beautiful beach front 5-star property has a variety of exciting outdoor activities, such as the Nature Reserve, Orang Utan education center and challenging golf course, Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort is the Premier Luxury Resort in the province of Sabah. The resort has over 400-acre tropical settings including a beautiful beach.

[Read more about one of Kota Kinabalu's Best Hotels & Resorts]

Visit the beautiful capital city of Sabah: Kota Kinabalu. This  'Nature Resort City' extend for kilometres along the shore. Here you find first-class hotels, countless restaurants and cafés, and some of the greatest shopping malls. Besides the beautiful sights Kota Kinabalu also offers great golf, designed by world renowned golf architects.  Choose from one of the luxurious selections of hotels and play golf at one of the popular courses.

[Kota Kinabalu Golf Tour Detailed Itinerary...]

Golfasian are very happy to introduce our first "Singles Tour" to take place in Southern Thailand from 1st - 11th of March, 2014. We appreciate it is not always easy to travel alone, especially to long distance destinations such as Thailand and why should you miss out on one of best golfing destinations in the world.

The service we offer is personal, yet unobtrusive and you will be with other single travellers who share a passion for life, and a desire to embrace new golf experiences and discover exciting places.

We have personally put together this golf package which we believe will give you a memorable contrast of what Southern Thailand can offer. The tour will start in the Pearl of the Andaman, on the beautiful island of Phuket before travelling north to the Khao Sok National Park where you will discover not only magnificent scenery, but also one of the undiscovered golfing gems of Thai golf.

The golf will be relaxed and we will have some competitions on the way. Optional, there will be some local restaurants that you would never normally find, as well as excursions you may wish see such as Phi Phi Island and James Bond Island. But the main object is to see a new part of the world, have some fun and make some new friends along the way. 

We look forward to seeing you in Thailand!

Read the tour itinerary]

Paul is from Melbourne, Australia and grew up playing golf on the famous sand belt courses of Victoria. After relocating to the Gold Coast, Queensland he completed a bachelor of business degree as well as becoming a Full Member of the PGA of Australia.

Paul spent 6 years as a golf professional, including 5 years teaching golf in Singapore where he had the opportunity to play and travel to many of the great courses throughout SE Asia. He gained an extensive knowledge of the courses through having played in Singapore, Bintan, Malaysia and Thailand and a love for golf travel.

After taking a position in Bangkok, as the head instructor at Wilding Golf, Paul was later introduced to Managing Director of Golfasian, Mr Mark Siegel. The opportunity to work for Golfasian was presented and with little hesitation Paul took up the position as Overseas Sales Manager. Paul's main area of focus is Malaysia and in the coming months Paul will expand Golfasian's reach into the Indonesian market. As a golf professional Paul understands what the golfers wants and needs are in regards to selecting courses for their golf holidays and aims to put together memorable golf holidays for his clients.

[Read more about Paul]

Bangkok, May 9 -- The international launch of Golf In A Kingdom has given further emphasis to Thailand's status as a leader in global golf tourism.

Attended by tour operators and media from around the world, as well as Golf In A Kingdom members, the Mayor of Pattaya Khun Itthiphol Kunplome and Thai golf tourism identities, the launch event was held at Siam Country Club's Plantation Course on May 1.

With 23 members, Golf In A Kingdom is a collection of Thailand's leading courses and hotels that has become the leading golf tourism program of its kind in Asia Pacific. It has played a major role in Thailand's rapid growth in golf tourism – one of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's four major tourism promotional pillars.

[Read the entire Press Release]

Thailand

Bangkok

• Alpine Golf & Sports Club, Bangkok Golf Club, Royal Gems, Suwan, Thai Country Club, Thana City & Muang Kaew are in excellent condition
• Riverdale Golf Club - coring green planned during June 12 - 30
• Royal Golf & Country Club - coring green planned for June

Hua Hin

• Royal Hua Hin Golf Course - course maintenance planned for July
• Imperial Lake View - Course C closed for maintenance from 28 May - 28 June
• Banyan, Black Mountain, Majestic Creek & Sea Pine are all in excellent condition

Pattaya

• Laem Chabang - course will be closed from 6 May - 7 June for course maintenance
• Phoenix GCC - coring green planned for the Lake Course from 22 May - 7 June
• Siam Country Club, St. Andrews & Burapha GC are in excellent condition

Phuket

• Blue Canyon, Canyon Course - coring green planned for 3 - 6 June
• Blue Canyon, Lakes Course - light topdress planned for 5 June
• Laguna Phuket Golf Club - 9 holes (starting with the back 9) will be closed for 18 months from July 2013 onwards
• Loch Palm GC - coring green planned for July/August
• Red Mountain GC - coring green planned for July/August
• Phuket CC - verti-cut & top dressing planned for 4 - 5 June, coring green planned for 2 - 3 July
• Mission Hills is in excellent condition

Chiang Mai

• Alpine, Chiang Mai Highlands & Mae Joe are in excellent condition

Vietnam

Hanoi

• Van Tri Golf Club – excellent condition
• Kings Island Golf Club - Mountain View & Lakeside are in good condition. (Lakeside 5th green being re-built, opens in early August 2013.)

Danang

• Laguna Lang Co Golf Club – verticutting/light sanding on greens from 5th June, full recovery within 14 days
• Danang Golf Club – coring greens and tees on 4 & 5 June
• Montgomerie Links - in great condition

Phuket Amateur Golf Week - July 2013
Date: July 21 - 27, 2013 | Location: Phuket, Thailand [Find out more]

Cambodia Amateur Golf Week - July 2013
Date: July 28 - August 05, 2013 | Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia [Find out more]

Pattaya Amateur Golf Week - October 2013
Date: October 19 - 26, 2013 | Location: Pattaya, Thailand [Find out more]

Chiang Mai Amateur Golf Week - October 2013
Date: October 26 - November 03, 2013 | Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand [Find out more]

What to Bring When Golfing in Vietnam

Golfing in Vietnam is different from golf in Europe and the USA and what to bring with you to the Vietnam golf courses is more than the obvious. Other than your clubs I suggest every Vietnam golfer be sure of the five following points before heading to the golf course.

[Read on to find out!]

Other golf stories can be found at the Thailand Golf Zone, Vietnam Golf Zone and Phuket Golf Zone where there are over 600 other original articles dealing exclusively with golf in Asia and golf travel.

I would love to hear about any golf tips that any of you may have developed for getting the maximum enjoyment from your golf trips, and can incorporate some in future articles. Therefore if you have any golf tips or suggestions you would like to share, please let me know by dropping me an email.

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Despite the amount of rainfall, one seldom loses a whole day's golf to the weather. You may get a little wet, but the chances of being rained off completely are very slim. Even if you do get rain, take a break at the many drinks stops and let the rain pass. My advice when to tee-off, would be early to mid morning in the low season (May to October), and early afternoon in the high season (November to April).

[Read more Golf Tips Articles]

If you have any other questions regarding golf tips to help you with your game email us at [email protected] and we will reply in upcoming newsletters

For more golf tips visit www.golfthink.com

Golfasian has a full schedule of tradeshows and roadshows during the next few months.

You can find us at the following events:

• June 13 - 16, 2013 - ITE & MICE Hong Kong 2013 (China)
• October 24 - 27, 2013 - Malaysia Sports Trade and Golf Expo (MSTGE) 2013 (Malaysia)
• November 11 - 14, 2013 - IGTM (Costa Daurada, Spain)

Arrange an appointment with Golfasian at one of these exhibits.

• Licensed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), License No: 14/00515
• Licensed by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, License No: 79-302/2011
• Member of Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA)

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E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.golfasian.com