Thailand has been part of my life since the late 1990s. Every time I land — and I have landed many times — there is still a particular feeling when the doors open and the warmth hits. After thirty years of visiting, planning, playing and building relationships here, Thailand remains the destination I know most deeply. And the golf, above almost anything else, is what keeps bringing people back.
The country is spoilt by riches. The culture, the food, the beaches, the year-round weather — all of it is extraordinary. But the golf has developed into something that genuinely rivals anything the world offers, and most European golfers still haven't discovered it properly.
The caddie question
Let's deal with the most important thing first. In Thailand, virtually every course includes a caddie. This isn't a bagman carrying your clubs and staying quiet. A good Thai caddie — and most of them are excellent — will know your game by the third hole. They will pass you a seven iron when you're reaching for an eight. They will read a putt you'd have three-putted. They will find a ball you'd given up for lost.
After a week of playing with a skilled caddie, the first round back in England is a genuine shock. Pushing your own trolley, reading your own lines, cleaning your own clubs — you realise quite how much you'd come to rely on someone who wanted you to play well and had the knowledge to make it happen. It is worth more than most golfers expect before they experience it.
Where to play — and why it matters
You can find golf courses across almost every region of Thailand now. Finding them is the easy part. What thirty years of experience gives you is something harder to replicate: knowing which courses to play on which days, having the relationships at each club that ensure your tee times are protected, understanding where slow play tends to be a problem and where it never is, and knowing which regions are at their best in which months.
Booking tee times on Thailand's most sought-after courses independently, at the times you actually want, is genuinely difficult. The demand from international visitors is high, the best slots go early, and the relationships that get them secured are built over years, not purchased. This is where working with specialists who have been doing this for decades makes a material difference to what your trip actually looks like.
Timing and weather
Thailand's geography means the weather varies significantly by region and by season. Booking the wrong part of the country at the wrong time of year increases your chances of disrupted rounds, course closures and the particular disappointment of travelling this far to play in rain. Thailand is fortunate in having somewhere suitable to play year-round — but knowing which region is the right choice for your dates requires real knowledge of how the monsoon moves, where it lingers and where it rarely reaches.
Beyond the golf
A golf trip to Thailand is never just about the golf — and it shouldn't be. Whether you're travelling with non-golfers, mixing rounds with beach time, or combining golf in two or three regions with cultural experiences in between, the best Thailand itinerary is one where every day earns its place, on and off the course. We have spent thirty years understanding how these combinations work — and which ones don't.