The Greencard Golf Tour event in Thailand is one of longest running tournaments and is always very popular.  With it’s beautiful golf courses, luxury hotels with amazing service standards and of course the local people Thailand is one of the best winter golf destinations for frustrated, frost worn UK golfers!

In recent years we’ve combined the Thailand leg of the trip with a visit to a neighboring country – last year we were the first UK golf operator to take a tournament group to Myanmar, this year we did the same in Laos, a long narrow country sandwiched between the east of Thailand and Vietnam. Read on below for our full event report.

Greencard Golf Tour – First Stop Laos

The approach to Luang Prabang is spectacular passing through the mountains and landing on a little strip on the edge of town. You know Laos is still run by the Communist Party because there are 3 queues for Immigration!

The Famous Greencard Capacity to Party Impresses Yet Again!

However, once through we were whisked away for the short ride to the Hotel de la Paix. Originally a Detention Centre under the French it then became a rather grand Governor’s house before converting to a lovely boutique hotel in the centre of town. 24 rooms, each with a small back garden, are set round a verdant courtyard with swimming pool and spa.

Pablo, the GM, welcomed us with a cocktail party and whilst we were impressed with his generosity I think he was equally impressed with our capacity!

Fantastic Jungle Golf

After a great night’s sleep we boarded our minivans for the only golf club in town. Just 15 minutes drive away the clubhouse is set on a hillside overlooking the course with the town in the distance. The set up was wonderful, although a little tired from underinvestment, but the course is a superb test meandering through the jungle and finishing beside the Mekong.

Anne Archer led her team of Shirley Appleby, Michael Sharman and Irene Munday to a narrow countback win over husband Peter’s team of Anne Stephenson, Gordon Pairman and Ros Thomas in the opening Am Am.

A Place to Escape the Crowds and Enjoy the Heritage

The free day was spent exploring the lovely old colonial town with its plethora of cafes, bars and restaurants overlooking the two rivers. The architecture owes a lot to the French, and now that it has become a World Heritage Site its future is assured.

At night the town comes alive, centred on the night market which sells mostly genuine Laos arts and crafts products. Something about the Laos people makes me think they’ll never allow it to become a noisy, backpackers paradise like Siem Reap.

Vine Returns to Claim the Spoils in Husband and Wife Test!

Next day was always going to be stressful as husbands and wives were paired up in a two ball Texas Scramble. This is a relatively new format for Greencard, but it works really well. Unlike the 4 ball there is unrelenting pressure and needing 8 drives each made for some interesting choices that completely confused the caddies. Richard Vine came out of retirement to partner Monique Petiot in a dynamic partnership built around Monique’s putting which gave them a 0.2 margin of victory over the Mundays.

Greencard Takes to the Water and a Change of Pace

But our thoughts were moving towards the early start next day when we would board our river cruiser for the epic 2 day trip up the Mekong to Chiang Khong. Early mornings were quite chilly until the mist lifted and as we all settled down in our seats we were glad of the ponchos provided by the crew. The boat was remarkably powerful as it moved easily upstream and in no time we were cruising between lush green jungle hills enjoying a second breakfast.

By 11am the sun broke through and then we were able to sit up front on deck watching the skill of the captain navigating between the rocks. At first it took a bit of time to settle to the gentle rhythm of the day. It’s not that a great deal happens on the river but because of that it is fascinating. The view would have been almost identical 100 years ago. There are not a lot of places where you can say that these days.

Children Capture Hearts at our Jungle Lodge

The boat stopped at some Buddha caves before continuing our journey up river past gold panners and cattle farmers and fishermen. We eventually arrived at Pakbeng around 5pm where we trooped up the hill to the Lodge overlooking the river.

Twenty lovely wooden huts placed either side of the main deck awaited. We reassembled for a beautiful folklore show put on by the staff and their children. Generally I loathe these shows, but this one was absolutely beautiful and the children were so enthusiastic that even the hardest cynic was won over.

Luggage On and Off – Destination Chang Rai

It was another early start next day and again it was chilly until the mist cleared, but by midday most felt that it was time for a change of scene. However, it was another 4 hours to Huay Xei, and when we eventually disembarked we had to load our luggage onto the buses and return to the border crossing into Thailand.

Luggage on and luggage off then onto the bus as the sun was setting. The drive to Chiang Rai took half an hour longer than we remembered and by the time we pulled into the Meridien we were ready for bed.
Chiang Rai is a rather sleepy Northern town with a wonderful night market that has live entertainment every night. It’s a place to go for the buzz rather than shopping.

The two must sees here were the White Temple and the famous clock tower. We stayed at the Le Meridien Chiang Rai which is located on the river bank in their own gardens with a beautiful pool.

Tough Test at Santiburi Golf Club

The golf itinerary for this part of the event was two rounds at the wonderful Santiburi Golf Club. The course has a superb layout, there is not a weak hole among the 18 and it deserves the reputation of being one of the top courses in Thailand.

The weather was stunning as we teed off in the AM AM. It was a close fought affair, but in the end the team captained by Chris Hegarty and including Sue Ingram, Anne Archer and Brenda Tily came out on top.

We had a free day between the two rounds of golf which allowed people the opportunity to explore the nearby area, chill out by the pool or take a trip down the river in one of the long tail boats.

The second round at Santiburi was the pairs Texas scramble. This is a great fun form of golf with each player having to have 8 drives included on the scorecard. It keeps everyone involved for the entire round and as with the AM AM it was a close finish. However, John O’Keeffe and Chris Hegarty won the day with an impressive score of 68.4.

Mr Captain – he says “no!”

We had a private charter flight booked for the following day to take everyone from Chiang Rai directly to Hua Hin. The flight was due to leave at 13.45 and the group were all checked in and ready to board on time. The only problem was that there didn’t appear to be an aircraft present.

Over the years Greencard has charted many aircraft without a single hitch, however, occasionally problems arise and this was one such time. We were told that the plane had a technical issue and was still in Chiang Mai, which is around a 35 minute flight to Chiang Rai. It would be with us by 18.30 and the revised departure time was 19.30.

As you can imagine Chiang Rai is not the largest of airports and so it was at this point that we gave people the option to leave the building and visit the local chinese restaurant on the riverbank. After lunch we returned to the airport to discover that the plane was enroute and sure enough it was not too long before it landed. Our bags were taken out to the aircraft and then nothing happened. Thirty minutes later we had still to board our plane. It was at this moment that the Captain arrived on the scene to break the news that although the plane had been passed to fly he was not happy with the performance of the aircraft on the flight down and as a result did not want to take any passengers.

Delay to Progress the Correct Call.

Whilst this was a blow after the long delay, everybody agreed that the correct decision had been made. It was now a case of arranging an alternative way to transfer down to Hua Hin.

As it was already past 8pm there was no chance of travelling that evening so after a few phone calls we took the group back to Le Meridien for the night. Meanwhile we booked everybody on a scheduled service the following morning to Bangkok. This time all went to plan by the following afternoon we had arrived in Hua Hin.

Home in Beautiful Hua Hin

Hua Hin has grown over the years that Greencard has been visiting the area but since the King of Thailand choose this destination for his beach palace the development has been far more controlled. The town has a wide variety of shops and restaurants and many an hour can be spent strolling around the area. Altogether it is a very civilised place.

We were staying at the five star Centara hotel, this is the original Railway Hotel completed 100 years ago when the iconic railway first came to town. The hotel has various wings around 3 different pools. This is a first class destination being located right on the beach, but also right in town, it is the perfect base for our group.

And so on to Business!!

This is where the real golfing business began! Our schedule included two rounds at Black Mountain and one round at each of Springfield and Banyan.

With the flight disruption we arrived a day later than planned at the hotel and so on the first morning in Hua Hin, we made our way to Banyan for the first round of the individual stableford event. This is Hua Hin’s newest course and was in excellent condition. It definitely helps if you have played this one before with club selection from the tee being key on several holes.

Round One: Solid Start as Appleby Heads the Field

David Appleby began his challenge in fine fashion posting an imposing 35 points. The next best was our defending Thailand champion Chris Clempner with 32. There were then a host of players on 31 points including Gail Hegarty, Reuben Fielding and Stuart Munday.

Relaxed Golf Schedule Has Benefits!

The golf programme this year on the Thailand event was very relaxed with a round included every other day. This allowed more time to relax and enjoy the pool, beach, wonderfully warm sea or a stroll around the town.

Round Two: The First at Inspiring Black Mountain

The second round was held at Black Mountain. This spectacular course not only offers the players stunning views and wonderfully manicured fairways, but challenges them with fast greens. There are several memorable holes here and it really is a place that inspires you to play well.

Gary Corbett certainly enjoyed the day finishing with a tremendous 38 points. To everyone’s delight John Ward, having returned from a knee operation, shot his best round for some time with a great 36, which was enough to move him into fifth position overall at the half way stage. Another strong performance came from the man from Moscow who shot 35. Godfrey Horsford was making his move with 34, a score matched by our leading lady after two rounds, Sally Ward.

Gary Corbett in Hot Form After 36 Holes

So with two rounds to go Gary on 68, had established a four point lead over Lodewijk, Sally and David. John was one further back on 63 followed by a group of players including Neil Gillam, Reuben Fielding, Stuart Munday and Chris Clempner all on 62 and still very much in the hunt.

Round Three: Solid Scoring at Springfield

After another free day we set off for Springfield for the third round. This is a Nicklaus designed course, it has a great layout and is a pleasure to play. You need to be on form to score well here and Martyn Smith certainly achieved this with a tremendous 35 points, a score that was matched by Jean Corbett. John Tate and Neil Gillam shot 33 points.

 

Meanwhile our leader after two rounds, Gary Corbett shot 32 points and moved his overall total to 100 and a lead of 5 shots from Neil Gillam and David Appleby. Lodewijk’s 30 points was enough to secure his place in the final fourball for the last round.

Round 4: High Scoring & Temperatures for Final Round

We returned to Black Mountain for the final round under a blue cloudless sky with temperatures reaching into the mid 30’s. It really is a wonderful place from which to escape the UK winter. There were notably performances to mention including a 36 from Godfrey Horsford and a tremendous 38 from Sue Henney.

After a couple of near misses in recent tournaments, Gary was keen to make amends by holding onto his lead and taking the victory. However, he would have to hold off some very established Greencard players in David, Neil and Lodewijk. After a solid front nine holes Neil had closed the gap and standing on the 11th tee was just one point behind. Lodewijk was also playing very solidly and if he had managed to avoid a few more bunkers his score would have been even better.

The Tournament Turns on a Splash

It was at the 11th, a short par 3 over water which proved to be a significant turning point in the match. The pin was in a tough position at the front of the green and club selection was key. Gary went with a nine iron and found the water. Neil hit an eight iron and was safely on the green, pin high. Lodewijk also found the water. Neil then holed his birdie putt, whilst both Gary and Lodewijk both walked away with no points.

Neil was suddenly three points ahead and this lead was further consolidated with an incredible up and down on the 12th. Gary had found the green in regulation but just missed his par putt. Gary fought back over the next few holes and when Neil made a mistake on the 17th, resulting in a no score there was just one point between them by the time they had reached the 18th tee.

A Single Point Lead on 72nd Tee