Riverdale Golf Club

By Ajit Mohandas

MD, Golftripz

Everything is brand new and contemporary about this Superb Golfing facility. To the Golfer who is used to seeing lush green surroundings with plenty of trees, natural lakes and wildlife in the various parkland courses in Thailand, this open landscape with practically nothing around the course save a few factories sparsely laid out,comes as a surprise as one drives in . The Service is unbelievable courteous and leads one to believe that all have been strictly instructed to take extra care of every customer, one is guided all the way to the locker rooms by smiling staff.

Ultra modern locker rooms..5star quality.

Each buggy is clearly marked with tee times and tee No. and you just need to walk down to your buggy and hop in few minutes before.

As one stands on the first or 10th tee box, the whole world changes again and a golfer sees a sure challenge ahead of him. Play the blue tees if you are feeling brave as you are beginning a real rollercoaster from there. Designers Jonathan Morrow and Al Tikkanen ( of the Red Mountain Phuket fame) have expertly combined gentle slopes with topsy turvy undulations in almost every fairway with superb Bunkering and cleverly laid out water bodies are a sign of this links feel course. Almost all tee boxes are elevated and so a good caddie would surely make a difference to judge distances off the tee. Greens are also top quality and some of them quite tricky.

8th par 3 offers a unique 2 possible greens, one being an island which plays downwards and the other being a postage stamp with a pot bunker , a longer hole with the second green. The unique par 4 with a twin fairway ,water on the left and a large bunker bang in the centre with a few trees in between calls for you to know for sure' do i draw or fade better' and then pull the trigger and hope for the best! The 9th hole offers a superb challenge steadily sloping uphill. The 18th par 5 is deceptive to the eyes right from the tee to green...

Top up the round with a hot shower at a great facility and celebrate the discovery of yet another gem with some chilled beer at the open air section of the clubhouse overlooking the course.

A GOLFING HOLIDAY PAR EXCELLENCE

By Dr M.K. Baruah
Dibrugarh, Assam

Having a holiday in Pattaya and Bankok with one’s family is something to always look forward to. The sun and sand of Pattaya makes any holiday satisfying. But when it is combined with Golf and that too competitive Golf, no holiday can beat that holiday.

That is exactly what we experienced last November. Golftripz.com, a professional body organized a superb holiday in Pattaya in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Spanned over 3 days, 65 golfers from all over India participated in this most memorable trip.

My wife and I were joined by PKT and his wife. AS (sans wife) joined the fray as a late entry. Together we planned what turned out to be an extraordinary holiday. The 1^st round was a practice round in Burapha Golf Course, home to many an International event. We purposely missed this round so that we could be with our wives and decided to go for a Coral Island Tour. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and also made sure that our guilty feelings of leaving our wives behind for golf in the next 2 days were safely buried in the deep ocean’s floor.

We were put up at Hotel Amari Orchid, a 7 star Hotel with widespread lawns, an open lobby, and the beach just a stone’s throw away. After a leisurely breakfast we were off to the Phoenix Golf Course. Teeing off at 11o’clock made sure we left our hangovers behind. The first thing that struck us was the fully uniformed lady caddies who drove our individual carts and ferried us across the golf course. The fairways were impeccable with our golf balls floating in a cushion of grass. The greens were as fast as glass, so very fast that however slow you putt, the ball invariably crosses the hole. 4 putting was the order of the day. Though our golfing was not so very good score wise, I took solace in the fact that I bagged the longest drive prize, driving 268 yards to beat the nearest rival by more than 50 yards.

The third day was at the Laem Chebang Golf Course, a 27-hole course with scenic beauty that took our breath away. The greens were terribly fast and near impossible to read. Without one’s caddy’s help chances of 4 or even 5 putting was commonplace. The day’s play was made more interesting by having a Power Play in the toughest 4 holes of the course. In these holes if you score a nett par your stableford score is doubled; if not you get a minus 2. You may not believe it when I say that I got a birdie in one of these Power plays, thus getting 8 points in one hole; but still landed up with a final score of 25.

Every day’s game was followed by a superb 19^th hole, sponsored by Ballantine with 2 beautiful lasses always in tow. The day’s sorrow could be drowned in the best of liquor. The final day was followed by a grand dinner hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, with live music, great sea food, and great company. Needless to say our Assamese contingent made our presence felt by joining in the merry making with a Bihu dance!

Winning or loosing was not in our agenda. But enjoying ourselves to the hilt in an international setting with competitive golf was more than one could wish for. And the professional way in which the tour was organized by Golftripz was very commendable. I believe these people are organizing the next trip to Malaysia.

So Malaysia, watch out! Here we come!

Best Golf Vacations & Holidays in Asia

Asia can very well be considered as a golfer's paradise. The game of golf, which is often referred as a 'businessman's sport' has thrived in the Asian continent to such a degree, mainly due to the extensive business culture prevailing here. Golfers bearing varied level of mastery in the game ranging from rank newbie, amateur to a seasoned pro , everyone will be happy to discover a place suitable for them to play golf in Asia. So , this can be said confidently that if you are looking for the Best Golf Vacations & Holidays in Asia, there won't ever be any dearth in pleasurable choices. Golf has emerged to be both a rejuvenating sport to be pursued as an enjoyable hobby and a means to strengthen business relations evenly. Alongside, it has gained great popularity from Singapore to South Korea and umpteen other places across Asia.

Thailand , Singapore are some of the enchantingly beautiful golf destinations in Asia. These are the places which bear picturesque yet challenging golf courses in vicinity to the luxurious and panoramic resorts. Therefore, if you are earnestly looking for incredible Golf vacations, then planning Golf holidays in Thailand, Malaysia, China, India will really be a welcome option for a refreshing game of Golf. The Golf courses are always set at beguiling locations with the sprawling nature surrounding them to beauty and versatility. The famed Golf resorts in the major Asian countries are generally located out of the city pent in cozy nooks bearing the essence of country life. Most of the Golf courses in Asia happen to be the masterpieces by world famous designers and no doubt bear the mark of excellence and authenticity in every aspect.

The ambiance at the different Golf Resorts across Asia is simply superb. For instance, a golfing tournament in one of the destinations in South east Asia might make one feel uncomfortable due to the stifling heat but the serene charm prevailing all around, the glass of cold tea waiting for you in the pristine restaurants, the spa to make you ecstatic will always freshen up your heart and spirit to joy unlimited. This happens to be a privilege, only when it is Golf Holidays Asia. Imagine , you are playing near the woods and suddenly a shrill cry in the distance breaks the deep drawn silence and moving ahead it is a sight of a gecko crawling in the greens, it will be a sensation altogether and only the Asian Golfing destinations can grant you the ecstasy.

Business trips to Asia thus render a greater meaning, after all hard edged attitude can never be an element to achieve a business deal smoothly. If you analyze well then you will surely find that more business deals are made on golf courses than they are made within the closed doors of a conference room. So, an enjoyable game of Golf will indeed make great differences before you sign the contract. It will give you enough opportunity to know your counterpart and that really matters a lot.

Hence, if you are planning to have a golf vacation, then it will really be a wise decision to find out an Asian destination. Thus Golf holidays in China or Golf holidays in Malaysia will not just grant you incredible golf courses but also a bewitching atmosphere at the esteemed resorts with amenities like, traditional massage, sumptuous meals and the ultimate options to relax and unwind will welcome you to moments spent king size. Last but not the least, they will all come for a price, which will rather be a friendly hug to your wallet.

Thailand Invitational Golf Tournament Pattaya, Thailand

The recently conducted Golftripz Tournament, held in Pattaya, Thailand from the 25^th – 27^th of November, was a resounding success. Initiated by Golftripz, in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the event gave Indian amateurs the opportunity to tee off at a professionally organised and fun tournament. More than 65 golfers from different parts of India – from Coimbatore to Dibrugarh and Chandigarh to Hyderabad and Bangalore- came to compete at Pattaya.

Three days of the “tournament holiday” began at the Hotel Amari Orchid. With widespread lawns, an open lobby and the beach scarcely a few hundred feet away, the hotel lent a resort-style experience that was restful and comfortable.

The three selected courses, Burapha, Phoenix and Laem Chabang, which enjoy proximity to Pattaya town, were in great condition and well primed for the tournament. Golftripz’s Tournament committee ensured that their choice of golf courses accommodated golfers within a wide range of Handicaps ranging from 6 to 24.

The tournament started with a practice round in Burapha ( venue of the Thailand Open 2010), followed by the singles round in Phoenix and terminating with the doubles round at the immaculate greens of Laem Chabang (designed by the great Jack Nicklaus). Golftripz Power play was introduced on the toughest holes on each course to entice the best out of the golfers.

Each day of competitive golf ended with a superb 19^th hole. Participants were treated to an exclusive Ballantines’ night with great sea food and a spectacular setting by the beach on the first evening. On the second, Ballantines had a swish set up at Amari’s ICE bar with delectable snacks and wonderful live music. The grand finale was the awards ceremony and gala dinner at Laem Chabang Golf & Country club.

Event partners were Ballantines, Soma – India’s leading infrastructure company and Amari.

Sumit Rathore , KGA Captain and a highly accomplished golfer played a flawless round to beat 65 other Golfers for the Gross winner prize. Jayant Tagore, one of Hyderabad’s finest golfers, came in a close second with a solid round of Golf. The competition was close for the Net winners in all categories. The full results are displayed below.

For pictures on the event, please click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/golftripz.com/AbridgedVersionGolftripzTournament25th27thNov2010Pattaya#

What some of the participants had to say!

“Thanks for a fantastic 3 days at the TAT Invitational Tournament. It was organised extremely well. I felt well-taken care of- had to just go out and play. The courses, particularly Laem Chabang, were very classy. The evenings were great too, with the 19th hole parties at different venues, each one better than the previous night!

You guys rock! Would love to go on another one as soon as I recover from this one! Cheers to that.” Rajendra Nargundkar, Director, Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur

“Wow!! That about sums up our trip to Pattaya and Bangkok. A once-in-a-life-time experience!!! And thanks to Golftripz for taking such pains to make it worthwhile. That personal touch that you people seem to specialize in makes all the difference. And thanks again for organising the extension trip. Our wives were kept busy! and didn't they enjoy it!”
Dr. Baruah, Dibrugarh