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!