Hua Hin Golf Gossip
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Wanderlust
- Legend
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:27 pm
- Location: Hua Hin
Last year, I had a pretty crap year playing golf, shooting some terrible scores. In January when I came over to LoS, I picked up a magazine to read on the plane - Today's Golfer. It had a feature in it called "Back to Basics", which was okay and I had the usual, yeah, yeah, I know I should be, blah blah blah, but it did make me think about my swing.
Over the years of piling on the extra pounds and getting older, my swing had got lazy so it was mainly all arms and no turn and after a couple of stableford rounds in Pattaya scoring 17 & 19 points, I thought I've got to do something or give up playing.
What I have done is just work on "turn & tempo", and its made a massive difference. I've not spent any time on the range or any other practice routines other than getting the shoulders moving.
Since February (back in the UK), I have played about 25 or so rounds - in every one of them, I have scored over 30 points (I'm an 18 handicap BTW). I've put this down to concentrating hard on the turn and follow through and its given me more confidence and I'm not beating myself up after every shot.
Not sure if this will help you buksida & lomuamart, but it has got me enjoying the game again.
Over the years of piling on the extra pounds and getting older, my swing had got lazy so it was mainly all arms and no turn and after a couple of stableford rounds in Pattaya scoring 17 & 19 points, I thought I've got to do something or give up playing.
What I have done is just work on "turn & tempo", and its made a massive difference. I've not spent any time on the range or any other practice routines other than getting the shoulders moving.
Since February (back in the UK), I have played about 25 or so rounds - in every one of them, I have scored over 30 points (I'm an 18 handicap BTW). I've put this down to concentrating hard on the turn and follow through and its given me more confidence and I'm not beating myself up after every shot.
Not sure if this will help you buksida & lomuamart, but it has got me enjoying the game again.
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!
It seems that you are 'topping' the ball.
Your head and chin may be down. The chin needs to be up to allow the shoulders to turn freely throughout the swing. Failure can lead to a cramped shot which tops the ball.
OR
You may not be transferring your weight onto the front side during the downswing and this can result in too much weight on the back foot at impact causing the blade to strike the ball on the upswing, so topping it.
OR
Ball is played too far forward if front heel at address.
by courtesy of Bob Charles - Golf for Seniors
Your head and chin may be down. The chin needs to be up to allow the shoulders to turn freely throughout the swing. Failure can lead to a cramped shot which tops the ball.
OR
You may not be transferring your weight onto the front side during the downswing and this can result in too much weight on the back foot at impact causing the blade to strike the ball on the upswing, so topping it.
OR
Ball is played too far forward if front heel at address.
by courtesy of Bob Charles - Golf for Seniors
3 guys approached the pro and asked him to play a round with them and tell them what was wrong with their swings.
They go to the first tee and the first guy hits off and hits an enormous slice...he turns round to look at the pro and the pro says "Loft...definatley loft".
The second guy stands up and hits the biggest hook you ever saw...he turns to the pro and the pro says..'Yeah..that's loft as well "
The third guy stands up and tops it 20 yards..he turns to the pro and the pro throws up his hands and says " Sorry ..loft again '.
The 3 guys look at one and other and the first guy says "..look,I slice it, he hooks it and then he tops it and you say we all have the same problem loft. what does that mean ?
Oh 'thats easy said the pro ......LOFT..........Lack Of F##king Talent....
So next time you hit a bad shot just say loft.....we all have it.....!
They go to the first tee and the first guy hits off and hits an enormous slice...he turns round to look at the pro and the pro says "Loft...definatley loft".
The second guy stands up and hits the biggest hook you ever saw...he turns to the pro and the pro says..'Yeah..that's loft as well "
The third guy stands up and tops it 20 yards..he turns to the pro and the pro throws up his hands and says " Sorry ..loft again '.
The 3 guys look at one and other and the first guy says "..look,I slice it, he hooks it and then he tops it and you say we all have the same problem loft. what does that mean ?
Oh 'thats easy said the pro ......LOFT..........Lack Of F##king Talent....
So next time you hit a bad shot just say loft.....we all have it.....!
OK, as promised, here's a golf trip report. Again, thanks to all who offered me advice about the game - I'll see you later (only joking).
The three of us ended up playing Dragon Hills for the weekend. Blue Sapphire had some competition going on so the course was closed.
Dragon Hills was in pretty good shape despite the general lack of rain. Tees and fairways were in excellent condition. The greens, especially on the back nine had been sanded and scarified, which needs to done and none of us are great putters anyway.
The deal is 1,400 Baht that includes a round on Saturday and Sunday with one night's accommodation at the associated hotel which is close by. Caddie and cart fees additional. Single occupancy in the hotel has a surcharge of 250 Baht. (1.100 THB for weekdays and 1,300 THB for Friday and Saturday).
For those who don't know, Dragon Hills is around the Ratchaburi area and about a 2 hour drive from HH. The golf course and hotel have simply been "dropped" in the middle of the jungle. It's a mature course and well designed. There are some great holes. The back nine has 3 par 5s and 3 par 3s. It's undulating and there are some longish walks between green and tee.
The hotel is OK. Comfortable rooms, great service, good food and no-one was there other than four staff last night who allowed us to drink and eat until we dropped.
Happy smiling people.
And on both days the course was quiet. About the only time we were aware of other players was when we heard someone play a shot. Never saw them though.
Now the nitty gritty. Lomu scored 87 on Saturday (+15). He was pretty pleased with that especially as he missed loads of puts. Sunday wasn't so good with a 94 (I had a bad patch from 5-9 holes). Must have been the beer catching up with me.
My playing partners had a mixed time. She got mullahed on the Saturday night and was comatose around the course the next day. He had a beer at the first drinks stop and his game improved after a terrible Saturday round. The only problem was that the sun and beer eventually got to him and he started going off the pro tees on the back nine. I reckon that he's colour blind. He also was taking out a lob wedge when a bump and run would have been better. End result, a shank into a nasty bunker. I believe he's seeking a brain surgeon's advice right now.
All in all, a great weekend and well worth the effort.
The three of us ended up playing Dragon Hills for the weekend. Blue Sapphire had some competition going on so the course was closed.
Dragon Hills was in pretty good shape despite the general lack of rain. Tees and fairways were in excellent condition. The greens, especially on the back nine had been sanded and scarified, which needs to done and none of us are great putters anyway.
The deal is 1,400 Baht that includes a round on Saturday and Sunday with one night's accommodation at the associated hotel which is close by. Caddie and cart fees additional. Single occupancy in the hotel has a surcharge of 250 Baht. (1.100 THB for weekdays and 1,300 THB for Friday and Saturday).
For those who don't know, Dragon Hills is around the Ratchaburi area and about a 2 hour drive from HH. The golf course and hotel have simply been "dropped" in the middle of the jungle. It's a mature course and well designed. There are some great holes. The back nine has 3 par 5s and 3 par 3s. It's undulating and there are some longish walks between green and tee.
The hotel is OK. Comfortable rooms, great service, good food and no-one was there other than four staff last night who allowed us to drink and eat until we dropped.
Happy smiling people.
And on both days the course was quiet. About the only time we were aware of other players was when we heard someone play a shot. Never saw them though.
Now the nitty gritty. Lomu scored 87 on Saturday (+15). He was pretty pleased with that especially as he missed loads of puts. Sunday wasn't so good with a 94 (I had a bad patch from 5-9 holes). Must have been the beer catching up with me.
My playing partners had a mixed time. She got mullahed on the Saturday night and was comatose around the course the next day. He had a beer at the first drinks stop and his game improved after a terrible Saturday round. The only problem was that the sun and beer eventually got to him and he started going off the pro tees on the back nine. I reckon that he's colour blind. He also was taking out a lob wedge when a bump and run would have been better. End result, a shank into a nasty bunker. I believe he's seeking a brain surgeon's advice right now.
All in all, a great weekend and well worth the effort.
Lomu and others,
I reckon another good place to go on a golfing vacation that's not too far away is Kanchanaburi. There are about six courses around there and the prices are mostly in the 600 to 700 baht range. One in particular is like Dragon Hills in that the resort and course are dropped in the middle of nowhere and is usually empty. It's called Greenworld and we stayed there once. I didn't play but the course looked beautiful from what I could see. The resort is on a river about an hour up the highway north of Kanchanaburi and the golf course is on the opposite side of the river with the first tee and 18th green on the resort side requiring a shot across the river on those two holes. There is also a very famous natural public hot springs (2 pools) right across the street for those aching muscles and lots of waterfalls and other stuff to see in the area. We took a trip into Burma from there by going a little further up the highway to Three Pagoda Pass.
I reckon another good place to go on a golfing vacation that's not too far away is Kanchanaburi. There are about six courses around there and the prices are mostly in the 600 to 700 baht range. One in particular is like Dragon Hills in that the resort and course are dropped in the middle of nowhere and is usually empty. It's called Greenworld and we stayed there once. I didn't play but the course looked beautiful from what I could see. The resort is on a river about an hour up the highway north of Kanchanaburi and the golf course is on the opposite side of the river with the first tee and 18th green on the resort side requiring a shot across the river on those two holes. There is also a very famous natural public hot springs (2 pools) right across the street for those aching muscles and lots of waterfalls and other stuff to see in the area. We took a trip into Burma from there by going a little further up the highway to Three Pagoda Pass.
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London Boy
- Specialist
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:33 pm
Golf Gossip
Hi all, might be old news but I'm sure I read sometime back that there my be something set up where it would give residents of HH discounts on local courses!!!!!. Did anything get decided
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JimmyGreaves
- Legend
- Posts: 2923
- Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:06 am
- Location: HuaEireHin
Re: Golf Gossip
Was that one of those never materialises stories?London Boy wrote:Hi all, might be old news but I'm sure I read sometime back that there my be something set up where it would give residents of HH discounts on local courses!!!!!. Did anything get decided
Diplomacy is the ability to tell a man to go to hell so that he looks forward to making the trip
Re: Golf Gossip
The response by some golf clubs to this issue is that if you want green fee discounts and play regularly, then buy a membership. If there is more than 1 golfer in your family then buying a family golf membership may make sense. Before buying my family membership it was costing about 8,000 baht per day for the wife and I to play.London Boy wrote:Hi all, might be old news but I'm sure I read sometime back that there my be something set up where it would give residents of HH discounts on local courses!!!!!. Did anything get decided
However, if you are unwilling to outlay the initial membership cost (which in HH can vary between 80,000 to 380,000 baht, depending upon which club), then you could consider purchasing a golf green fee discount card. I have some friends in Bangkok who bought the thaigolfer.com card for 900 baht) which provides discounts at many courses throughout the Kingdom, including 5 golf courses in the HH area. The discounts vary according to the respective club but typically averages between 15 and 40%.
Another option is to play under Sports Day promotion. I'm unsure of the Sports Day green fee promotions in HH at present, however, last Thursday I played on Sports Day at a very picturesque and challenging course a long way from HH where the green fee was 500 baht unlimited golf.
Cheers,
Well, I witnessed it again today.
Was playing at Dolphin Bay with a friend's wife. He's on holiday at the moment. At the short par 3 7th I put my shot within a foot. From where we were on the tee I just said "that could have been a hole-in-one". And guess what?
She got it next shot. Brilliant. A good 9 iron, a couple of bounces, a roll and in. Unbelievable. She's only been playing for 7 months odd. It was a good shot with the obvious element of luck.
That's the 4th I seen as I've played - two of mine and now two friends.
I don't think she realises what she achieved. Great stuff!!!!
Was playing at Dolphin Bay with a friend's wife. He's on holiday at the moment. At the short par 3 7th I put my shot within a foot. From where we were on the tee I just said "that could have been a hole-in-one". And guess what?
She got it next shot. Brilliant. A good 9 iron, a couple of bounces, a roll and in. Unbelievable. She's only been playing for 7 months odd. It was a good shot with the obvious element of luck.
That's the 4th I seen as I've played - two of mine and now two friends.
I don't think she realises what she achieved. Great stuff!!!!
I've been playing off and on since I was 12 years old and have had three eagles on par 4 holes (long second shot going into the hole), which is similar, but not the same. Never had a hole in one!I don't think she realises what she achieved. Great stuff!!!!
I hope you convinced her to save that ball and write the date, location, and hole number on it for a keepsake.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?