After two days of toil on Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday has arrived for me to mark another year off the calendar with a birthday celebration at Loch Palm golf course where I am joining a four-man scramble competition organised by PEGS. PEGS is a society run by expats, for the enjoyment of golf on the island of Phuket. Competitions are run twice a month and if you are a keen golfer and resident on Phuket for at least six months a year you are welcome to join. For information, just go to http://www.expatgolf.com and click on the application tab.
A Beautiful Hole at Red Mountain Golf Club
Unfortunately my golf game did not want to give me a birthday present as I was playing rather poorly. Nonetheless, it was good to get out on the golf course after having spent the last two days working on computer at home. Loch Palm used to be a fantastic golf course which has been negatively impacted by the never ending development in and around it. It’s a great shame. Nevertheless, I still like the course and play there whenever I can afford it.
Just a few years ago I would play every day, but since the course was taken over by the MBK group, it has become less attractive to frequently playing members after the management changed the fee structure. For members , it now cost 500 baht for one round plus caddy fee and seems to increase every year by 100 baht (here I mean existing members, and not the new memberships which were formed to assist the sale of the houses on the golf course who enjoy free green fees – at least at the moment). The maintenance fee which used to be 8,000 baht a year I think and entitled you to play with free green fees (as every other course on Phuket) was however substantially reduced to 2,000 baht meaning if you play more than once a month as a member then the new system will put you substantially out of pocket, but if an occasional player, then you are quids in. I’m sure the mindset of the management is to reduce the number of old member’s playing on a day-to-day basis, thereby freeing the course for the tourist market and allowing space for the new housing based memberships, and boosting revenue from the old members at the same time. Such is life in Asia – it wouldn’t be allowed in most other places around the world.
17th Hole at Blue Canyon in Phuket - Canyon Course
Needless to say I don’t play there very often, preferring to play free as a member of Blue Canyon where the courses are better, the ambience more relaxing and the whole set up much more welcoming to members. The downside of Blue Canyon is that the maintenance fees are somewhat more expensive at around 20,000 baht per year, but that does entitle you to play on either course whenever you wish. I guess you had to select between paying a low maintenance fee and higher green fee, or higher maintenance fee and no green fee.
Loch Palm has a new course called Red Mountain, but the green fee along with a compulsory golf buggy (well you need it as it is built in the hills) and caddy fee brings the cost to astronomical levels, somewhere around 6000 baht a round. Even with members discount, which is only partial, if you are a member of the old course, it works out far too expensive for me. It is however a memorable course if you are willing to splash out. I believe that they are currently planning to sell memberships but I wonder how many people will buy since at the current prices finding partners to play with might be problematic.
Anyway I very much enjoyed the golf, and in the evening, as a birthday treat my wife had booked a table at Da Maurizio restaurant in Patong, sounded promising. This turned out to be an error since the menu published by the restaurant on the web had been changed sometime before and no longer included the dishes we wanted. The restaurant is very upmarket catering mostly to the high end tourist trade from Patong and special occasions for those living here. The atmosphere is a little bit special, and atmospheric describes the prices also, which would be more suitable for a penthouse style restaurant with panoramic views across New York City. I’m sure the food is excellent but at 2,000 baht for a steak it should be. I’m equally sure the wine is fantastic and again the prices are too once you have added on the very high luxury tax on wines in Thailand. If price were no object it would be one of THE places to go and certainly provides a fantastic venue for a very special occasion.
An Appetiser from Royal Nam Tok
However our means are somewhat more modest, and so we decided to give up the sounds of the sea lapping just yards from our table and make your way back closer to home in Kathu to an alternative venue.
That venue is the Royal Nahm Tok Restaurant just off Soi Nahm Tok Kathu (Kathu waterfall road). As this post is already long I think I will tell you all about my experience there tomorrow.
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