Siam Country Club

The first privately owned course in Thailand was also the first Thai course to ever host an LPGA event: the 2007 Honda LPGA Thailand. It’s got all the attributes of a championship track. Built by Isao Mazumi in 1970 and redesigned by Schmidt-Curley in 2007, the 7,016-yard stunner shares terrain with fruit trees, creeks, lakes and – count ‘em – 101 sand traps. The immaculate greens are huge, elevated and contoured, meaning even the best putters will want the expertise of a well-trained caddie.

Fortunately, Siam CC has those in spades, as it has the ideal perch for a clubhouse, which overlooks the course from a low hill just a few kilometers from the bustling resort town of Pattaya. The last four holes make up what is widely considered the best closing stretch in Thailand.

Siam Country Club is set in the low hills just a few kilometers from Pattaya and has been wonderfully landscaped to contain more than its fair share of mature trees, shrubs and plants. Various fruit trees on the course give the impression of being in an orchard, especially when in season. After a 2 year closed period, Siam Country Club re-opened in March 2007. The course having under gone a complete renovation and upgrading has been renamed to the Siam Country Club Old Course following the Scottish tradition recognizing classic golf courses.

For players on a golf holiday Siam Country Club offers world class golf in truly stunning surroundings. The club has hosted a large number of national and international tournaments and is cited as being the premier location for golf events in Thailand including the Thailand Open 4 times, many Asian Golf Circuits and the latest being a world class tournament  the “Honda LPGA Thailand 2007″. The Siam Country Club was closed for the entire 2006 season and underwent a huge amount of renovation and redevelopment, it reopened its gates in 2007, gifting the golfing community in Thailand with well laid out fairways, strategically placed bunkers and several water hazards. The clubhouse at Siam Country Club is noted to be of excellent quality, offering an exceptional level of service including locker room, restaurant, reception, pro shop, seminar and function rooms.

The course has an out and back layout with many of the golf holes playing past a series of lakes, and strategically placed creeks and even a large golden Bhudda on the 9th fairway. Long, straight driving is required to negotiate the often narrow fairways. The large trees at Siam Country Club often get in the way and will punish errant tee shots. It is not uncommon to find an otherwise good drive actually nestled under a bed of pine needles or a shaded canopy of huge trees hanging over the fairway. The greens at Siam Country Club are for the most part large, roll fast, and are excellently maintained.

Dotted with many bunkers and water hazards, the course also boasts several dramatic holes, particularly the last four. The 15th through 18th holes taken together could arguably be the best finishing holes of any Pattaya golf course. If you’re having a good day and scoring well, take care as these 4 holes could easily bring you back to earth and ruin a good score.

In 2008 the long anticipated 27 hole course “Plantation” was finally opened, adding an exciting and demanding course for even the most experienced player.Designed by a well known Arizona based, Schmidt & Curley Design Inc.  The “PLANTATION” name was given in the honor of the historic Sugar Cane, Tapioca, and Pineapple plantations, and each 9-hole is named accordingly.

Set sail for The Top of the Gulf

The 2010 Top of the Gulf Regatta is set to sail from 30th April to 4th May at Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Jomtien Beach, Pattaya. Now in it’s sixth year, the Regatta has cemented Pattaya’s position as a leading destination to host international sailing events.



The Top of the Gulf Regatta is the only multi-class regatta of its kind in Thailand, with keel boats, multihulls, beach catamarans, dinghies and Optimists all taking to the waters in the Gulf of Thailand. Hosted at the Ocean Marina – the only international-standard marina on Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard – the Top of the Gulf Regatta incorporates the Coronation Cup for one-design Platus and the Thailand Optimist Nationals for junior Optimist sailors.

The 2010 TOG Regatta will include the following classes: IRC Racing 1, IRC Racing 2, IRC Racing 3, IRC Cruising, IRC Charter Boat, Sports Boats, Platu, Ocean Multihulls, Hobie Tiger, Hobie 16, Open Monohull Dinghy, Laser and Optimist. Trophies are awarded for winners in each class, with Optimist entrants competing for the Thailand Optimist National Championship and the One-Design Platu class competing for the Platu Coronation Cup.



The Top of the Gulf Regatta continues to grow and word of the Regatta continues to spread far and wide as seen by the increasing number of international entries. Entries this year are expected from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and event Myanmar, to name only a few. A number of the top competitors on the regional sailing circuit are also expected to attend this year.
Entries are already strong for the keel boat classes and for the one-design Platus and a large number of multihulls are expected this year with many sailing from Phuket to challenge the Pattaya-based Corsairs for the 2010 class title.

Ocean Marina Yacht Club has been the host venue for the Top of the Gulf Regatta since the very beginning and offers berthing, hotel and resort facilities to the 500 plus participants who take part in the regatta each year. The marina-base makes Ocean Marina an ideal venue for large-scale international sailing events while the beach access is ideal for dinghy classes.



The Top of the Gulf Regatta continues to be a highly competitive international regatta attracting competitors from all over the world, while proving to be an ideal competitive training ground for the growing ranks of junior Thai sailors. The Regatta is also a significant contributor to the Pattaya’s tourism industry.

Wet and wild...

The Thai New Year is upon us and it’s hotter than hell, so hit the streets and cool down the traditional way with buckets of icy water..



Starting today and running all the way through to next Sunday, Thailand is celebrating the Songkran festival. From Bangkok to Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai to Hat Yai, millions of us  Thai, Mon and Chinese  are taking to the streets, as well as to the temple, to celebrate Songkran and mark the lunar New Year.
TONIGHT'S the night for the full-on Songkran water festival in Patong, beginning at 5pm with a traditional parade of monks down Soi Bangla. From then, the water pistols should start to emerge.

From 5.30pm, front and centre opposite Soi Bangla on the beachfront, contemporary dance performers will take to the stage. At 6pm, the Governor, Wichai Praisa-ngob, will formally open the Songkran Festival.



Later in the night comes a Songkran kids contest, followed at 8.30pm by a beauty contest and other activities going through to 11pm.

The water fight usually preoccupies everyone in and around Soi Bangla until late into the night.

On April 13, at 7am, there will be Thai music on the stage and at 7.30am, at the temple on the turn into Patong, there will be a rice-giving ceremony for monks. At 11am the monks will have lunch, then at 1pm begin a gentle water blessing ceremony for the elderly.

From 6.30pm until 11pm, there will be performances on the main Soi Bangla beach stage.

Anyone for cricket...

The Asian Cricket Sixes Tour promotes, organises and markets international award winning club cricket events at fantastic locations across Asia Pacific. Founded in 2000 with just one event, the annual Tour now comprises of tournaments in nine locations across the region including Phuket, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, New South Wales, Pattaya, Shanghai, Chiang Mai and the Philippines. The tournaments, which attract clubs and cricket celebrities from around the world and have won major awards from the International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council, have a core philosophy of 'friendship through cricket'; they also raise funds and attract practical support for cricket development and local charities in their locations.



Phuket International Cricket Sixes 2010
Dates: 14 – 18 April 2010
Venue: Karon Stadium, Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Format: up to 30 cricket teams from Asia Pacific & Worldwide  compete in Cup, Plate, Bowl, Spoon and Women’s Divisions in the popular six-a-side match format.
Additional Activities:
Phuket Beach Cricket Sixes, Sixes Welcome Reception, Sixes Gala Awards Dinner, T20 Fundraising Match for Junior Cricket
Overview:
* Winner of international awards from the ICC and ACC and first held in 2004, this is the seventh staging of this popular annual international club cricket tournament played next to the beautiful Karon Beach.
* New for 2010 will be a Women’s Division which features up to five women’s teams from around the region.
* The popular Sixes Beach Cricket Tournament kicks the event off in a fun way on Karon Beach on Wednesday 14th April.



* A record number of teams, supporters and officials from Australia, UK, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, China will fly in to compete in the tournament plus teams from Thailand and Phuket.
* Defending champions of the main Sixes tournament are the Bahrain Apsara Camels who defeated CBB Postels in the 2009 Cup final.



* The annual T20 Fundraising match will be held again under floodlights at Karon Stadium featuring all the best players in the tournament. Funds raised at the match will be contributed by the tournament to the development of junior cricket in Phuket.
* Star players at the tournament have included Adam Hollioake, Trevor Chappell, Atul Wassan, Pranab Roy, Alan Mullally and Kenny Jackson.

Absolute Signature Villas at Palm Grove, Pattaya, Thailand

Exquisite contemporary Thai styling combined with luxuriously tailored interiors.

Set in an affluent, picturesque Thai Village in the Gulf of Thailand, Absolute Signature Villas at Palm Grove Jomtien represents a seamless blend of East meets West.

A luxurious and boutique hotel in a strategic location in Na-Jomtien, only 15 minutes drive from Pattaya, one of the Thailand's best tourist destinations, Absolute Villas at Palm Grove Jomtien has been recognized as a new 5-star hotel that offers first class services, friendly hospitality and a privileged lifestyle in Pattaya.
The two-storey villas and duplexes are situated within lush tropical gardens, each with their own private pool. The ground floor comprises one bedroom with en-suite bathroom, fully equipped kitchen and grand living and dining area, leading directly to the private pool, sunning and al-fresco dining decks. Each villa is nestled among the lush tropical garden and private swimming pool.



The first floor features a superb, spacious master bedroom with en-suite bathroom as well as a second bedroom, also with its own bathroom. Eiderdown duvets and pillows help to ensure a comfortable and restful sleep, whilst the latest audio-visual technology ensures a variety of in-room entertainment.
Absolute Villas at Palm Grove Jomtien, Pattaya is comprised of 4 private pool villa Suites. All villas are tastefully furnished with Thai contemporary style and well-equipped with high standard facilities to furnish your living and lifestyle to perfection.