Chiang Mai, Thailand
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008Sometimes the most fun can be had at the most unexpected places. A few days ago, Shelly, Billy, Tri and I decided to spend a day golfing at one of Chiang Mai’s local courses and it was one of the best times we’ve had in Thailand.
We arrived at Royal Chiang Mai Golf Course around 11:59 a.m., just in time for a noon tee time. In the pro shop we paid our greens fees, rented clubs, and also opted for two power carts because it was about 90 degrees outside and getting warmer with each passing minute. As we walked out to the first tee we noticed four women, each ranging in height from 4’9″-5’0″, dressed in green pants, blazing yellow shirts, and large green billed hats. We quickly found out that in Thailand, each golfer gets their own personal caddy (who also happen to be women) to help them around the course. And looking back, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
These women could read the greens without even bending down behind the ball. My caddy, Miwal, could quickly size up a 20 ft. putt and tell me “6 cups to the left” or “one ball to the right”. Her reads were flawless and I was draining putts all afternoon.
Billy (a.k.a. Willy Wonka) standing next to two caddies (a.k.a. Oompah Loompahs)
Caddy’s in Thailand are also not used to the Billy Knotts way of golfing, which involves drinking beer at a rate of about 1 can a hole. At the beginning of the round, his caddy was telling him to “drink more beer”. Then, on the back nine, Billy and I decided to start wagering on closest to the pin shots, with our winnings going to our caddies. Billy’s caddy quickly changed her tune to “no more Singha… you drink water… play better”. Unfortunately for Billy’s caddy, the only thing that could stop him was the clubhouse because by the 16th hole, the course had run out of beer! My caddy was also feeling pretty good having won 200 baht (about $7 US) on my winning golf shots. Overall, it was a great experience and we may try to play another round of golf when we arrive in China.
nkurtz