The hot topic of the week on the forum in Hua Hin is golf. A number of discussions have been raging over golf courses in and around the town, with the major concern to many being the prices. It is well known that Hua Hin isn’t the most wallet friendly destination in Thailand so it comes as no surprise that many expats have been grumbling about green fees on the major golf courses.
Nearly all of the ‘big eight’ around town have been reported to have a dual pricing system, one for Thais and one for foreigners, the cost to play some courses can be up to 200% more than the non-advertised local price. Naturally the societies can play cheaper and there is always the option of buying a lifetime membership but isn’t it about time the permanent expats of Hua Hin are given a break and no longer treated like rich tourists?
Dual pricing aside, as it happens for pretty much everything in Thailand, there are a number of options open to the golf courses if they’re interested in filling more tee times. Many are already offering substantial discounts if you turn up after 3pm but what about an annual fee for expats similar to a membership but only useable between March and November? This way the course remains busy in the low season, gets its usual tourist golfers in the high, and expats get to play for a realistic price as often as they like when it’s quiet.
There already are a number of existing good golf courses at very good prices but naturally they are not in Hua Hin, Dragon Hills is a good example. For the avid golfer it can often work out better to drive to Ratchaburi or Kanchanaburi, play a round, stay the night in a hotel there, and have another round the following day then return to Hua Hin. This could work out cheaper than playing one round of golf here in town which can add up to over 5,000 baht when all the extras are included.
What would be great for golfers are more local military style courses similar to Thanarat in Pranburi, these are a fraction of the cost of the major courses and ideal for those higher handicap golfers that need the practise. A large swathe of land just past Takiab and before Suan Son heading south on Petchksaem looks like it is being developed into a new course – lets just hope the green fees are not over three grand for foreigners!
The second hottest topic was a notice plastered on a window in the Soi 102 immigration office stating that it is due to close up shop for good on March 20 and move back to Prachuab. Upon further enquiry we found out that this was the case because the free lease on the land they were using was about to expire after two years.
Now what does verge on the preposterous is the notion that this particular office probably has one of the highest incomes in the country going by the number of complaints over fines dished out and ever changing local legislation that does not apply elsewhere. So we find ourselves wondering why it is that the department can’t find a couple of grand a month to pay to rent a place and feels the need to inconvenience thousands of resident expats by moving 100 kilometers away. Only in Hua Hin!