AussieBob

After the Covid stuff stops. Anyone know which countries offer Thais an automatic Visa upon arrival? Aussies get an automatic 30 day tourist Visa on arrival in Thailand. I am keen to know which countries, especially in Asia, will allow the wife to automatically enter without being required to apply for a Visa before travelling there. I assume it will be the same after the Covid stuff stops - anyone know of a list or have been anywhere with the Thai wife/gf and she did not require a Visa?

Yes - it was a tongue in cheek joke. But rest assured - the feminists hate it - this you dont see that type of humour much anymore in the media here.

Yep - the better looking they are - the less they know golf usually. One of the courses we played at had 'premium' caddies for an extra fee - better looking with much shorter dresses 🙂 What we did was get to know a 'senior' caddie, and we booked her all the time. She would organise our tee-offs - including at other golf courses in Chiang Mai - she knew them all. She also make sure we were not ever behind 'those' Asian groups you mentioned - but if we ever caught any of them, she would signal to the caddies in front to let us play through. Funny story: one day the wife put a huge bag of empty plastic water bottles in the car at home, I assumed she was putting them somewhere - when we got there she handed them to the caddie - and we did that every few weeks. Apparently she also made a few baht by collecting used water bottles - Thais are always finding ways to make money. There is nothing like being there and up close with the players - only at golf can you get so close. Maybe basketball for the elite seats/boxes, but in golf the average joes are right there and the elites are in the corporate boxes well away. Greg Norman was like that - the aura was amazing - he was something special that is for sure. And let me tell you, the two loveliest girls on the LPGA are Ingee Chun and Brooke Henderson - they are just wonderful - and they can play golf unbelievably well. For any blokes who have never seen the LPGA girls up close - go and take a look. Not only are they good looking, they can hit the ball a mile - much further than most non-Pro level blokes. There are now many girls who can hit it over 300 yards now - and they all have great short games - and the world greatest ever putter is a girl (Inbee Park). Plus - the crowds are much smaller - easy to get around and a far more enjoyable time.

Yes - we will be watching the LPGA shortly. We went there a few times to watch the LPGA at the Siam Country Club - used to get free entry tickets through a mate of a mate. One of the few times I would ride a bike (scooter) in Thailand - rented one for the 4 days and we would ride to the course from the hotel about 4ks away and park the scooter for free. Way cheaper and much more convenient than any other means of transport to get into the course. Especially when leaving when all the cars and baht vans are stuck - hope it is still OK to do next time we visit. We are looking around Chonburi for the next time we live there - membership of Siam is an option - but there are far better values on offer not too far away. Not like any of the golf courses are bad - the ones we have visited so far are all good - especially compared to the khrapp on offer around here.

Politically incorrect sexist misogynistic - banned by the feminists.

My first few 'playtime' visits to Thailand were in Bangkok only - it was me and a few fellow divorced mates in our early 50s. Never lived in Chiang Mai until after I retired and moved to Thailand and after I found the right one. Knew a few Aussies that did live there - so thought we can give it a try. Aside from the smoke season, it was great - decided to stay and we rented a house in Siwalee something on canal road in Mae Hia for years. We visited Pattaya a few times - but of course I never went there for the girls - only when I was in Bangkok years before.

I did not take the wife on a golf course for almost a year. All her lessons were at the range prior to me playing. When she was ready I then putt on all the greens - never played a putt for over a month. Then I let her hit my driver off the tee - I then finished the hole from wherever it went - but she still putted. Then it was more and more shared until she was ready to play all by herself. Learning on a golf course is not the way to do it at all. All cricket coaching batting is done in the nets - and I learned that most Korean LPGA girls spend years on the range learning, before they 'earn' the right to play on a course. I followed the same process - people are amazed how good she is, given she has not played for long. Sounds like maybe we did all that at the same driving range in Chiang Mai - Stardome.

I hear you about the loft on the irons - nowadays a 9 iron is more an 8 or a 7 in loft. So many other 'tricks' they employ these days to con blokes out of their money - all about feeding their egos. I will push back on the balls - I have had the time (and the money) to play with them all. Years ago I learned what changed that made the pros hit it so far. Before the serious strength techniques started, it was the ball - the ProV being the start of it all. Certainly the new graphite shafts on drivers and long woods made a difference, but the balls changed it all a lot. If you give a Pro one of the old ballata balls - they are stuffed. The ProV started it when they took a distance ball and gave it a soft urethane cover for short shots - everything changed. Power became King - control and skill became more and more irrelevent - now look at how Bryson won the US Open. The US colleges all demand 300 yards drives - any less and you aint in the program. Having said that - I used to play ProV too - but I no longer have the speed to really get it out there and the new 'middle ground' balls work wonders. They are high quality balls with urethane covers but with lower compression - still deliver the driving distances of the big boys - but the big thing is the iron distances - 10-15 yards difference for me - and a higher flight. Because of their success even Titleist has brought one out - Tour Speed - great ball. Taylormade Tour Response is great too. Callaway too - but they are usually too soft - same for Srixons. The Bridgestones are too hard. Cheaper too. But what works and doesnt work for me - aint same for all. Your swing sounds like Rahms - if that is the vase then definitley a more flexible shaft would be better. But without proper testing the issue is not just lag - it is control, twist and height. Suggest you take the driver to a place and ask to try different shafts - if they do it right it will make a huge difference. But - most places have the gear and set up - but they only do it for selling the whole club, and even then they just stick with the standard brand's shafts and variations. Made to measure is the way to go - but most places are scams - they talk khrapp and just try to sell you a new XYZ brand driver. This is a place that does it right :