MARCH 2004

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GOLF THINKER OF THE MOMENT

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Dear Fellow Golfthinker!

I hope everything is great with you and you're making some birdies out there on the golf course. This month's golfletter has a slightly new look, new section, and has a little more content than usual, so you may want to consider printing it out and taking it home to read - One of last month's subscribers informed me that the golfletter was "great for the toilet. " I'm still deciding if that was a compliment or not...

Anyway, in terms of business development, golfthink is partnering with several golf industry leaders and in the upcoming months you'll be able to come to golfthink for all of your golfing needs including golf tours and travel, corporate event management, equipment, golf business marketing and as always, golf instruction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any information about golf in Thailand, or just to chat about your game...

Great golfing!

Kim Inglis

Chief Golf Thinker

golfthink

In This Edition...

1. Mulligan Madness in March

2. Book Your Next Golf Trip To Thailand with golfthink

3. Not-So-Famous Thailand Golf Courses (New!)

4. Amazing But True Golf Facts

5. Golf in Thailand - Tip of the Month

March is Mulligan Madness at golfthink

It's starting to heat up in Bangkok and so are our specials!!! Book any golf lesson during March and we'll give you our "March Mates Rates", plus throw in any one of the following:

- Free One Hour Short Game Lesson OR

- Free Tiger Woods Book "How I Play Golf" OR

- Free One Dozen Golf Balls

This offer is only available by e-mailing HERE, you don't need to type anything, just click twice (once above and once to send) and we'll give you all the details.

We've also got a referral program going to say thanks for supporting me. For every person you refer, we'll give you two hours of free lessons. Refer three or more people in one calendar month and you'll receive a free Jim Thompson Golf Shirt!

Golf Tours and Packages - Now Available @ golfthink

"You Da Man" already and don't need golf lessons? No problem - You can still book tee times, transfers and hotels with golfthink.

If you visit our web site in a few weeks you'll be able to see all our prices and packages, and in the meantime just e-mail us HERE with your requirements and we'll get a quote back to you within 24 hours, usually sooner. To help speed our response time, please ensure you include the following (if known):

1. Arrival/Departure Dates and Times

2. Destination - Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai

3. No. Golfers

4. Accommodation Requirements

5. No. of Rounds of Golf Planned - Preferred Tee Times, Dates, Courses

6. Special Requests

We can also do tours to New Zealand and Australia and if you're looking for other golf destinations, we'll be happy to put you on to one of our trusted network partners.

Not-So-Famous Thailand Golf Courses

If you're stuck at Bangkok International Airport and have five hours to spare, try teeing it up at the Royal Thai Airforces Kantarat Golf Course. The course is situated between the East and West runways of the airport and you can tee it up weekdays with a caddie for the same price as the airport departure tax - THB 500. Weekends will set you back a little more at THB 800 for greens and caddie fee - still a great deal.

Every hole is memorable, but not because of any strategically placed bunkers or cleverly contoured greens. Jumbo Jets land, takeoff and fly precariously close above and around and it's tempting not to tee one up and see how far you could hit it down the runway or into a light aircraft.

You won't find this course in any top ten lists, but any golfer looking for a slightly different golf experience in Bangkok should give it a try. It's a great story to tell, especially if you're an overseas visitor. If you need more info just send me an e-mail HERE and I'll give you all the details.

Before entering the course, your golf bag will be checked for surface-to-air missiles (seriously), so don't be afraid they're after you're 50 fake watches or 10 pounds of cheap jewelry you stashed in there thinking you'll make a quick buck off your mates back home.

Amazing But True Golf Facts - Courtesy www.golfnuts.com

The 2003 "Golf Nut of the Year" was awarded to Bob Fagan of Pleasanton, California. His golf achievements are simply unbelievable and here's just a small sample:

- Has achieved the "Golf Nut Slam" by playing on Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spouse's Birthday, plus Anniversary in a single year.

- Won low gross in a 9-hole Mixed Nude Golf tournament.

- Tied a putter to the trunk of his car and dragged it along the highway for an 18-mile trip home from the course

- Has played over 1,641 golf courses in the United States

- Has played a round of golf in less than 80 strokes on a regulation course in less than 60 minutes while carrying his bag of 14 clubs/umbrella, and walking/running

- Once played through 12 groups in a single 18-hole round at the Shanty Creek Legends Course

- Played 26 top ranked courses in Michigan in a five-and-a-half-day period, while setting four course records, and driving more than 1,300 miles

- Played four courses on his honeymoon

And yes, he's now single....!!!

For the full list, visit http://www.golfnuts.com/nutofyear.asp?year=2003

Golf in Thailand - Tip of the Month

Green Reading - Speed Dictates the Break. Firstly, with the exception of a few courses, most of the caddies at Thailand's golf courses have limited green reading abilities and one should take a "Proceed at Your Own Risk" attitude if one is to entrust the (usually) wonderful caddies with reading your putts. Secondly, and my point is, the amount a putt breaks is highly dependant on the speed at which you will hit the putt. The faster the ball is traveling, the less the ball will break. Unless your caddie is psychic or you've discussed with her (in Thai) the exact speed you're going to hit a putt, it's going to be difficult for her to give you an accurate read.

I prefer not to ask the caddie unless she's been on the job at least three years, or I don't have a clue which way the putt's going to break. The other reason why I'm reluctant to to ask for a read is because if they tell you it'll break 2 inches right and you were thinking 2 inches left, it puts doubt in your mind, which is the last thing you want. On the other hand, if she tells you the same as you were thinking, then it instills confidence...

It's quite embarrassing (but more entertaining) playing with the Tiger wannabe who repeatedly (and seriously) blames the caddie for giving them the wrong line. These are usually the same golfers that blame every bad shot on equipment (they'll buy a new driver every second month), the course conditions (the greens will be too slow or too fast), the weather (it's too hot or too windy), or anything else they can think of. Blaming the caddie is the equivalent of microwaving your cat and blaming your big brother because he told you to - it might be ok to do when you're a child (depending on what setting you had the microwave on), but unacceptable as an adult!

This Month's Quote

"More than athletic ability, more than technique, more than practice or equipment or anything else, the mind-set, or attitude that you bring to the game determines not only the enjoyment you will derive from it but also the level of proficiency you will achieve" - Jim Flick from his great book "On Golf".

Note: Having once been an expert in "the art of club throwing" myself, I can certainly agree with this one. After spending three days with Jim Flick (Jack Nicklaus' former coach) the best lesson I got wasn't anything about my golf swing, but a lesson in attitude on the golf course. Get a good one and your scores will go down.

April 2004 Newsletter

February 2004 Newsletter

January 2004 Newsletter

golfThink, Ltd

Sawan Court, Sukhumvit Soi 26

Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel: +66 2 258 5200 Mob: +66 1 485 5189

E-mail: info@golfthink.com URL: www.golfthink.com


MARCH 2004 SUBSCRIBE Click HERE to send us an e-mail if you'd like to receive this monthly e-golfletter IS THIS JUNK-MAIL? Click HERE if you'd like to be taken off our mailing list GOLF THINKER OF THE MOMENT Take a look at our "golfthinker of the moment" on our home page. GO...	Dear Fellow Golfthinker! I hope everything is great with you and you're making some birdies out there on the golf course. This month's golfletter has a slightly new look, new section, and has a little more content than usual, so you may want to consider printing it out and taking it home to read - One of last month's subscribers informed me that the golfletter was "great for the toilet. " I'm still deciding if that was a compliment or not... Anyway, in terms of business development, golfthink is partnering with several golf industry leaders and in the upcoming months you'll be able to come to golfthink for all of your golfing needs including golf tours and travel, corporate event management, equipment, golf business marketing and as always, golf instruction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any information about golf in Thailand, or just to chat about your game... Great golfing! Kim Inglis Chief Golf Thinker golfthink In This Edition... 1. Mulligan Madness in March 2. Book Your Next Golf Trip To Thailand with golfthink 3. Not-So-Famous Thailand Golf Courses (New!) 4. Amazing But True Golf Facts 5. Golf in Thailand - Tip of the Month March is Mulligan Madness at golfthink It's starting to heat up in Bangkok and so are our specials!!! Book any golf lesson during March and we'll give you our "March Mates Rates", plus throw in any one of the following: - Free One Hour Short Game Lesson OR - Free Tiger Woods Book "How I Play Golf" OR - Free One Dozen Golf Balls This offer is only available by e-mailing HERE, you don't need to type anything, just click twice (once above and once to send) and we'll give you all the details. We've also got a referral program going to say thanks for supporting me. For every person you refer, we'll give you two hours of free lessons. Refer three or more people in one calendar month and you'll receive a free Jim Thompson Golf Shirt! Golf Tours and Packages - Now Available @ golfthink "You Da Man" already and don't need golf lessons? No problem - You can still book tee times, transfers and hotels with golfthink. If you visit our web site in a few weeks you'll be able to see all our prices and packages, and in the meantime just e-mail us HERE with your requirements and we'll get a quote back to you within 24 hours, usually sooner. To help speed our response time, please ensure you include the following (if known): 1. Arrival/Departure Dates and Times 2. Destination - Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai 3. No. Golfers 4. Accommodation Requirements 5. No. of Rounds of Golf Planned - Preferred Tee Times, Dates, Courses 6. Special Requests We can also do tours to New Zealand and Australia and if you're looking for other golf destinations, we'll be happy to put you on to one of our trusted network partners. Not-So-Famous Thailand Golf Courses If you're stuck at Bangkok International Airport and have five hours to spare, try teeing it up at the Royal Thai Airforces Kantarat Golf Course. The course is situated between the East and West runways of the airport and you can tee it up weekdays with a caddie for the same price as the airport departure tax - THB 500. Weekends will set you back a little more at THB 800 for greens and caddie fee - still a great deal. Every hole is memorable, but not because of any strategically placed bunkers or cleverly contoured greens. Jumbo Jets land, takeoff and fly precariously close above and around and it's tempting not to tee one up and see how far you could hit it down the runway or into a light aircraft. You won't find this course in any top ten lists, but any golfer looking for a slightly different golf experience in Bangkok should give it a try. It's a great story to tell, especially if you're an overseas visitor. If you need more info just send me an e-mail HERE and I'll give you all the details. Before entering the course, your golf bag will be checked for surface-to-air missiles (seriously), so don't be afraid they're after you're 50 fake watches or 10 pounds of cheap jewelry you stashed in there thinking you'll make a quick buck off your mates back home. Amazing But True Golf Facts - Courtesy www.golfnuts.com The 2003 "Golf Nut of the Year" was awarded to Bob Fagan of Pleasanton, California. His golf achievements are simply unbelievable and here's just a small sample: - Has achieved the "Golf Nut Slam" by playing on Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spouse's Birthday, plus Anniversary in a single year. - Won low gross in a 9-hole Mixed Nude Golf tournament. - Tied a putter to the trunk of his car and dragged it along the highway for an 18-mile trip home from the course - Has played over 1,641 golf courses in the United States - Has played a round of golf in less than 80 strokes on a regulation course in less than 60 minutes while carrying his bag of 14 clubs/umbrella, and walking/running - Once played through 12 groups in a single 18-hole round at the Shanty Creek Legends Course - Played 26 top ranked courses in Michigan in a five-and-a-half-day period, while setting four course records, and driving more than 1,300 miles - Played four courses on his honeymoon And yes, he's now single....!!! For the full list, visit http://www.golfnuts.com/nutofyear.asp?year=2003 Golf in Thailand - Tip of the Month Green Reading - Speed Dictates the Break. Firstly, with the exception of a few courses, most of the caddies at Thailand's golf courses have limited green reading abilities and one should take a "Proceed at Your Own Risk" attitude if one is to entrust the (usually) wonderful caddies with reading your putts. Secondly, and my point is, the amount a putt breaks is highly dependant on the speed at which you will hit the putt. The faster the ball is traveling, the less the ball will break. Unless your caddie is psychic or you've discussed with her (in Thai) the exact speed you're going to hit a putt, it's going to be difficult for her to give you an accurate read. I prefer not to ask the caddie unless she's been on the job at least three years, or I don't have a clue which way the putt's going to break. The other reason why I'm reluctant to to ask for a read is because if they tell you it'll break 2 inches right and you were thinking 2 inches left, it puts doubt in your mind, which is the last thing you want. On the other hand, if she tells you the same as you were thinking, then it instills confidence... It's quite embarrassing (but more entertaining) playing with the Tiger wannabe who repeatedly (and seriously) blames the caddie for giving them the wrong line. These are usually the same golfers that blame every bad shot on equipment (they'll buy a new driver every second month), the course conditions (the greens will be too slow or too fast), the weather (it's too hot or too windy), or anything else they can think of. Blaming the caddie is the equivalent of microwaving your cat and blaming your big brother because he told you to - it might be ok to do when you're a child (depending on what setting you had the microwave on), but unacceptable as an adult! This Month's Quote "More than athletic ability, more than technique, more than practice or equipment or anything else, the mind-set, or attitude that you bring to the game determines not only the enjoyment you will derive from it but also the level of proficiency you will achieve" - Jim Flick from his great book "On Golf". Note: Having once been an expert in "the art of club throwing" myself, I can certainly agree with this one. After spending three days with Jim Flick (Jack Nicklaus' former coach) the best lesson I got wasn't anything about my golf swing, but a lesson in attitude on the golf course. Get a good one and your scores will go down. April 2004 Newsletter February 2004 Newsletter January 2004 Newsletter golfThink, Ltd Sawan Court, Sukhumvit Soi 26 Bangkok 10110, Thailand Tel: +66 2 258 5200 Mob: +66 1 485 5189 E-mail: info@golfthink.com URL: www.golfthink.com