Some friends and I will making our first trip around SE Asia beginning this Feb 26th. We're going for a few months and are going to be living cheaply. Me and the other guys of the group were hoping to get out and play a round of golf somewhere in Thailand or Indonesia. So, I was wondering if anybody had any advice on any cheap golfing spots in Thailand. Searching online only leads to expensive resorts and $100+ courses like Blue Canyon.

I know golf is a touristy thing, so I wasn't expecting any $10 golf courses, but isn't there something out there in the 30-50 dollar range, which is about the norm for around where I live? Also, if anyone knows about renting clubs, that'd be awesome. Thank you!!!

Golf in thailand is NOT CHEAP. It is a sport that attracts the rich and the elite ranks of the military and police. As such, green fees are not cheap. Most clubs will insist on you hiring a caddy, along with a cart, plus your club hire, plus hire of shoes, plus your green fees.

Generally I work on an outlay of $75-$120AUD for green fees, 350 baht compulsory caddy hire (around $12AUD), plus a tip of 150 baht for the caddy at the conclusion of the round (around $5.20AUD). I take my own bag of sticks and shoes, but I can tell you that the hire of clubs runs to around $25AUD and shoes hire is about $11AUD.

Therefore you could expect an average outlay of about $130 for a round at any of Bangkok's clubs which are located mainly on the Bang Na-Trat Highway.

Farther afield, the green fees on Phuket and Samui are prohibitive and hence I haven't played there for years, nor am I likely to.

Golf in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai is cheaper, count on $75AUD for an average day out up north on some very good golf courses.

Hua Hin used to be cheap, but it has climbed up steeply over the past few years with an average outlay of $80AUD. It is really the golf "capital" of Thailand with about 35 or so golf courses within 30 minutes' drive of the town of Hua Hin.

Happy golfing.
PS: Make sure you bring a change of clothing with you because you won't have a stitch of dry clothing left on you after the round owing to perspiration and later in year, the rain as well.

I have played a few of phukets courses or should I say they played me - but a big tip would be to stay in the hotel you intend to play its course I stayed at mission hills for £40 per night with a round included not sure how much that is in Oz - also all the golf places have deals for the guests