Category Archives: golf

Jim Lawrie Passes

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Jim Lawrie has been a fixture of Hua Hin for many years but we learned of his passing on Thursday. Jim initially came to Hua Hin during the Canadian winters when the golf club he was associated with, Spruce Needles Golf Course, was closed for the winter months.

Jim was with this golf course from the out-set, one of the original 12 Horsemen, who first met to discuss the possibility of opening a new course in the Porcupine in August of 1958.

Their idea for a new course was apparently spot on as the course opened in the fall of 1960 and is still a popular course in the area today. Continue reading →

UPDATE–Odds and Ends for December

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The Hua Hin Bike Week 2009 was a raging success. Many, many bikes and bikers from all over the country and Malaysia and Singapore. Lots of Chang, food, music and old friends catching up. Hats off to the Vampire MC of Hua Hin.

Billy’s Birthday party was also quite a night. Biggest crowd this party goer has seen since Randy’s Birthdays at Goldfingers. The band was excellent and still had the crowd going long after FBF headed home. The biggest surprise was that locals were heavily outnumbered by tourists and passersby. Will try to post some photos on the Billy’s Bar page. Can’t wait til next year.

The Hua Hin Rock Festival is this Saturday, the 19th, and there are sound trucks up and down the Sois reminding folks. Posters are everywhere so the road to Khao Takieb should be quite backed up all day Saturday. Too bad the road to Khao Takieb is the only road through Hua Hin…

It looks like the Intercontinental Hua Hin is finally open. At least all the trucks are off the street and traffic is much better in that part of town though the Marrakesh down the road has a long way to go and the earthmovers are still quite busy.

The new golf course at the Suan Son Army Camp seems to be coming along. Sprinklers are going full throttle and the heavy equipment seems to have all moved up to the Marrakesh operation in town. Shouldn’t be too long before the course opens.

Speaking of the Intercontinental, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams will be celebrating New Year’s Eve at the new resort before facing off in the Hua Hin Centennial Invitation tennis match next year. This event is being organised by the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand under the patronage of His Majesty the King and the city of Hua Hin.

The Hua Hin Centennial Invitation will be held at Centennial Park* (currently under feverish construction at Soi 112), on Saturday 2 January 2010 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the seaside resort and usher in the New Year in exciting fashion with two of the most popular tennis players in the world.

After their singles match, Maria and Venus will combine with local stars Paradorn Srichaphan and Danai Udomchoke for a set of mixed doubles.

There are other activities and festivals coming up over the holidays so there are places to go and things to do other than the mandatory gala dinners at the big hotels. Additional posts will be added soon with the details.

*Centennial Park is south of town at Soi 112, just past the big curve to Pranburi. It’s just south of the ramp of the overpass, across from the Mobil station. As it’s still under construction, it’s difficult to be sure, but it appears that parking will be limited.

A New Golf Course For Hua Hin?

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They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4 & Micah 4:3

The Thai military budget has risen substantially since the 2006 coup (the budget before the coup was 86 billion Baht) though the recent announcement of a reduction of the budget from 171 billion Baht to 151 billion Baht (about US$4.97 billion) means that the Army will have to suspend the 3.89 billion Baht purchase of another lot of 89 armored personnel carriers (APCs) from the Ukraine. However, it seems most of the cut will be simply from the delaying the purchase of the second set of 6 Gripen fighter jets worth 15 billion Baht from Sweden.

Taxes on alcohol (other than lao khao) , tobacco, and petrol continue to climb and the government has introduced the country’s first property, land, and inheritance tax legislation.

The Thai cabinet in February approved about 270 billion Baht (US$7.8 billion) in domestic and foreign borrowing to boost liquidity in state enterprises and finance infrastructure building. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij also won cabinet approval for his request to raise 200 billion Baht (US$5.8 billion) in short-term loans from local banks to help Thailand’s 58 state enterprises ease their liquidity problems this year.

A new golf course in Hua Hin might help in solving these problems and the good folks at the Army Welfare Office who maintain Suan Son Pradiphat, seem willing to oblige (beat their APCs into golf clubs?). Behind the tattered azure curtain along the highway south of town you can observe the earth moving equipment hard at work.

No details on who’s designing the course or when it will open but the work is fast and furious so it shouldn’t be too long. It is a great location and very convenient for those staying at the Banyan.

Perhaps the revenues will go towards reducing Thailand’s 58 state enterprises ease their liquidity problems.