6th January 2012
Pakdokter had pre-booked a golf game at the Red Mountain Golf Course prior to coming to Phuket. Although pakdokter's golf club, the RSGC, has a reciprocal arrangement with this club and its sister course, the Loch Palm Golf Course, which would entitle pakdokter to only pay half the normal green fees - due to a rather late planning, pakdokter did not manage to make use of this facility. Golfing in Phuket is an expensive outing. The green fee in the Red Mountain Course came to about RM560 inclusive of the caddie fee. On top of this one is required to hire a buggy which cannot be shared with another golfer for another RM70. With tips to the caddy which was fixed at a minimum of RM40 - a game of golf here easily cost around RM600 to RM700. Despite of this the golf course was still quite crowded with groups of golfers from Japan, Korea and the Scandinavian countries.
As pakdokter was alone and the course was quite busy - pakdokter was requested to play with a father-and-son golfers from Finland. They were on holidays from the severe winter at home. They told pakdokter that the rest of their family members ( 2 daughters and their mother) were at the hotel recuperating from food-poisoning.
The Red Mountain Golf Course is reputed to be the current most popular course in Phuket. That probably explains the high fees. It is built on high ground and at its highest spot, one gets a commanding view of the island ( our caddies could not tell us how high it was at the highest altitude of the course). Most holes were narrow and tight with either forest or lakes to their flanks. For a mountainous course, the number of lakes was quite surprising. On top of that there was always strong winds on this high altitude. Pakdokter's flight mates lost so many golf balls as they were strong hitters but tended to be wild and sent many balls into the jungle.
hole 18 coming back to the clubhouse...
hole 1. A group of Japanese golfers kept us waiting....
many lakes although on a 'mountain'...
from the highest point....
the signature hole 17 par 3.....
the clubhouse from hole 18....
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