Thailand has been diligently promoting a strategy to build golf tourism to many of its already popular destinations – such as its capital Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and the newer ones such as Khao Yai and Kanchanaburi. It is usual to associate Thailand with some great culture, cuisine, spectacular beaches, but the one association that resonates universally is the nightlife. For a group of golfing buddies, the combination of nightlife and golf is tough to beat and any golfer would agree that there is no other place on the planet that has an offering that comes anywhere near that of the nightlife and golf in Thailand.
The sharpest filters to treat this topic with is to look at destinations in Thailand with both nightlife and high-quality golfing – this helps narrow it down to 3 main destinations – Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. This is not to say that the other destinations in Thailand do not have a good selection of golf courses to go along with nightlife, it is just a question of what works best.
Of the aforementioned three in Thailand, it is safe to say that Pattaya rules. There is an oversupply of bars and nightclubs, catering to various budgets as do the golf courses. Your budget may not be a factor when it comes to enjoying nightlife and golfing. Golf Courses green fees starts from as little as 600-700 THB (USD 20) and can go up to 4500 THB (USD 140), while a drink in a bar can cost anywhere between 50 THB (1.5 USD) to 250 THB (8 USD) depending on where you are drinking and who with. With hotels also of varying budgets, your Thailand nightlife golfing tour centered in Pattaya is truly suited to varying affordability.
Phuket is not far behind when it comes to nightlife and golf tours in Thailand, although it has to be said that the golfing options in Phuket are limited in comparison to Pattaya, more specifically the low-cost ones. The town though, does go to party and one walk through Bangla Street will show you what we are talking about. There are plenty of options to choose for stay in Phuket spread across the island, but for the golf and nightlife combo, there is no better place than being in Patong.
The only thing that comes in the way of Bangkok as a nightlife and golf holiday destination in Thailand is the commute to the courses from the popular tourist areas, which as you would imagine are also the places to party. Nightlife in Bangkok is second to none, possibly even a little classier than Pattaya or Phuket. As are the golf courses, with nearly 70 of them within a driving distance of 1 to 1.5 hours. So, it is the drive between the nightlife and golf that takes golfers away from Bangkok, but for anyone who experiences the combination of the nightlife and golf courses in Bangkok, the drive is quite ironically the road to recovery.
