With the opening of a scattering of new holiday resorts in the last decade, golf has been added to the mix. Thailand has about 200 golf courses scattered about the country, of which 50 or so are in the immediate vicinity of Bangkok.

The best resort course in the city is arguably the Bangkok Golf Spa Resort, known for its huge, man­made waterfall and an 18th hole considered among the top golf holes in the world by people who make a living rating such things. Who are we to argue¬

Guests can also enjoy the resort‘s unique nine­hole par 3 course (or "par III” as it‘s sometimes seen there), where each hole is a replica of a famous par 3 elsewhere in the world (such as the 12th hole at Augusta National). For added interest to readers not accustomed to playing golf after dark, the par 3 course is floodlit and open until midnight. As the name indicates, golf packages commonly include a spa treatment or three.

For business travellers looking to get away from Bangkok‘s congestion for the day to play, drive southeast (better still, hire a driver) to the Robert Trent Jones Jr ­designed Green Valley Country Club less than a hour away. Green Valley is just as its name suggests: a parkland oasis where 14 of the 18 holes have water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink... except out of a bottle. Playing golf in Thailand can feel to the un­acclimatised like a four­hour walk around a tropical sauna. A bottle of water in the bag is a must.

Further down the road and in the Samut Prakhan district on the Gulf of Thailand is the Bangpoo Country Club, an Arnold Palmer design that‘s flat and exposed at times to winds off the gulf, but a course that‘s neatly kept. The signature hole is perhaps the par 4 9th that plays around a lake to a peninsula green. For added adventure, keep your eyes out for the crocodile farm just down the road. Unlike Florida, (see the United States section), we know of no reports of crocodiles turning up on the golf course.

Hua Hin, one of the most popular beach resorts in Thailand and less than a threehour drive south of Bangkok, now has a handful of fine golf courses, too. Most have accommodation deals with one international chain, like a Hyatt or a Marriott, close by.

The Royal Hua Hin, the oldest public golf course in Thailand, opened in 1928 for exclusive use by the Thai royal family. The Jack Nicklaus­designed Springfield Royal Country Club and the Palm Hills Golf Resort, two more options near Hua Hin, were both completed in the 1990s, which is to suggest, ever so gently, that if the Thai royal family today plays golf, they‘re more likely to play there. Each of these clubs has a spacious and decorative clubhouse that characterises golf resorts in Asia, and each is only minutes away from a five­star hotel and the coast. Not far south of the airport at Phuket is the stunning Blue Canyon Country Club, a 36­hole resort that‘s often been judged the best in Thailand and one of the best in all of Southeast Asia. Its Lakes course and Canyon course may be the best 36­hole combination in one location.

The par 3 14th hole on the Lakes is famous for its kidney­shaped island green. Blue Canyon was the site of the 1994 Johnny Walker Classic. The Golfer‘s Lodge has 49 luxury rooms with teak floors and furnishings for guests who taking advantage of the resort‘s seasonal stay­and­play specials. In the far north of Thailand, the Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club, 30 minutes from the city, is among the best full­service resorts in the region, with golf packages that include airport transfers, accommodation and meals. The course was designed by Australian Peter Thomson.

Playing golf in Asia is different. It‘s hotter, so people play at night under lights. It‘s muggy, so rather than have guests carry their own clubs, they have female caddies on hand to do that, even for those who use carts. She drives. For males who always carry or pull their own bag or drive the cart, playing with a caddy for the first time will be awkward enough. Playing with a charming (usually) young woman who speaks little or no English and insists on driving the cart is, well, uniquely Asian.