Thailand’s Golfing Industry

Thanks to some major events that have taken place over the past few years, the golfing industry within Thailand has gained some serious traction of late. The sport is now more popular than ever before. With countries like China, Singapore and Hong Kong who we know have a deep love for the sport promoting Thailand’s golf tourism, we are seeing a significant increase in players from these countries vacationing as well as playing Thailand’s greens.

As we know to be actively involved in this sport there are necessary club fees associated with the game. The world of golf, therefore, tends to attract professionals from higher income brackets, especially in the more competitive games where there are large cash prizes.

The great thing is that golfing industry does boost tourism and serious players often find means of investing in Thailand at the same time, as we know golf players often use golf as a good platform to make their business connections as well as play. For this reason, we see players investing in properties specifically in places like Bangkok, Hua Hin, and Phuket. The high returns and attractive rental guarantees that developers give, often sparks their interest and many will start scouting for investment properties, perhaps even purchase a few while out here playing.

A prime example of just how far the golfing industry has progressed out here is visible with the most recent event, known as “The World Corporate Golf Challenge” (WCGC). This is the biggest golfing event in Thailand and is held annually allowing players from all over to enter into the competition. Qualifiers are played in Bangkok, Hua Hin, and Phuket. The event gives players the opportunity to network with other players from corporate backgrounds and winners are then flown to Portugal to compete in the finals. The WCGC has really taken off with Thailand winning the world title in 2018 and therefore seeing twice and many entrants for 2019. The WCGC has certainly become one of the most elite and talked about events within the golfing industry. What is also interesting is that this competition is sponsored by some major companies such as Thai Airways, Super sports and the main sponsor for a second year running - Blue Horizon Developments. From a PR perspective, this is great for the developers to showcase their projects and encourage more investments within the real estate industry. Finals are played at the luxury Laguna Golf Course in Phuket. Currently, we are seeing many players from China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, as well as a few other countries who wish to have a chance to represent Thailand in the finals in Portugal. Due to the fantastic quality of the golf courses and great weather, these golfers tend to make trips to play the courses a few times a year, while at the same time making sure to combine it with their business affairs.

Watch this space as we are going to see a lot more activity with this sport in the years to come.