Golfasian's Mark Siegel Talks Fees, Tees & Thai Golf Holidays [S5.E25]

Greg interviews Mark Siegel, the director of
Golfasian, one of Asia's largest golf tour
operators. Greg opens with the caveat that neither he nor Ed are
golfers and leaves it up to Mark to do his best to sell us on a
golf holiday in the Land of Smiles. 


Greg begins by noting that his first thought of a relaxing
holiday would not be to spend 4 hours walking around in the
scorching sun, but Mark (in the first of his many insights)
responds that if you're back in the freezing winter of Canada you
might! Mark then points out that the unique appeal of Thailand is
that there are so many other things for tourists to do that even
if you do spend 4 hours in the sun, the rest of the day can be
spent getting a Thai massage or relaxing by the pool. In further
discussions of what makes Thailand so good for golf compared to
other destinations, Mark observes that there are over 60 (!) golf
courses of all difficulty levels within proximity to Bangkok, and
about one-third of them are owned by the military which means
they are not run for profit and are incredibly cheap compared to
places such as Japan.


The guys continue with an in-depth discussion of the
positive economic impact of golf courses on surrounding
communities, what golf will look like in Thailand over the coming
years, and how a golf holiday may actually be considered
eco-friendly. 


By the end, Greg and Ed are sold. At least in theory. If
they don't have to get off their couches. But you, you can go do
it for real and tell us all about it!


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