Asia - Golfing at Bangkok airport between runways?

When taking off from bangkok a couple years ago, I noticed a golf course right between the runways. Anyone have any idea how you can golf there? Prices? Looks like a fun place. I remember seeing people in carts stopping to wait while our 747 taxied across their pathway to the next hole.

I saw it too, many times. There was even something on TV not long ago about that idiosyncrazy. As far as I understand it, it is a private golf club reserved for state employees but they accept players. Just ask your concierge, he'll give you all infos.

Its open to visitors...and its cheap http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

I haven't played there yet, but if anyone wants to get in a round, drop me a mail.

http://www.thailandgolfparadise.com/dynamic/GolfCourse/showcourse.asp?CourseID=32& RegionID=1 (http://www.thailandgolfparadise.com/dynamic/GolfCourse/showcourse.asp?CourseID=32&RegionID=1)

http://www.thaigolfer.com/courses/course.phtml?id=18

edited to add urls

[This message has been edited by Savage25 (edited Feb 08, 2004).]

Just FYI -- around the APEC conference last year somebody finally noticed that maybe having a field next to the airport where random people can cart around pointy metal objects is maybe not such a great idea securitywise, and there was talk of either closing it (fat chance esp. with the new airport opening soon(ish)) or making security a wee bit tighter. I'm not sure what the current situation is though.

I thought it was a Thai air force golf course.

It seems the links I posted earlier are of another course next to the BKK airport, but not the one in between the two runways. The correct link is

http://www.thaigolfer.com/courses/course.phtml?id=188

Played there last weekend and its quite an experience!

The course is called the Kantarat Golf Course (named after a former Air Cheif Marshall or something) and it's a Royal Thai Airforce course (there's a bunch of them in BKK). To enter the course, you have to take the Tollway exit for the Domestic Terminal, go past the terminal building and head south until you see a PTT gas station. The left turn at the station takes you around Runway 03L and to the entrance of the course. There is no security along the way and you could drive into the golf course carpark with a rocket launcher in your golf bag.

The course itself isn't half bad. The caddy and green fee add up to 800 baht on weekends and 500 baht on weekdays for visitors (there were 3 of us, none members). Fairways are a bit hard, and the grass is dry in spots, but there is little water. There is a moat about 10 feet wide around the course that is supposed to prevent you from walking onto the runway,but when one of my tee shots took a big fade and went onto the grass along runway 03R, the caddy just waded across and got the ball back. There are cameras at a few spots along the moat. Caddies are surprisingly knowledgeable, both about golf and aircraft...mine could tell the difference between a A320 and a B737.

Photography is prohibited, but you can snap off a few if you are discreet. A good spot is the road linking the two runways, where planes landing on 03R taxi over to 03L and the terminal buildings. You have to walk across this road twice going out and coming in on the back nine. The front nine is near the international terminals and a good place to snap aircraft starting their takeoff, while the back nine is near the cargo terminals where you can get great shots of underbellies and retracting wheels as the aircraft take off.

We started at 645am and the planes taking off were about 5-10 minutes apart until 10am where things started waking up. By the time we were contributing to Singha's bottom line, there were planes taking off almost every minute, which can upset your shots and concentration pretty bad, so I guess early morning is the best time to play.