Golf
Golf arrived in Thailand during the reign of King Rama V one hundred years ago. It was first played by nobles and other elitists of high society but over the past decade or so, the popularity of golf in Thailand has escalated, played both by local Thais and visiting foreign tourists and expatriates.
There are an average of 400,000 foreign golfers coming to the Kingdom annually, golf in Thailand has turned into a huge local industry with new courses constantly being developed. Golf alone is annually bringing an income of 8 billion baht into the local economy. The country has been given the nickname 'The Golf Capital of Asia'.
Thailand has over two hundred courses which are rated as the highest world standard. Many of them have been designed and created by some of the classic names in the golfing world such as Nick Faldo, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player, and Greg Norman.