Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience is just a month old but already having an impact. Another luxury hotel property has joined and the region's top pro tour has again put a Kingdom track on its schedule.

Last week, the distinctive Woodlands Hotel & Resort Pattaya became part of Golf in a Kingdom, which launched in June as an itinerary and golf-travel resource that matches Thailand's top courses with its most desirable hotels.

Additionally, the Asian PGA Tour has tapped its member course Santiburi Samui Country Club as host venue of the inaugural Queen's Cup tournament, August 13-16. Santiburi Samui Country Club offers a dramatic layout that deftly traverses a jungle of towering coconut trees on gentle slopes of Koh Samui's picturesque Khao Pom Mountain.

"The Asian Tour's coming here is further proof that playing Golf in a Kingdom means playing the best," said Folke Nyberg, director of golf at Santiburi Samui Country Club. "We've got a little work to do on the event set-up side, but the course is ready — it's in championship condition every day of the year."

Woodlands Hotel & Resort Pattaya is the Kingdom's first upscale lodging option in the resort hub of Pattaya and the seventh hotel overall to join. It is set in a quiet beachfront locale just north of town, amid manicured tropical gardens and in close proximity to Siam Country Club, a 36-hole, championship venue (its Plantation Course hosted the 2009 Honda LPGA Thailand).

Among the other first-class accommodations in the Golf in a Kingdom portfolio are: Anantara Phuket; Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa; Anantara Golden Triangle; Anantara Hua Hin; Anantara Koh Samui; and Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa.

"The Kingdom's hotels comprise an elite group," said Stephane Bringer, the resort's general manager. "We fit into that collection by offering the same level of style, comfort and service as the rest. But, of course, this beachside resort of Pattaya is something no golfer on holiday should miss."

The Asian PGA Tour has stopped at Golf in a Kingdom courses before — at the prestigious Thai Country Club six times, and at Santiburi Chiang Rai in 2008 for the Singha Thailand PGA Championship.

Other golf venues in the Kingdom lineup include: Muang Kaew Golf Club in Bangkok, Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort in Chiang Mai and Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin.

"There has been a lot of positive buzz of late for Golf in a Kingdom, but I think holding the Queen's Cup at Santiburi Samui will only add to the allure," said Mark Siegel, president of Bangkok-based tour operator Golfasian, a member of the Golf in a Kingdom cooperative, along with the courses, hotels and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

"We're already fielding repeated enquiries regarding these various course and hotel properties, but the addition of Woodlands gives greater scope to what we can offer travelling golfers. We expect more commitments from Thai hotels and courses in the coming weeks. Wherever you play in the Kingdom, the golf and lodgings go together, so the itineraries we can assemble for people will only become more diverse."

To make travel plans for a tour of 'Golf in a Kingdom', visit www.golfinakingdom.com, or send e-mail to info@golfinakingdom.com

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Source: Golfasian release dated July 2009