Night Golf - Stardome Golf Club

 

 

The sun slowly sets leaving a reddish hue to the sky, soon darkness will fall and golf will begin. Wait a minute, begin?  Yes, if you have not experienced night golf, prepare for an awakening to your golfing senses. I am not talking about the glow in the dark ball kind, I am talking about a fully lit par 36 nine hole course measuring 3,350 yards in the middle of the city of Chiang Mai.

 

The Stardome also features the largest range in Chiang Mai where you can warm up off mats in a double deck hitting area, all covered and of course lit for nighttime play or practice as well.  The range has the usual 100, 150, 200, and 250 yard signs to aim at and a variety of simulated green areas to dial in your distances.

 

This nine hole course and range is also open during the day, and is a great design in the city.  It is a full length nine hole course featuring water hazards, great bunkering, and four sets of tees to choose from. The greens are fast and true with some tricky contours with the fairways and rough maintained in good condition, which make it a delight to play.  You get the feeling of a park like sanctuary set away from the busy streets outside. But the real adventure here happens when the darkness falls over the course and the lights turn on.

 

I myself have never played night golf, except once with glow in the dark balls, and once at a short par three course, but this was a full nine hole affair with the playing surfaces all lit up with the blackness and stars above beckoning you to look up.  As I waited to tee off the sun was just setting, revealing a gorgeous sunset as the lights came to life. I must say walking up to the first tee, I was taken back to my childhood days of the first time playing baseball under the lights. It was a feeling of wonderment, and my senses were heightened.

 

I was amazed at how lit up the ground actually became as I could see the bunkers just set off to the right, the glistening of the pond up the left hand side, and the distant green with its flag gently waving at me to come join. I teed up the ball, swung and watched it arc into the air, being able to follow its entire flight until it landed in the fairway just to the left of the bunkers. Game on.  As I approached my ball in the fairway, my caddie stated that I had 145 yards to the front pin, yes you get caddies here for your night time adventure. The one thing I must state here is that setting up by my ball and taking a practice swing I realized your depth perception is more difficult, and you may need to take a couple of practice swings to adjust, of course not delaying your play.

 

The rest of the round was a marvel, all the holes lit up, the water hazards reflecting the ambience, and the thrill of watching other golfers swing in the white glow around the course.  The golf course itself is a great nine hole outing, with all the trouble you need. The mix of par threes, fours and fives are all there for you, and do require you to concentrate on your play. The odd green will be difficult to read as the shadowing can play affect your sight lines, but it really is a thrill to play.  The rough is cut fairly short, but as some fairways have lower hanging lights, you don’t want to spray the ball over the lights, as you feel like you hit it out of bounds if it crosses over the defining white lights.

 

The one draw back is that the rental equipment available is not your high tech modern updated weapons, and you may get a mixed bag as I did, but the thrill was just playing in the darkness, and to enjoy the experience. The caddies add to the round and make the entire evening enjoyable.

 

As you are walking up the last hole, you can hear the music playing from the bar / restaurant just off the ninth green beside the practice facility. It is in perfect tune for a nightime adventure, and offers a variety of dishes, and of course a cold brew to drink as you tally up your score under the lights.

 

Golf under the lights, many of you may have done this, but for me it was a new golfing experience and one I would like to continue on my journey.

 

 

Course details

 

9 Hole, Par 36, 3,350 yards

 

For More Information

 

Tel: +66 (0) 53 270599

Email: stardome_golf@hotmail.com

Website: www.stardomegolf.com