Naturally, second Hangover movie had to be in Thailand

Thai Country Club (Mike Bailey, TravelGolf)

If you were one of the millions who saw “The Hangover Part 2″ last week, then you probably know this raunchy sequel takes place in Thailand.

If you’ve seen the first one, you pretty much know what happens in part 2. Instead of Las Vegas, they’re in Bangkok. Like the first one, memory loss is involved, and the characters try to reconstruct what happened to them the night before, revealing layers of insane and embarrassing incidents.

The cool part, though, is that it’s in Thailand, and the movie depicts many of this great country’s treasures, such as its architecture and traditions. Of course, Thailand also has some mighty fine resorts and pretty fair golf courses.

I was there a few weeks and can attest to the golf and hotel scene, which is outstanding. We were led by a tour group called GolfAsian (highly recommended), which took us from Bangkok to Pattaya to Chiang Mai without losing us. There wasn’t a bad golf course in the lot, and the hotels and resorts, which can be had for a little more than $100 or so per night, can cost two or three times as much over here.

The one thing that really sets apart golf in Thailand, however, are the caddies ? they’re all women. And if you’re thinking along the Hangover lines, think again: these ladies are actually very well trained for the most part, are professional and know their way around a golf course. And they are mandatory, which means you can’t go ultra cheap and decide not to take one. The mandatory part is actually pretty cool because it puts people to work in respectable jobs.

You can also get a massage right after golf, and it’s very affordable. (I call Thailand the land of the eternal massage, which might be better than golf) A foot massage for around $10 isn’t uncommon, and if you’re walking there’s nothing better. Or you can go for a full-fledged Thai massage, which is more like chiropractic session than a massage, but totally feels good after golf.

Of course, there are other kinds of massages you can get as well, I hear, but we I’m not going there.

The bottom line is if you’re looking for an exotic golf vacation, Thailand should be high on your destination list. The drinking water’s clean, the food’s good, the cities and the sights are interesting. And the best part of all: the people are really friendly and respectful.