Restore severely flood damaged iconic golf course Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai was hit with a severe flood on September 25/26 and after the waters receded a big clean up campaign began..

However, on the night of October 5/6 the river level rose to 5.3m , the highest ever recorded in history. What it left behind was sheer carnage with mud slurry over a foot deep in many places. Homes and businesses totally destroyed and some will never return.

Gymkhana is the oldest 9 hole golf course in Thailand having been established in 1898.

We are right in the middle of the most affected area.

Many of our staff were made homeless, or their homes were seriously damaged. Some staff sought refuge on the roof of their homes as the water rose to over 6 feet deep.

The club was not accessible for several days as the local roads were still under water.

The initial assessment showed that all our course equipment, tractors etc., had been completely submerged. The car park, clubhouse,office, shop, bar and restaurant were all covered in mud slurry up to a foot deep . An absolute disaster.

All available staff, and many members, have worked tirelessly to get the buildings operational again.

As for the golf course itself - this is where we need your help.

It was November 14 before the mud was solid enough to walk on or get any machinery on.

Only 3 elevated greens avoided being destroyed by the mud.

We are slowly clearing the mountain of mud away - we even found a buyer for some of it - and, to date, we have cleared 5 fairways. All the greens, tee boxes and bunkers are in the process of being rebuilt. We have also used some excess mud to build flood defences.

The power of the water was so great it ripped down our concrete perimeter walls.

We have had little or no income for 2 months and this will continue for a while. Many members are paying their fees in advance, making donations and loans, and doing everything possible to raise money for the club. We estimate it will be March or April next year before we are restored to some sort of normality.

Our estimate is that we need to raise between 5-6,000,000 Thai baht (around £135,000) in total. We are also actively seeking sponsorships from several parties.

If there is any way you can help with a donation of any size it will be very gratefully received.

And I'm sure the club will offer you a free round of golf as a thank you when you next visit.

Please forward this appeal to as many people as possible.