Playing Golf in Taiwan 臺灣高爾夫球的經歷

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of playing a round of 18 holes of golf in Taiwan for the first time. I had been to driving ranges in Taiwan a few times before, but never had the time or company to play a good 18 holes. Last summer I brought my golf clubs back from America because my boss told me that if I had clubs, he would take me out to play. Much to my surprise, golf culture in Taiwan is much different than back in the States.
幾個禮拜前，我榮幸參加第一次在台灣的18洞高爾夫球比賽。 我以前曾經在台灣練習過幾次，但從來沒有時間或其他人陪伴我打18洞。 去年夏天，我把高爾夫球桿從美國帶回來因為我的老闆告訴我，如果我有球杆，他會帶我出去打。 令我驚訝的是，台灣的高爾夫文化跟美國很不一樣。
 
Preparation 準備:
 
I had some mental preparation before I went; my boss told me that I needed to wear a collared shirt, I needed real golf shoes, and I needed my own clubs. These are things that cannot be rented at the course. So when I was in America over the summer, I bought some cheap shoes at Ross that seemed to pass as golf shoes. I don’t know what they are, but I’m guessing that they are actually track shoes. They don’t have spikes, but I guess those aren’t required. The internet is sadly void of any articles telling us what the guidelines for golf shoes are, much less in Taiwan. Anyway, that didn’t matter because when we got to the course, no one checked my shoes at all.
我打之前有一些心理準備。 我的老闆告訴我，我需要穿領襯衫，我需要穿真正的高爾夫球鞋，而且我需要有自己的球杆。 這些東西是不能在球場租用的。 所以夏天的時候在美國，我在Ross買了一些便宜的鞋，看起來像高爾夫球鞋一樣。 我不知道它們是不是，但我猜他們實際上是跟踪鞋。 他們沒有尖峰，但我想這不是必需的。 網路上可悲的是沒有任何文章告訴我們高爾夫鞋到底是什麼，在台灣更是如此。 無論如何，這並不重要，因為當我們走到球場，根本沒有人檢查我的鞋子。
 
Later, I went to a local Net and bought a cheap quick-dry polo for 100 NT, and I borrowed a company cap from our marketing manager (I do not own any baseball caps). I wore some tan Khakis and a white belt because that seemed to be the golf style in Taiwan from what I could tell from Google images.
後來，我去了 NET，買了一個100塊的快乾馬球，我從我們的行銷經理（我沒有任何棒球帽）借了一個公司的帽子。 我穿了一些棕褐色的卡其色和一條白色的腰帶，因為從我從Google的圖片中可以看出，這似乎是台灣的高爾夫風格。

Air hosing my shoes after the game. 打完之後清潔鞋子。

Playing 18 Holes of Golf 打18洞的經驗
 
My boss woke up at like 4:30 AM and drove to my house to fetch me, after which we picked up our client. Then we drove to the course in Taoyuan. When we got there, we had to register at the front desk and pay up front. Apparently we also missed free breakfast because we thought we would miss our tee time. Then, they gave us electronic locker keys where we could put out stuff. From the get-go, we had caddies carrying our golf bags around.
我的老闆在凌晨四點半醒來，開車到我家去接我，之後我們接我們的客戶。 然後我們開車去桃園。 當我們到達那裡，我們必須在前台登記，並付錢。 顯然我們也錯過了免費早餐，因為我們認為我們會錯過我們的開球時間。 然後，他們給了我們電子儲物櫃鑰匙，我們可以放出東西。 從一開始，我們的球童都帶著我們的高爾夫球袋。​

We had two caddies for the three of us, who were two ladies that I would be tempted to call Amahs. We also had a golf cart which I’m sure is also mandatory for the course. Throughout the game our caddies picked out our clubs for us and carried our clubs. It seemed they knew much more about golf than me. I asked them if they ever played. Their answer was that their job was already tiring enough, and so they never played the game themselves. Sad.
​我們三個人都有兩個小姐，他們是阿媽。 我們也有一個高爾夫球車，我相信這也是強制性的。 在整個遊戲中，我們的球童 （阿媽們）為我們挑選了我們的球杆，並攜帶了球杆。 看來他們對高爾夫比我更了解。 我問他們是否玩過。 他們說工作已經夠累了，所以他們從來沒有玩過。 傷心。

​During the game I sucked. I hadn’t played 9 or more holes in over 2 years. I think my best hole was a Bogey. The rest were probably +3 and above. Once I stopped using my 1 wood completely it helped lower my score a bit. Also I think I hit just about every water hazard and hit my ball out of bounds multiple times. Many balls were lost. My boss didn’t do much better though, so he was glad to have me around as his “Angel.” Our client destroyed us with multiple pars and at least one birdie. After 9 holes we rested and had some nice cold green bean soup. Then we went on for another grueling 9 holes in which I became gradually worse. My back and shoulders were very sore for the next few days.
在比賽中，我超爛的。 我兩年內沒有打過9個以上的洞。 我認為我最好的洞是一個加一。 其餘的可能是加3以上。 一旦我完全停止使用我的1木頭，它有助於降低我的分數。 另外我覺得我幾乎擊中每一個水障礙，很多次打出我的球出界。 許多球丟失了。 我的老闆雖然做得併不好，所以他很高興能把我當作自己的“天使”。我們的客戶至少有一隻小鳥摧，完全打敗我們。 九洞之後，我們休息了一下，吃了一些好吃的冷綠豆湯。 然後，我們繼續了另一個艱難的9洞，我逐漸變得更糟。 在接下來的幾天裡，我的背部和肩膀非常疼痛。
 
After we finished there were compressed air pumps with which we cleaned our shoes (pictured above). Then we moved back into the locker rooms where my boss proceeded to shower along with everyone else there. I had not brought an extra pair of clothes and thus awkwardly sat there while I waited for my boss to come out of the shower. 
 我們結束後，有壓縮空氣泵，我們清洗我們的鞋子（上圖）。 然後我們回到更衣室，在那裡我的老闆和其他人一起洗澡。 我沒有帶額外的衣服，因此在我等待老闆從淋浴中出來的時候坐在那兒笨拙。

After changing clothes, we dined at a restaurant inside the golf club on the top floor. The service was pretty bad for being the only ones there, but the atmosphere was nice. After our lunch of a few expensive dishes, we made our way home.
換衣服後，我們在頂層高爾夫俱樂部內的一家餐廳用餐。 該服務是相當還好因爲隻有我們在場，但氣氛很好。 在我們吃了一些昂貴的菜餚之後，我們回家了。
 
What to Bring When Golfing in Taiwan 要帶的東西:
​

• Collared T-shirt (polo) 有領子的上衣
• Golf shoes (spikes are not required) 高爾夫球鞋 （不用釘子）
• Hat of some kind 帽子
• Golf glove 高爾夫手套
• Golf balls 球
• Golf clubs 球杆
• Golf bag 球杆袋
• Golf tees 發球台
• Pants with a belt 褲子跟皮帶
• Extra pair of clothes/shoes (to wear after showering) 另外一套衣服跟鞋子

Note: Don't worry about water. They will give you plenty of water. Also I think golf carts are mandatory.
注記：不用帶水，高爾夫球車也是必要的。
 
Price 價錢:

This I am not too sure about but you can check out this forum. I have heard courses around Taipei to be around 3000 NT per round but other places can be as cheap as 1500 NT or so. You should call or check online for the golf course you want to go to. 
What I do know is that golfing in Taiwan is going to be much more expensive than a public course in the US.
Driving ranges are very cheap, with a large bucket of balls going for about 100 NT.
As for a membership, my boss said he paid 700,000 NT a year for his. Think about that.
 這我不太確定，但你可以看看這個論壇。 我聽說台北周圍的課程每個禮拜大約3000新台幣，但其他地方可以便宜到1500新台幣左右。 您應該打電話或在線查詢您想要去的高爾夫球場。
我所知道的是，台灣高爾夫將比美國的公共課程昂貴得多。
練習場非常便宜，一大桶球大概需要100新台幣。
至於會員，我的老闆說他每年支付70萬新台幣。 誇不誇張。

Conclusion 結論:

Playing golf in Taiwan is not the same as in the States. Your caddy will choose your clubs for you, unless you suggest otherwise. Also, golfing is also much more expensive than a public course in the US. Most of all, golf in Taiwan is a very formal ritual reserved for the elites, and is very much a rich man's sport.
​在台灣打高爾夫跟美國不一樣。你的球童會選擇你的球桿。 而且，高爾夫比美國的公共球場要昂貴得多。 最重要的是，台灣的高爾夫球是一個為精英而非常正式的儀式，而且是非常適合有錢人的運動。

​Thanks for reading our experience. Please like comment, and share below!
Stay tuned on our social media channels for our next adventure!
​感謝您閱讀我們的經驗。請暗讚，並在下面留言和分享！
請繼續關注我們的社交媒體渠道，來指導我們的下一次冒險！

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