The 11 Best Golf Courses In Thailand

We’ve compiled a guide to 11 of the very best golf courses in Thailand.

Whether you’re a pro, amateur or just a general enthusiast, Thailand is really a golfing paradise — and widely regarded as one of the best and most beautiful places to play in the world.

With at least 250 golf courses to its name, Thailand combines both gorgeous weather and lush landscape with interesting and challenging terrain that varies according to where you are in the country, with the North being known for much hillier and undulating topography.

There’s a rich history of golf in Thailand, with the first course built in 1923 in Hua Hin under the royal seal of approval. Since then, the Thailand Golf Association has nurtured wave after wave of aspiring pro golfers, and attracted the international elite to its courses too.

Let’s take a look at the best Thailand golf courses operating right now.

11 of the Best Golf Courses in Thailand

Here’s a look at how they compare:

1. Black Mountain Golf Course

Hua Hin

Just a few kilometres outside of Hua Hin is the incredible Black Mountain course, which opened in 2007 and has hosted a number of professional tournaments since, including the Asian PGA Tour in ’09 and ’10, and the Europe vs. Asia Royal Trophy match in ’11. Don’t fear though if you’re not at that top tier level yet — the course caters for all abilities and is specially designed for both resort and tournament golfers.

This is a truly beautiful course, in terms of both the natural scenery of the mountain valley setting and the excellent layout designed by Phil Ryan of Pacific Coast Design. Interconnected waterways and aquatic hazards add to the challenge and the beauty.

It’s routinely voted as one of the best courses in Asia, and in 2012 was declared one of the 100 best outside of the USA. It’s also home to spa and pool facilities, as well as villa accommodation.

Here’s a video tour of the impressive course:

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,343 yards
• Green fees 2,600 baht*

2. Banyan Resort & Golf Club

Hua Hin

Staying in Hua Hin is the superb Banyan golf club, preferred championship course for many international and native golfers. Awarded the third best course in Thailand for 3 consecutive years, and the best clubhouse across the Asia Pacific, Banyan is the perfect place to escape to golf paradise.

Although very close to Hua Hin centre, the course feels very private and secluded, with incredible panoramic views out to the Burmese mountains. The layout is excellent, with three types of grass and an undulating landscape to challenge your game. Having said that, it’s used by golfers of varying abilities.

Banyan is also home to a resort and residences.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,361 yards
• Green Fees from 1,500 baht (depending on season and time of day)

3. Ayodhya Links

Ayutthaya

Ayodhya Links absolutely screams exclusivity — only members and their guests are permitted to play and membership is by invitation only. While it may not boast the same incredible scenery as the Hua Hin courses, it’s still undeniably one of the very best courses in Southeast Asia.

An excellent layout and intuitive build sees an undulating landscape (impressive in the flat plains of Ayutthaya!) with water features at every hole. It’s known for being a very challenging course and was voted in 76th position for GOLF Magazine’s top 100 courses in the world last year.

It’s also pretty lengthy, at 7,639 yards.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,639 yards

4. Red Mountain

Phuket

Generally considered the most challenging and visually spectacular course in Phuket, Red Mountain is a must-play for any golfer worth their salt. Set within a former tin mine, the natural landscape with varying elevations and landforms is a true joy to play on, and the course architecture is generally very impressive.

Red Mountain is actually owned by MBK Group — of the shopping centre fame — and they also operate the nearby Loch Palm course too.

There is both hotel and villa accommodation on site.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 6,900 yards
• Green fees 6,000 baht

5. Navatanee Golf Club

Bangkok

About an hour northwest of the capital, Navatanee is located near Siam Park City and is one of Bangkok’s best courses. It’s got a rich history, built in 1973 in order to host the 23rd World Cup of Golf in 1975.

For people staying or living in Bangkok, Navatanee is pretty ideal thanks to its proximity and the fact that it’s a fast course which can see rounds completed within around 4 hours. Golf carts are compulsory and the fairways generous.

While it’s not far from the city, the idyllic surroundings are the perfect escape and give off a country club vibe. It’s a relatively exclusive club, proud of its heritage and mature design. Weekends are for members only.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 6,902 yards
• Green Fees plus caddy & cart from 4,500 baht

6. Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort

Chiang Mai

Set amongst the highlands with incredibly clear air and gorgeous scenery, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you’re still in Thailand at the Chiangmai Highlands. This is an 18 hole championship golf course that’s routinely lauded as one of the best to play in Thailand.

The course was designed by Schmidt Curley and is known for testing players’ strategy skills since its opening in 2005. Thanks to the incredible undulating topography of the Chiang Mai foothills, the course uses the natural challenges of the landscape, instead of manufacturing contours and elevations.

As the name suggests, Chiangmai Highlands is also home to a luxury spa, 5* restaurant and 19 private resort villas.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,227 yards
• Green Fees 3,500 baht (1 April–31 October 2016)

7. Santiburi Country Club

Chiang Rai

Staying up North, we head to Chiang Rai and to Santiburi, home to another 18 hole championship golf course. The layout here is enjoyably challenging; the first nine holes set over relatively flat terrain with plenty of water hazards, and the final nine very hilly with aquatic features only on the final two.

Santiburi is known for being one of the best conditioned courses in the country, and also benefits from the glorious natural scenery of nearby Chiang Rai.

It opened in 1992 and is now open to guests and visitors all year round.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 6,982 yards
• Green Fees from 1,600 baht (depending on season and weekday/weekend)

8. Siam Country Club

Chonburi

Very nearby the popular city of Pattaya, Siam Country Club was the first privately owned golf course in Thailand, built in 1970, before being renovated by Schmidt Curley in 2007.

There are now two 18-hole layouts at the club — the Old Course and the Plantation — both of which are well regarded, although the older course is the favourite.

The Old Course has wide and contoured greens with a multitude of landforms to wrestle with, including over 100 sand traps and plenty of trees. It’s has been home of the LPGA in Thailand since 2007.

The Plantation hosted the Honda LPGA in 2009 and is always very well maintained. It’s positioned some way from the Old Course, in the hills with a breeze to contend with.

Need to know (Old Course)

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,016 yards
• Green Fees from 3,600 baht (depending on weekday/weekend)

9. Thai Country Club

Chachoengsao

Another of Thailand’s best golf courses, the Thai Country Club is primarily a members’ course, although visitors can play on weekdays (and weekends if they’re staying at the Peninsula Bangkok). It’s a delightfully modern course, designed under US PGA international standards, with sweeping fairways that played host to Tiger Woods in 1997 for the Asian Honda Classic tournament.

The course is as hard as you make it, and it’s popular with golfers of varying ability levels and handicaps.

There’s also a very luxurious clubhouse on site too.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,151 yards
• Green Fees from 3,650 baht (depending on season and weekday/weekend)

10. Amata Spring Country Club

Chonburi

Amata Spring is another exclusive private club that plays host to very high profile golfing events, and was voted as the best course on the Asia Tour for four consecutive years.

It can be found around halfway between Bangkok and Pattaya.

It’s a fast course with generous fairways and lots of aquatic hazards — including two large lakes. Bunkers feature at every hole too while the famous island green at the 17th hole is inspired. Just generally, the layout is truly excellent and it can be very challenging — especially when there’s a breeze on the air.

Just like Ayodhya Links, this is a very exclusive course, only open to members and their guests. Time to start networking!

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length > 7,400 yards

11. Alpine Golf Club

Pathum Thani

Many golfers’ favourite Thai course, the Alpine is another exceptional international standard golf course. Just 20 minutes north of Don Mueang airport, the Alpine’s layout and contoured design belies the flat rice paddy terrain that surrounds it.

It was designed by US course architect, Ronald M Garl.

Alpine was the host of the 2000 and 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic PGA tournament, with the latter won by Tiger Woods. The greens are fast and fairways undulating, dotted with trees and other natural landforms. There are plenty of water and bunker hazards too.

It is a challenging course, but a rewarding one. Open to members’ guests and tours.

Need to know

• 18 Holes
• Par 72
• Length 7,100 yards
• Green Fees from 2,000 baht (depending on weekday/weekend)

---

What’s your pick for the best Thailand golf course?

* All prices quoted were gleaned from websites and internet research in July 2016

Featured image is of Red Mountain via their website

Comments

comments