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Golf in Chiang Mai: Mountain Views, Cool Mornings, and Caddies Who Know Every Green

Cool mountain mornings, championship courses, and caddies who read every green: golf in Chiang Mai is one of Thailand's best-kept sporting secrets. Here is where to play, when to come, and how we arrange your tee times.

Amber

Updated Sep 14, 2026·5 min read

Why Golfers Fall in Love with Chiang Mai

Ask anyone who has played golf in Thailand's North and you will hear the same things: the courses are beautiful, the mornings are cool, the greens are surprisingly well kept, and the whole day costs a fraction of what a comparable round would at home. Chiang Mai sits in a valley ringed by mountains, and many of the courses use that scenery shamelessly. You will be lining up a putt and catching yourself staring at the hills instead.

Add year-round golf weather (with a genuinely glorious window from November to February), warm Thai hospitality, and the famous caddie culture, and you can see why golfers build entire trips around this city. Better still: with more than a dozen courses within day-trip range, you can play a different course every day for two weeks and never repeat yourself.

The Courses Around Chiang Mai, Area by Area

In and Around the City

  • Lanna Golf Course: 27 holes right in town on Chotana Road, army-run since 1974, a favorite for repeat rounds and golfers watching their budget

  • Chiangmai Gymkhana Club: a historic 9-hole course just across the Ping River from the Old City, founded 1898 and the oldest sporting club in Thailand, and wonderfully casual, play in the morning, temples in the afternoon

  • Pimantip Golf Club (formerly Star Dome): nine floodlit holes and the biggest driving range in the North on the Wing 41 air force grounds by the airport, quick to reach from most hotels and the place for night golf

  • North Hill Golf Club (Hang Dong): a modern, immaculately kept 18 about 15 minutes from the airport, the newest full-size course this close to town

North of the City: Mae Rim, San Sai, and Mae Jo

East into the Hills: Mae On and San Kamphaeng

  • Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort (Mae On): widely rated among the top courses in Northern Thailand, 27 holes of rolling terrain, big views, and a spa for afterwards

  • Alpine Golf Resort Chiangmai (toward San Kamphaeng): a 27-hole championship resort course with Asian Tour pedigree that pairs beautifully with hotel and spa packages

Worth the Drive: Lamphun and the Doi Inthanon Route

  • Gassan Khuntan Golf & Resort (Lamphun): 27 holes of mountain and railway views near the famous white bridge of Tha Chomphu, a special-occasion course

  • Gassan Legacy Golf Club (Lamphun): the Lee Schmidt lakeside redesign of the former Gassan Lake City, water in play on hole after hole; its sister course Gassan Panorama (formerly Gassan Marina) stretches to some of the longest yardage in Thailand

  • Chiangmai Inthanon Golf & Natural Resort (Chom Thong, on the Doi Inthanon route): our favorite combination trick, pair a round here with a Doi Inthanon day trip and turn one drive into two great days

Short Rounds and Golf Tasters

Each course has its own character, and the right pick depends on your handicap, your budget, and how far you feel like driving before your round. Tell us what you like and we will match you honestly.

The Caddie Culture

At Thai courses, a caddie accompanies every player, and honestly, it is one of the best parts of playing here. Your caddie reads the greens (they walk them every day), tracks your ball so you never lose one in the rough, keeps your clubs clean, and cheers your good shots with real enthusiasm. Caddie fees are part of the course cost, and a cash tip at the end of the round is customary and well earned, think 300 to 400 baht as a fair baseline, a little more at the premium courses.

When to Play and How to Plan

  • November to February: cool season, the prime time, book tee times ahead

  • March to May: hot season, go for early morning tee times and twilight rounds; late February to April can also bring haze from the regional burning season that softens the mountain views

  • June to October: green season, lush courses, softer prices, and rain that usually comes in short bursts rather than all-day washouts

Most courses rent quality clubs and shoes, so you do not have to haul your bag across the world, though if you do, our luggage storage happily babysits travel bags while you play.

Let Us Arrange Your Round

We arrange tee times in Chiang Mai at fair local rates, with honest advice about which course fits your game and your budget, transport if you need it, and multi-round itineraries that mix city courses with the mountain ones. Book online, message us on WhatsApp or LINE, or walk into one of our offices on Changklan Road and plan your golf days over a coffee.

Tell us your dates and handicap, and we will do the rest.

Golf in Chiang Mai: FAQs

Chiang Mai Highlands (Mae On) and Alpine Golf Resort (toward San Kamphaeng), both 27-hole layouts, top most lists, with Summit Green Valley, The Royal Chiangmai, North Hill, and the Gassan courses in Lamphun close behind. In town, Lanna Golf Course offers 27 holes and the historic Gymkhana Club a casual 9. The right pick depends on your game and budget; tell us what you like and we will match you.

November to February is prime time with cool, dry mornings. March to May is hot, so book early or twilight tee times, and note that late February to April can bring haze from the regional burning season. June to October is the green season: lush courses, fewer players, and rain that usually passes quickly.

Easily. Summit Green Valley and the city courses pair well with an afternoon of temples, and Chiangmai Inthanon Golf and Natural Resort sits on the Doi Inthanon route, so a round there combines naturally with a Doi Inthanon day trip.

No. Most courses around Chiang Mai rent good-quality clubs and shoes. If you do travel with your own set, we can store your travel luggage while you are out on the course.

A caddie accompanies every player at Thai courses. They read greens, track balls, and manage your clubs. The caddie fee is part of the course cost, and a cash tip at the end of the round is customary, 300 to 400 baht is a fair baseline, a little more at the premium courses.

Yes. We arrange tee times at fair local rates plus transport to and from the course, including multi-round itineraries. Book online, by WhatsApp or LINE, or at our offices on Changklan Road.

About this guide

We personally visit and experience every tour and destination we recommend. From Chiang Mai's hidden temples to Bangkok's street food markets and Krabi's island hopping adventures, we only feature places and activities we've actually tried ourselves. That's why you'll find tours beyond Chiang Mai on our site - if we traveled there and loved it, we want to share it with you.

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