Top 10 Golf Courses in Thailand
Thailand has developed into one of the most significant golf tourism destinations in Asia, building on an infrastructure of courses that now numbers in the hundreds and attracting players from across Europe, East Asia and Australia who combine a golf holiday with the country's broader tourism appeal. The concentration of courses around Bangkok — especially in the eastern suburbs toward Pattaya and Sattahip — rivals any metropolitan area in Asia for sheer volume, while Hua Hin, Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai each offer distinct regional golf experiences. The combination of low green fees by European or North American standards, a warm and largely dry playing season, caddie service included as standard at virtually every course, and the quality of conditioning at the top venues makes Thailand among the best-value serious golf destinations in the world.
1. Siam Country Club (Plantation Course), Chonburi
The Siam Country Club's Plantation Course near Chonburi, east of Bangkok toward Pattaya, is the most internationally acclaimed golf course in Thailand, a fixture in Asian top-10 rankings that regularly features in global top-100 lists. Rodney Wright and designer team rebuilt and expanded the Siam Country Club property in the mid-2000s, with the Plantation completing in 2009. The layout winds through an undulating site of former rubber and palm plantations with a lush, tropical parkland character, wide fairways and large greens that allow aggressive approach play. The Asian Tour's Honda Classic Thailand and LPGA Tour events have been held here. Visitor tee times are available; caddies are included.
2. Black Mountain Golf Club, Hua Hin
Black Mountain is the finest course in the Hua Hin area and one of the best resort courses in Southeast Asia. Phil Ryan designed it on a dramatic site at the base of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, with the karst limestone hills of the park visible from most holes and a design that uses the natural terrain — the watercourses, the rocky outcrops — with considerable intelligence. Par is 72 at around 7,400 yards from the championship tees. The Asian Tour visits regularly. Caddies and motorised carts are available; green fees are at the higher end of the Thai range but represent excellent value by international comparison. Open year-round; December through March offers the driest conditions.
3. Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin
Banyan, another of Hua Hin's top-tier courses, occupies a hilly site with sweeping views across the Gulf of Thailand from several of its elevated positions. The layout was designed by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley, two of the most experienced architects in Southeast Asian golf, and plays to around 7,100 yards at par 72. The combination of dramatic elevation changes, ocean views and well-protected greens makes it one of the more visually memorable courses in Thailand. Banyan has hosted Asian Tour events. Caddies are included in the green fee; motorised carts are available. Visitor tee times are easily booked online.
4. Alpine Golf Club, Bangkok
Alpine Golf Club is the most prestigious private club in the Bangkok metropolitan area, a course of genuine quality that has been the venue for major Asian Tour and Asian Ladies' Tour events. The layout plays through tropical parkland with mature trees providing shade and definition; the conditioning is maintained to a standard that befits a club whose membership includes Bangkok's most prominent business and political figures. Par is 72 at around 6,900 yards. The club is private but operates guest access through member introductions and, on certain days, through established booking channels. Caddies included.
5. Siam Country Club (Old Course), Chonburi
The Old Course at Siam Country Club predates the Plantation by several decades and retains the character of an older generation of Thai golf: mature rubber trees framing most holes, more forgiving width than the Plantation, and a routing that gives a sense of tropical garden rather than designed landscape. The course plays to around 6,700 yards at par 72. Several Asian Tour events have been contested on the Old Course. Visitor tee times are available as part of the Siam Country Club package alongside the Plantation; caddies are included.
6. Springfield Royal Country Club, Cha-Am
Springfield Royal Country Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1993, is one of the Cha-Am and Hua Hin corridor's most celebrated courses. Nicklaus used the gentle terrain of the Phetchaburi coastal plain to design a course where water is in play on the majority of holes, creating a resort layout of considerable visual drama. Par is 72 at around 7,000 yards. The course has hosted the Asian Tour's Royal Trophy and other major regional events. Visitor tee times are available; caddies are included. The resort accommodation on site makes Springfield a convenient destination stay.
7. Chiangmai Highlands Golf and Spa Resort, Mae Rim
Chiangmai Highlands occupies a mountainous site north of the city in the Mae Rim valley, where cooler temperatures and the green, forested terrain of northern Thailand produce a playing experience quite different from the humid flatlands of the south. The 18-hole course plays through rice paddies, mountain meadow and tropical forest at around 6,400 yards. The elevation — the course sits at around 800 metres — gives a visually dramatic setting with views of the surrounding mountains. Caddies and motorised carts are available; the resort's spa is a notable complement to a round. Visitor tee times are available; the season is year-round with cooler months from November to February.
8. Nikanti Golf Club, Nakhon Pathom
Nikanti is one of the newer entrants to Bangkok's competitive golf landscape, a course designed by Nelson & Haworth that opened in 2014 and immediately distinguished itself through the quality of its maintenance and the thoughtfulness of its design. The course plays across 280 acres west of Bangkok with natural wetlands, rice field remnants and tropical plantings creating a varied ecological setting. Par is 72 at around 7,000 yards. Nikanti has attracted significant attention from the Asian Tour and quickly built a following among Bangkok-based golfers looking for a first-rate modern course. Visitor tee times are available; caddies included.
9. Royal Gems Golf City, Nakhon Pathom
Royal Gems Golf City, west of Bangkok near Nakhon Pathom, is a large resort complex with multiple courses on a site that once hosted the Asian Games. The main championship course plays to around 7,200 yards and has been used for Asian Tour qualifying events. The resort's scale — extensive practice facilities, multiple dining options, a hotel — makes it a self-contained destination. The relatively flat terrain and warm, humid conditions of the Bangkok basin mean conditioning is at a premium; Royal Gems generally maintains high turf quality year-round. Visitor access is straightforward.
10. Imperial Lake View Hotel and Golf Club, Prachuap Khiri Khan
The Imperial Lake View course, in the coastal province of Prachuap Khiri Khan between Hua Hin and the Burmese border, offers 18 holes on a lake-edged site with views of the Tenasserim hills across the border. The course plays in the shadow of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, sharing the spectacular limestone karst landscape with Black Mountain though from a different angle. It is a quieter, less trafficked option than the main Hua Hin courses, with visitor tee times readily available and green fees at the more accessible end of the regional scale. Caddies are included; motorised carts available.
Practical Information
Thailand's optimal golf season runs from November through April, when temperatures are warm but manageable and rainfall is minimal. The hot season from March to May brings temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius; early morning tee times are essential. The monsoon from June to October brings regular afternoon rain that forces temporary closures, though morning rounds are often completed before the daily downpour. Caddies are standard at almost every course and are generally included in the green fee; they provide local knowledge that is genuinely useful on unfamiliar courses. Green fees range from around THB 800 to over THB 5,000 depending on the course and season. Open the map helps navigate the remarkable concentration of courses from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and down the Gulf Coast.