Chiang Mai, Thailand's
cool-season mountain golf

Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, in Mae On east of the city, is the signature round. Lee Schmidt of Schmidt-Curley Design laid out its 27 holes, which opened in 2005 on the site of a former Buddhist hermitage, with more than 100 cloverleaf bunkers set against jungle-covered hills. GOLF Magazine named it one of its Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World in 2023.

Alpine Golf Resort Chiang Mai, a short distance away along the San Kamphaeng–Ban Thi road (technically just over the line in Lamphun province), is the tournament test. Ron Garl designed it with Pirapon Namatra, and it opened in 2008. It hosted the Asian Tour's Chiangmai Golf Classic in 2013, won by Scott Hend, and 2014, won by Rashid Khan. Its third nine includes greens set among paddy fields.

Royal Chiangmai Golf Resort, north of the city in San Sai, is the work of five-time Open champion Peter Thomson. Opened in 1996 on a former fruit orchard, it mixes tree-lined parkland with links-style pot bunkers and streams.

Summit Green Valley Chiangmai Country Club in Mae Rim is a 7,200-yard Denis Griffiths layout from 1990, with water in play on most holes, a 9th green ringed by water in front of the clubhouse and floodlights on all 18 holes for night golf.

November to January is the prime season. The rains have passed, the air is dry, mornings are cool and the mountain views are at their clearest. It is also the busiest time to visit, so book tee times and rooms early.

February to April turns hot and is often hazy from seasonal crop burning, which can affect air quality and views. May to October is the rainy season; play early and expect afternoon showers. Summit Green Valley's floodlit course offers an evening alternative when daytime heat is high.

• Day 1 — Summit Green Valley. Arrive and play a late-afternoon or floodlit round in Mae Rim, then dinner nearby at Gongkham, a 2026 MICHELIN Bib Gourmand newcomer.
• Day 2 — Chiangmai Highlands. Head east to Mae On for the Schmidt-Curley 27. Evening in the Old City at Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh.
• Day 3 — Alpine Golf Resort. The Asian Tour venue is close to the Highlands, so the drive is familiar. Afternoon on Nimmanhaemin Road for cafés and galleries.
• Day 4 — Royal Chiangmai. Peter Thomson's orchard course in San Sai, then a sunset visit to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

If it falls on a Sunday, finish at the Sunday Walking Street from Tha Phae Gate. A spare day suits Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand's highest mountain.

The Old City and riverside put you among the temples, the Sunday Walking Street and the best evening dining, with straightforward drives east to the Highlands and Alpine.

Nimmanhaemin and the west side suit golfers who want cafés, boutiques and the Michelin-recognized northern kitchens around Chang Phueak, and they are convenient for Doi Suthep.

Mae Rim and the northern valleys are quieter and greener, closest to Summit Green Valley and on the way to Royal Chiangmai. The courses are spread around the city rather than clustered, so drive times from each hotel are shown on this page.

Northern Thai food is a reason to come in itself. Khao Soi Mae Sai, a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand, serves one of the city's best-known bowls of khao soi from breakfast to mid-afternoon — ideal after an early round. Huen Muan Jai, MICHELIN-listed, offers northern dips and curries in a Lanna wooden house with garden pavilions. Two 2026 Bib Gourmand newcomers are worth booking: Gongkham in Mae Rim, cooking northern classics to order, and CHAWEE in Chang Phueak, with a seasonal menu of family recipes that ends in a shared samrap set.

• Wat Phra That Doi Suthep — the city's most revered temple, with a gilded chedi and views over Chiang Mai.
• Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh — the two great temples of the walled Old City.
• Sunday Walking Street — the weekly evening market of northern crafts and street food.
• Doi Inthanon National Park — waterfalls, cloud forest and twin royal chedis near Thailand's highest summit.
• Nimmanhaemin Road — the design-led district of cafés, galleries and boutiques.

• Book tee times ahead for November to January, the busiest months.
• Check air quality if traveling between February and April, when seasonal haze is common.
• Caddies are standard at Thai clubs and are tipped in cash after the round; ask the club or your hotel for the customary amount.
• Carts are usually optional and paid separately; on the hillier mountain layouts most visitors take one.
• Pack a layer for cool-season dawn tee times in the valleys.
• Transfers are simplest by private car or hotel driver, as the courses sit in different directions from the city.

Rules, rates and booking policies change, so confirm details directly with each club before you travel.