The Royal Chiangmai Golf Resort

Overview: The Royal Chiangmai Golf Resort gives visitors 18 holes at par 72 north of Chiang Mai, around 40 minutes from the city. Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson designed the parkland layout, which is listed at 6,969 yards from the blue tees. Tree-lined fairways, flowering plants, water hazards and undulating countryside give the course a classic resort-golf rhythm, while the tree canopy and surrounding hills keep the round visually connected to northern Thailand rather than to an urban development.

History: The course was established in 1996 as one of Chiang Mai’s original contemporary golf resorts. Peter Thomson’s design is described by the club as a traditional British parkland course with interesting links-style additions. The current hole-by-hole material confirms that the original design idea remains visible: doglegs, pot bunkers, water around greens and long uphill holes create a varied test across the full 18-hole routing.

Did You Know? The fourth hole is a long uphill par four and the official guide identifies it as one of the course’s toughest tests. Its fairway bunkers and elevated approach illustrate Royal Chiangmai’s style: the hole asks for distance, but the numerous fairway bunkers and elevated approach mean that simply hitting hard is not enough.