Golf Etiquette in Thailand

Thailand has no doubt become one of the leading golf destinations in the world. There are now over 200 courses and the number is continuing to grow in order to accommodate the large numbers of visiting golfers. Golf in Thailand can be slightly different from what you are used to and certain aspects of etiquette must be strictly adhered to. Remember that you are in a country with a completely different culture and customs and as a visitor you must adapt to this.

The Thai style is more relaxed when organizing things and although this can lead to great frustration, it is very impolite to show this and will certainly not lead to any more assistance. However, a simple smile and show of courtesy goes a very long way in Thailand.

When playing golf in Thailand remember that you are a visitor and respect the locals who are also playing. Golf is still a new sport here and the locals are not quite as familiar with the foreign etiquette.

Caddies are a unique feature of Thai golf. They are mainly female and perform a great task in very tiring conditions. Always be polite and courteous to your caddy, and you are sure to get a great service. Although the language can be a problem, there are ways to get around this. Tips are greatly appreciated by the caddies and are usually about 300 - 400 baht or more if you are pleased with her service.

The refreshment and drink stops that are located at every 3 or 4 holes are a great concept in Thailand. When you stop for a break, remember to ensure that you do not fall behind the group in front. Maintaining your group in relation to the players in front will help avoid any unnecessary delays for other players.

In conclusion, following a few basic rules of etiquette and showing courtesy and politeness will help ensure a great golf holiday in Thailand.

Golf in Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard

More than 20 of Thailand's finest golf courses are located at the Eastern Seaboard of the Gulf of Siam. Most of them are located in tropical and lush landscapes within a 60 minutes drive from Pattaya City, and are designed by some of the greatest names in golf course design including Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead.

Khao Kheow Country Club

Located just a few minutes from Bangphra close to Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Khao Kheow Country Club boasts a well-designed 27-hole golf course set amidst lush greenery and a mountain backdrop close to Pattaya. Like so many of the Eastern Seaboard's courses the Khao Kheow Country club catches a strong sea breeze thus players have to plan their shots carefully on account of the numerous large ponds, bunkers and hills that surround the greens and fairways. The course is a mixture of a championship course and a resort course and offer challenges for golf enthusiasts of every level as well as top professionals.

Designer: A Dye Design

Opened: 1992


Course: 27 holes, par 72, length 7,077 yards


Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, club rental, trolley and golf cart rental, clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis court, restaurant and hotel.


Location: 1 hour from Bangkok

Burapha Golf Club

This championship golf course has hosted several tournaments since its opening and is set in the countryside near the new Chonburi-Pattaya Highway. Burapha Golf Club has been designed to take full advantage of the beauty of the land and its natural features like lakes, hills, mature mango trees, palms trees and tropical vegetation, all of which are enhanced by the masterful landscaping. The East Course at Burapha Golf Club features wide fairways and is perfect for the amateur golfer. The West Course however is more of a challenge for the more advanced golfer.

Designer: Gary Panks and David Graham

Opened: 1993


Course: 36 holes, par 72, length 6,948 yards


Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, club rental, trolley and golf cart rental, clubhouse, swimming pool,sauna and restaurant


Location: In Laem Chabang, 40 min from Pattaya

Laemchabang Country Club


Widely considered the best course in Pattaya, this 27-hole layout is as fun as it is challenging. The course has three distinct nines, the Lakes, Mountain and Valley Courses - each offering their own unique challenge. The Lakes and Valley courses meander along pristine natural waterways while the Mountain nine provides commanding views of the surrounding area and is a stern test of golf. The course is in excellent shape and the owners continue to make improvements.

Designer: Jack Nicklaus

Opened: 1995


Course: 27 holes, par 72, length 7,065 yards


Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, club rental, trolley and golf cart rental, clubhouse, swimming pool, sports club and restaurant


Location: 30 min from Pattaya

St. Andrews 2000 Golf Club

St. Andrews 2000 is located in picturesque hilly countryside in the Thai province of Rayong. St. Andrews 2000 has a visually stunning, sweeping layout that has impressed golfers worldwide. It is an uncompromisingly tough golf course aimed at players with handicaps of 18 or lower. The course demands a combination of both power and accuracy, with the strategic positioning of hazards forcing the player to remain focused on each and every shot. Characteristic for this course is also its two very long par 6 holes.

Designer: Desmond Muirhead

Opened: 2000


Course: 18 holes, par 74, length 7,777 yards


Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, club rental, trolley and golf cart rental, clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis court, fitness room, massage and restaurants


Location: 40 min from Pattaya

Eastern Star Country Club & Resort

The golf resort is conveniently situated just 2 kilometers from the sea ensuring a constant cooling breeze. Like a true links course, it is only slightly above sea level in altitude. The wide and gently undulating fairways and greens feature 65 bunkers, 11 lakes and more than 2,200 coconut palm trees. Eastern Star has been the venue for local and regional golf tournaments. It offers plenty of challenge for the experienced golfer, but also offers enjoyment for beginners.

Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Opened: 1992


Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 7,134 yards


Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, club rental, trolley and golf cart rental, clubhouse, swimming pool, sauna, tennis court , restaurants and hotel.


Location: 45 min from Pattaya

Golf in Hua Hin

For many years, Hua Hin has been regarded as one of the best golf locations in Thailand. With 8 top quality courses within a 30 minute drive from Hua Hin City, there is something for every golfer's needs and endless possibilities for a great golf trip.

Royal Hua Hin Golf Club

Designed by Scottish railway engineer A.O Robins, the course opened in 1924 and was the first golf course to be constructed in Thailand.

While there are no real water hazards on the course, all fairways are lined with 100-year-old trees and the greens are protected by being slightly elevated. Scoring well is always hard here. The scenery is outstanding and the views of the Gulf of Thailand and Hua Hin itself are particularly impressive on the back nine. Playing this course is a must and a real step back in time and history.

Designer: A.O. Robins

Opened: 1924

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,678 yards

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, club rental, trolley and golf cart rental, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 5 min from Hua Hin

Palm Hills Golf Resort & Country Club

Palm Hills was the first of the "new" courses to open in 1991 and was the venue for the inaugural Thailand World ProAm tournament in 1993. The course is relatively flat with a fair amount of water and set amongst the hills that run to the west of Hua Hin.

Designer: Max Wexler

Opened: 1991

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,888 yards

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, golf cart rental, clubhouse, restaurant and fitness center with swimming pool.

Location: 15 min from Hua Hin

Milford Golf Club

The course is different from the many long championship courses and requires great accuracy and placement rather than length to get a good score. Even the local professionals can run into problems because of the fast greens. However, the course has a truly unique layout and spectacular views.

Designer: Robert McFarland

Opened: 1996

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,614 yards

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, golf cart rental, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 30 min from Hua Hin

Springfield Royal Country Club

Probably the most famous course around Hua Hin and the venue for many major championships, including the Thai Open. The course is always in perfect condition and will present a challenge to every golfer. The layout has been cleverly thought out, as you would expect from the Jack Nicklaus team, and the views of The Gulf of Thailand and the surrounding terrain are breathtaking. The clubhouse is one of the best in the area and a great place to relax after your round and reminisce about the experience. The course offers 27 holes, the Mountain Course, the Lake Course and the Valley Course and a 4^th course is currently being designed.

Designer: Jack Nicklaus

Opened: The original 18 holes opened in 1993, the 3^rd course in 2005

Course: 27 holes, par 72, length 7,063 yards

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, golf cart rental, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 25 min from Hua Hin

The Majestic Creek Country Club

The course offers a cleverly crafted layout with exciting & demanding holes that provide a superb golfing challenge. Set in the hills that separate Thailand from Burma (Myanmar), the scenery is stunning with plenty of water, streams and other natural hazards to test your skills. Furthermore, the route to the course offer views of Thai rural life with small sugarcane, pineapple, banana and mango farms along the way.

Designer: Dr Sukitti Klangvisai

Opened: 1993

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,961 yards

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, golf cart rental, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 25 min from Hua Hin

Imperial Lake View Hotel and Golf Club

A favorite course among both locals and visitors and located among inland among small farms and fruit orchards. The original 18 hole A-B course features small streams, a large lake and mature trees that combined with blind shots to some greens, undulating fairways and several doglegs test the skills of even low handicappers. However, the course is well-balanced with easier par holes as well. Course C – the Desert Course - adds to the adventurous and unique layout, while course D – the Links Course – offers open fairways and few trees for golfers who enjoy long drives.

Designer: Roger Packard and Ronald Fream (Course D)

Opened: 1993, Course D in 2006

Course: 36 holes, par 72, length 6,915 yards

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, golf cart rental, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 25 min from Hua Hin

Dragon Hills Golf and Country Club

The course is found within "the triangle" of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Hua Hin and is a superbly designed and crafted venue that totally blends in with its natural environment. The back nine is particularly impressive. Most of the par 4s and 5s are long and all the greens provide a putting challenge. An affiliated hotel can be found a few kilometers away for those wanting to stay overnight.

Designer: Jim Engh, Isao Aoki, Jack Nicklaus.

Opened: 1996

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,812 yds.

Facilities: Driving range, chipping green, putting green, pro shop, electric cart hire, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 1hr 30mins from Hua Hin

Black Mountain Golf Club

This spectacular course is in excellent condition and provides a test for golfers of all abilities. It is set in a valley and has maintained many of the original features of the local land - creeks, trees and a small "mountain" range that gives the course its name. New trees have been planted and the greens are large and well protected by bunkers. The clubhouse is magnificent and offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

Designer: Phil Ryan

Opened: 2007

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 7,343 yards

Facilities: Driving range, putting green, chipping green, pro shop, golf cart rental, golf school, clubhouse and restaurant.

Location: 20 min from Hua Hin

Golf in Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai Valley is another perfect area to golf in Thailand. It has some of the loveliest and most challenging golf courses, rarely visited by golf travelers and hardly included in most Thailand golf holiday packages.

Playing golf is a popular leisure activity in Kanchanaburi. Golf courses are scattered around the region and range from basic to advanced level. The River Kwai is an ideal place for golfing as beautiful natural settings and magnificent scenery have lead to the development of some excellent golf courses with dams, reservoirs, waterfalls, lakes and streams adding to the unique landscape.

Nichigo Resort & Country Club

The course is created by Mr. Kobayashi, the designer of more than 90 courses around the world. The course is one of the best in the area and offer spacious fairways, scenic mountain, lake and river views and a great variety of local trees, plants and flowers. The greens are covered with Bermuda Tifdwarf and a quite fast so putting can be a challenge here. The environment is very important at the Nichigo course and the fairways are paved with imported Noshiba grass that stays healthy all year round without the use of insecticides.

Designer: Mitsuaki Kobayashi

Opened: 1992

Course: 27 holes, par 72, length Lake 9 - 3334 yards, River 9 - 3326 yards, Mountain 9 - 3242 yards

Facilities: Driving range, pro shop, golf cart rental, sports club, swimming pool and restaurant.

Location: 25 km from Kanchanaburi City

Mission Hills Golf Club

A challenging course, this magnificent PGA standard layout was created and constructed regardless of cost by legendary Jack Nicklaus. The relatively flat terrain is lined with palm trees and water hazards, and bunkers are present throughout the course, offering double fairways and different approaches to the greens. If you want a good score, try to avoid the thick Bermuda grass completely. Only really good players are likely to play to their best handicaps. The course was the venue for the WORLD CUP Eastern Zone qualifying round in 1995.

Designer: Jack Nicklaus

Opened: 1990

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 7046 yards

Facilities: Driving range, golf cart rental, pro shop, club house, restaurant, coffee shop, meeting rooms, swimming pool and fitness center.

Location: Between Bangkok and Kanchanaburi, 45 min from River Kwai

Milford River Kwai Golf & Country Club

Very rarely will you find a golf course in Asia with as stunning a backdrop as the Milford River Kwai Golf & Country Club’s. This beautiful 27-hole course - which can only be reached by ferry - lies in front of Kanchanaburi’s exciting mountainous peaks and relies on an abundance of local and imported flora and trees to brighten up its fairways, which are lined with natural jungle. It incorporates water hazards on most of its holes, has the occasional blind green and in many instances the golfer will have to rely on a long tee shot to clear its charms.

Designer: Atanan Yomchinda

Opened: 1993

Course: 36 holes, par 72, length 6319 yards

Facilities: Driving range, pro shop, club house, golf cart rental, restaurant

Location: 40 km NW of Kanchanaburi

Evergreen Hills Golf Club & Resort

This is an ideal and not too difficult resort style course, but with plenty of water to occupy the less straight hitters – especially on hole 15, 16 and 17. The surrounding hills provide a tropical backdrop combined with amazing views of crystal-clear lakes. A truly unique design feature of the course is that a specific tree sort is displayed in each of the 18 holes. The course was featured in the SAT & Thailand PGA Tour 2010.

Designer: Atanan Yomchinda

Opened: 1994

Course:18 holes, par 72, length 6,879 yards

Facilities: Driving range, golf cart rental, clubhouse, swimming pool, restaurant

Location: 2 hours from Bangkok, 60 min from Kanchanaburi

Golf in Northern Thailand

Chiang Mai Green Valley Country Club

Situated in the lowlands with native landscaping unique to Northern Thailand and amazing views of the mountains, this championship course offers an unusually tough challenge. Hundreds of palm trees line the course and feature an abundance of well placed sand bunkers and lots of water that come into play on nearly every hole, making the seemingly wide fairways uninviting for wayward shots. The greens are large and putting speed is moderate to slightly fast. However, course length, numerous elevation changes, and prevailing wind makes Green Valley a tough but exciting challenge for golfers of all skill levels.

Designer: Dennis Griffiths & Associates

Opened:1990

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 7,202 yards

Facilities: Driving range, golf cart rental, pro shop, clubhouse, massage, spa, sauna and restaurant

Location: Near Mae Rim, 20 min from Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai Highlands Golf and Spa

Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Course was created by the same team responsible for many of Asia's exciting new courses. This adventurous course is set in the hills outside Chiang Mai, giving golfers the distraction of magnificent views on every hole. The high elevation of the course provides a cool climate and fresh air and creates the perfect setting for an adventurous round of golf. More than 100 fairway and green-side bunkers combined with water hazards provide the distinctive note of this course and require a strategic game. The large and undulating greens do not make the course any easier, and with the choice of 5 different tee boxes, the course is exciting and challenging for a player of any level. The club also provides superbly maintained practice facilities.

Designer: Dr. Sukhum Sukapanpotharam

Opened: 1990

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 7,022 yards

Facilities: Driving range, golf cart rental, pro shop, clubhouse and restaurant

Location: 15-20 min from Chiang Mai

Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club

Santiburi Country Club was the first course built in Chiang Rai and is laid out over vast fields with excellent placement of holes and beautiful landscaping. The golf course is widely regarded as one of the best conceived and maintained golf courses in Asia and a favorite among golfers in Thailand. The golf course is of championship standard, yet playable and enjoyable for golfers on every skill level. Most of the holes are also characterized by rolling greens guarded by countless sand and grass bunkers, trees and huge water hazards. Designed to maximize the risk and reward, there are varied options for many of the longer holes including conservative approaches for beginners and challenging routes over hazards for the more experienced golfers. The Santiburi Chiang Rai course is kept in excellent condition year round as the Singha Beer family owners continue to invest in good maintenance practices.

Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Opened: 1993

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,853 yards

Facilities: Driving range, golf cart rental, pro shop, clubhouse, massage, sauna, spa, fitness room, swimming pool and restaurant.

Location: 20 min from Chiang Rai

Waterford Valley Golf Club & Resort

The Waterford Golf Course is mostly flat as it is built upon a plateau, surrounded by lush valleys and mountains. The natural beauty, incredible vistas & views and refreshing climate make Waterford Valley an excellent choice for a day of golf in Chiang Rai. At times, the course can be quite hilly and three holes on each side have severe elevation changes, making correct club selection critical. The flatter holes are fairly straightforward with wide fairways.

Designer: Rathert International Golf Design

Opened: 1996

Course: 18 holes, par 72, length 6,961 yards

Facilities: Driving range, club house, golf cart rental, pro shop, restaurants and swimming pool.

Location: 40 min from Chiang Rai