Royal Chiang Mai Golf Resort

Description

Holes 18 | Par 72 | Length 6372 m / 6969 y | Type Parkland 

Despite being established in February 1996, this is one of the older golf courses in Chiang Mai but Royal Chiang Mai Golf Resort has built up a great reputation over the years.  Situated just 40 minutes away from the centre of town, this golf course is considered one of the best in the country in terms of natural beauty.

On arrival at Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club & Resort it is easy to see why people enjoy playing in the natural environment.  The air is clean and the climate very pleasant.  The trees, streams, waterfalls and rolling scenery combine to produce a tremendous location for a round of golf.

If you are interested in fruit, Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club & Resort will have plenty of distractions for you around the 18 holes.  Set on the site of a former fruit plantation, there are hundreds of different trees with various flowers and colours on every hole.  The smell as you play your way around the course often changes leading to players guessing what fruit or plant is close by.

The golf course was designed by the five time Open champion Peter Thompson.  If you have played a traditional parkland course in the United Kingdom, Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club & Resort may seem familiar.

Trees and water are the main hazards.  Many of the fairways are heavily tree-lined and if you happen to stray off the short grass, the trees and rough can cause problems.  However, water is the major hazard and comes into play on several holes. 

The course plays long from the back tees, with the total distance over 7,200 yards.  However, there are three tees on each hole, making it accessible to players of all abilities.  The par-4 4^th hole is considered by many to be the toughest hole on the course and plays to 440 yards from the back tee.  If that’s not enough, the hole plays uphill all the way to the green and this can seem daunting from the tee box.

There is a total of 94 bunkers at Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club & Resort which averages at just over 5 bunkers per hole.  Many of which are protecting the green and the par-4 14^th hole is a good example, with five bunkers surrounding the putting surface.

The golf course offers a good test and the natural surroundings and quality of the course make for a great round of golf.

The facilities at Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club & Resort include a driving range, two putting and chipping greens plus a restaurant serving Thai, Japanese, Korean and European food.  They even have a cricket team and the pitch is used by the Thai Asian Cricket Association for international tournaments.