Six courses anchor Chiang Mai golf in 2026: Alpine (highest quality, ฿4,500 weekend), Highlands (the design statement, ฿4,800), Royal Chiang Mai (best resort feel, ฿4,200), Mae Jo (best value, ฿2,200), Lanna (practice round, ฿1,200), and Inthanon (most scenic, ฿3,800). Caddy is mandatory everywhere. Carts are mandatory at the top three. Below is the 2026 green-fee table and what each rate includes.
Why do Chiang Mai green fees vary so much?
Because the spread between a practice course and a destination resort course here is wider than at most golf destinations — ฿1,200 to ฿4,800 covers everything from "9-hole municipal" to "Schmidt-Curley resort."
Chiang Mai's six courses occupy genuinely different market segments. The top three (Alpine, Highlands, Royal) compete with Phuket and Hua Hin's premium resort courses. The middle two (Mae Jo, Inthanon) are well-maintained but local-priced. The bottom one (Lanna) is essentially a practice course adjacent to the airport. That spread means "Chiang Mai golf is cheap" and "Chiang Mai golf is ฿4,500" are both true depending on the course.
What's the actual 2026 green-fee table?
Below are the published green fees as of May 2026. All include caddy fees unless noted.
| Course | Weekday 18-hole | Weekend 18-hole | Caddy | Cart mandatory? | Cart fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Golf Resort | ฿3,800 | ฿4,500 | Included | Yes | Included |
| Highlands Golf | ฿4,200 | ฿4,800 | Included | Yes | Included |
| Royal Chiang Mai | ฿3,500 | ฿4,200 | Included | Yes | Included |
| Mae Jo Golf & Spa | ฿1,800 | ฿2,200 | Included | No | ฿600 |
| Lanna Sports Club | ฿1,200 | ฿1,600 | Included | No | ฿500 |
| Inthanon Golf | ฿3,200 | ฿3,800 | Included | No | ฿700 |
The headline numbers mislead without context. Highlands at ฿4,200 plus caddy tip (฿400) is ฿4,600 all-in. The same round through a Four Seasons Mae Rim package can come in at ฿3,500. Teed off at 11:30 on a low-season Wednesday it sometimes drops to ฿3,000 via the course's own promotional rate.
What's the caddy fee and tip?
Caddy is included in green fee. Tip is ฿300 to ฿500 cash, given after the round.
Thai golf is caddy-mandatory. Every course assigns one. They do more than carry the bag — green-reading, club recommendations, raking, ball-spotting. The good ones are skilled.
฿500 is generous, ฿300 is standard. ฿200 is below scale (the caddy will notice). For a round where the caddy saves you two strokes on greens, ฿700 is well-deserved.
What's actually included in the green fee?
Caddy universal. Range balls and locker usually included. Cart included at the top three, extra at the others. Lunch, drinks, rentals always extra.
- Alpine, Highlands, Royal. Caddy + cart + range balls (12 to 25 pre-round) + locker. Water on the cart.
- Mae Jo, Inthanon. Caddy + range balls + locker. Cart ฿600 to ฿700 extra.
- Lanna. Caddy only. Range balls and cart extra.
Club rentals are ฿800 to ฿1,500 per round across all six. Bring your own if playing more than two rounds.
Which course is actually the best?
Highlands by reputation, Alpine by playing condition, Royal by resort feel.
- Alpine. Ron Garl design, 1995. Tight fairways, mature landscaping, the most consistent greens in Chiang Mai. 45 minutes from Old City. The conditioning pick.
- Highlands. Schmidt-Curley, 2007. Drier, more dramatic terrain, big elevation changes. 50 minutes northwest. Signature 12th and 15th are legitimately memorable.
- Royal Chiang Mai. Roger Packard, 1996. Resort feel — wider corridors, forgiving, beautiful clubhouse. 35 minutes. Best for golf-and-spa packages.
- Mae Jo. Established 1994, recently re-bunkered. Closest to the city (25 minutes). The value pick.
- Lanna. 9-hole twice for an 18. Near the airport. Pre-flight rounds.
- Inthanon. 90 minutes south, scenic, worth combining with Doi Inthanon. Conditioning more variable.
How does the hotel-package rate work?
Four Seasons Mae Rim, 137 Pillars, Anantara, and a couple of other resorts have pre-negotiated rates that knock 15 to 25% off rack. Only applies if you're staying there.
Walk into the concierge desk, ask for the green-fee rate at Alpine or Highlands, the in-house rate beats the pro-shop rate. The hotel handles booking and transfer. For non-hotel-guest golfers, booking through a partner local agent (us, several others) gets 5 to 15% off — smaller, but doesn't require a ฿14,000-per-night room.
What about weekend tee times?
Weekend rates are 15 to 20% higher than weekday at all six. Saturday morning is the peak. Sunday afternoon is the weekend value spot.
The Bangkok and Singapore weekenders fly in Friday night, fill Saturday mornings, and head back Sunday afternoons. The absolute value slot of the week is Tuesday-to-Thursday morning. Absolute peak is Saturday 08:00 to 10:00.
What's the round-time reality?
Top three: 4:30 to 5:00 for a casual round. Middle two: 4:00 to 4:30. Lanna: 3:30.
Thai caddies move you along. Royal and Mae Jo are the more relaxed of the courses if you want a leisurely round. Highlands has tournament-pace expectations on weekends.
Anything else on pricing structure?
Yes — the tournament-week surcharge. Once or twice a year each top course hosts an invitational and rack rates spike 30 to 50% for that week.
Alpine and Highlands typically each host a notable event in December-January and again in March. During tournament weeks the courses are still playable for visitors on non-tournament days but green fees climb. Check course event calendars before locking peak-season trips.
Browse our Chiang Mai golf packagesMulti-round packages with hotel-rate green feesInternal reading worth your time:
- Chiang Mai golf packages — the multi-round economics
- Is Chiang Mai worth visiting in 2026?
- Best time to visit Chiang Mai for outdoor activities
For broader Thailand golf-fee context, Golf Holidays Direct's Thailand resource and the Thailand Golf Association (both accessed 2026-05-25) publish current course-listing data.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest green fee in Chiang Mai?
Lanna Sports Club is the lowest at ฿1,200 weekday, ฿1,600 weekend, for 18 holes including caddy. It's a 9-hole layout played twice, near the airport, and most golfers consider it a practice round rather than a destination course. Mae Jo Golf Resort and Spa is the next step up at ฿1,800 weekday including caddy and cart, and is a much better course. For a proper Chiang Mai green-fee bargain, Mae Jo is the answer.
Is walking allowed at any Chiang Mai course?
Yes at three: Lanna, Mae Jo, and Inthanon. Cart-mandatory courses are Alpine, Highlands, and Royal Chiang Mai. The mandatory-cart rule isn't unique to Chiang Mai — it's the norm at higher-end Thai resort courses where green-fee revenue includes cart rental. Caddy is mandatory at all six, which is also the Thailand standard. Walking with your own bag is essentially never allowed.
Are 'guest rates' real or marketing?
Mostly real but conditional. Most Chiang Mai courses have member-only pricing and guest-of-member pricing that is materially lower than rack rate. Without a member relationship, the discounts you can realistically get are through hotel-package rates (Four Seasons, 137 Pillars, and a few other resorts have prearranged green-fee rates that knock 15 to 25% off rack), through booking 5+ rounds with the same course, and through low-season weekday tee times. The 'visitor' rate posted at the pro shop is the rack rate.
How far in advance should I book a tee time?
For weekday rounds in low season (May to October), 2 to 5 days is usually fine. For weekend rounds and any tee time November to February, 7 to 14 days is safer. Major tournament weeks and Songkran (mid-April) book out 4+ weeks ahead. We book all our packaged rounds at least 10 days out as standard. Last-minute requests work better at Alpine and Royal (more tee times) than at Highlands (smaller field, fills faster).
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest green fee in Chiang Mai?
Lanna Sports Club is the lowest at ฿1,200 weekday, ฿1,600 weekend, for 18 holes including caddy. It's a 9-hole layout played twice, near the airport, and most golfers consider it a practice round rather than a destination course. Mae Jo Golf Resort and Spa is the next step up at ฿1,800 weekday including caddy and cart, and is a much better course. For a proper Chiang Mai green-fee bargain, Mae Jo is the answer.
Is walking allowed at any Chiang Mai course?
Yes at three: Lanna, Mae Jo, and Inthanon. Cart-mandatory courses are Alpine, Highlands, and Royal Chiang Mai. The mandatory-cart rule isn't unique to Chiang Mai — it's the norm at higher-end Thai resort courses where green-fee revenue includes cart rental. Caddy is mandatory at all six, which is also the Thailand standard. Walking with your own bag is essentially never allowed.
Are 'guest rates' real or marketing?
Mostly real but conditional. Most Chiang Mai courses have member-only pricing and guest-of-member pricing that is materially lower than rack rate. Without a member relationship, the discounts you can realistically get are through hotel-package rates (Four Seasons, 137 Pillars, and a few other resorts have prearranged green-fee rates that knock 15 to 25% off rack), through booking 5+ rounds with the same course, and through low-season weekday tee times. The 'visitor' rate posted at the pro shop is the rack rate.
How far in advance should I book a tee time?
For weekday rounds in low season (May to October), 2 to 5 days is usually fine. For weekend rounds and any tee time November to February, 7 to 14 days is safer. Major tournament weeks and Songkran (mid-April) book out 4+ weeks ahead. We book all our packaged rounds at least 10 days out as standard. Last-minute requests work better at Alpine and Royal (more tee times) than at Highlands (smaller field, fills faster).
