For a buyer who plays, Thailand offers three distinct golfing bases, each with its own trade. Phuket puts golf beside beaches, marinas and an international airport. Hua Hin is a golf town first, with the oldest course in the country and the driest weather. Pattaya has the Siam Country Club courses and the rest of the Eastern Seaboard within a short drive, and Bangkok about 90 minutes away. At all three, caddies are the norm and carts are often compulsory.
The three bases compared
| Base | Main courses | Getting there | Rain | Visitor rate, 18 holes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phuket | Laguna Golf Phuket, Blue Canyon (Canyon and Lakes), Red Mountain, Loch Palm, Mission Hills | International airport on the island | About 2,200 mm a year, dry December to March | Laguna: THB 5,950 with caddie, cart from THB 700 |
| Hua Hin | Royal Hua Hin, Black Mountain, Springfield Royal | About two and a half hours by road from Bangkok | About 936 mm a year, wettest in October | Black Mountain: THB 4,500, plus caddie THB 400 and compulsory cart THB 750 |
| Pattaya | Siam Country Club Old Course, Plantation, Rolling Hills and Waterside | About 90 minutes from Bangkok | See climate and seasons | Old Course: THB 6,500 weekdays, THB 8,500 weekends |
Rates are for November 2026. They change, and some clubs charge hotel guests less: Laguna, for example. Confirm before you budget.
Phuket
Phuket's courses are spread across the middle and north of the island, none more than a short drive from the west-coast beaches or the airport.
Laguna Golf Phuket is an 18-hole, par-71 course inside the Laguna Phuket resort in Bang Tao, recently redesigned, with water in play on many holes and a shuttle to the surrounding hotels. The visitor rate is THB 5,950 for 18 holes including the caddie, or THB 4,850 for Laguna hotel guests, with an individual cart at THB 700. Nine holes cost THB 3,350. For an owner in Bang Tao it is the most convenient round, and the easiest to fit around a family day at the beach.
Blue Canyon Country Club, near the airport, has two courses, the Canyon and the Lakes, and was set up as a members' club with residences in a gated community. It has hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic and the Honda Invitational. The Canyon's 390-yard 13th is known as the Tiger hole, after Tiger Woods's shot across 270 yards from the black tee in 1998. There are 31 rooms above the clubhouse for golfers who stay on site. It is the natural course for owners in Layan, Nai Yang and Mai Khao.
Red Mountain Golf Club, in the Kathu valley, opened in 2007 on the site of an abandoned tin mine. It is an 18-hole, par-72 course of 6,905 yards by Jonathan Morrow, the highest on the island, with a downhill par-3 17th played over jungle. It is about 15 minutes from Patong and Karon, and carts are compulsory at THB 700. Loch Palm, its neighbour in the valley, is the gentler round of the two.
Mission Hills Phuket, a Jack Nicklaus design at Pa Klok in Thalang, sits on the east coast near Cape Yamu and the marinas, which makes it the course for owners who also keep a boat. See our guide to sailing and marinas on Phuket.
The weather is the constraint. Phuket averages about 2,200 mm of rain a year, and its dry season runs from December to March. Courses stay open through the wet months, but expect softer fairways and afternoon showers.
Hua Hin
Hua Hin is the most golf-centred of Thailand's resort towns, and its weather is the main reason. It averages about 936 mm of rain a year, less than half of Phuket's, and October is the only month with more than 200 mm, at about 250 mm. That gives the longest reliable playing season of the three bases.
Royal Hua Hin Golf Course was commissioned in 1924, which makes it Thailand's oldest course. Its designer, A.O. Robins, was a Scottish railway engineer, and it sits beside Hua Hin station. It is an 18-hole, par-72 course of 6,678 yards, a traditional layout of tree-lined fairways, tight doglegs and small, raised greens set between rocky hills, with views of the Gulf from some holes. It is muddy in the rainy season and firmer in the cool months.
Black Mountain Golf Club, inland to the west, opened in 2007 with 27 holes in three nines, East, North and West, designed by Phil Ryan of Pacific Coast Design. It has hosted the Royal Trophy, eight Asian Tour events and two events co-sanctioned with the European Tour. The visitor green fee is THB 4,500 for 18 holes, with a caddie at THB 400 and a compulsory cart at THB 750.
Springfield Royal Country Club, north of town towards Cha-am, opened in 1993. Its original 18 holes are by Jack Nicklaus, and a third nine by Lee Schmidt was added in 2005. It is about 30 minutes from Hua Hin and rewards straight hitting more than length.
The trade-off is access. Most owners drive from Bangkok, and Black Mountain gives about two and a half hours south of the capital. For a Bangkok family or a winter resident who stays for months, that matters less than it does for a weekender. See flights and getting around.
Pattaya
The golf around Pattaya is concentrated in East Pattaya, on the inland side of Sukhumvit Road, and is led by Siam Country Club.
The Old Course opened in 1971 and was renovated by Schmidt-Curley Design in 2007. It carries a course rating of 74.1 and a slope of 137, and it has hosted the Honda LPGA Thailand several times. In February 2026 Jeeno Thitikul, then the world's top-ranked player, won the event at Siam Country Club, her first win at home. The visitor rate is THB 6,500 on weekdays and THB 8,500 at weekends and public holidays. The club is a drive of 20 to 25 minutes from Pattaya and about 90 minutes from Bangkok.
The same club runs Plantation, a 27-hole layout with views over Pattaya, Rolling Hills, also by Schmidt-Curley, and Waterside, so a resident can play four distinct courses without leaving the district.
Pattaya's strength is density and access: four courses at one club, and Bangkok close enough for a day trip. Its weakness, for some buyers, is the city's reputation; East Pattaya is a different market from the beach road, built around gated estates and international schools.
Membership or pay and play
For an owner who plays often, membership is worth pricing. Laguna Golf Phuket's terms include green fees but not the caddie fee:
| Laguna Golf Phuket membership | Price |
|---|---|
| Individual, 6 months | THB 85,000 |
| Individual, 12 months | THB 120,000 |
| Junior, 12 months | THB 39,500 |
| Long-term, 5 years | THB 400,000 |
| Long-term, 10 years | THB 550,000 |
At the visitor rate of THB 5,950, the 12-month membership equals about 20 rounds. Members still pay a caddie on each round, so the real break-even is a few rounds higher. A second-home owner who spends the four dry months in Phuket and plays twice a week would pass it comfortably; one who visits twice a year would not. The six-month term exists for exactly that pattern. Membership also includes tennis, handicap management and reciprocal play at partner clubs.
Ask any club about rainy-season rates, resident rates and whether membership transfers if you sell your home.
Buying near a course
What to look for. A view over a fairway is pleasant and holds its appeal, but check what you are buying. Ask who owns the course and what it is zoned for, whether the fairway beside you could be re-routed, how early the greenkeepers start mowing, and whether stray balls reach your terrace. Visit at seven in the morning as well as at sunset.
Ownership. Condominiums near courses can be owned freehold within the building's foreign quota. Golf villas are almost always on land, which foreigners hold on a registered lease of up to 30 years. See freehold versus leasehold and buying a villa in Thailand.
Homes near Laguna Golf on Phuket.
- Sole Mio Residences, about 200 metres from Bang Tao Beach and 12 minutes from Laguna Golf, gives each buyer the choice of a five-year Laguna Golf Phuket membership or a five-year Thailand Privilege membership.
- PEYLAA Phuket sits behind Laguna Golf, about four minutes from the first tee.
- The Standard Residences, Phuket Bang Tao is about five minutes from Laguna Golf.
- CANVAS Cherngtalay, a finished building about five minutes from Laguna Golf, has a golf simulator suite among its facilities.
On the Gulf. In Hua Hin, The Standard Residences, Hua Hin and Cabanas Hua Hin, both in Khao Takiab, are each a little over 20 minutes by car from Black Mountain Golf Club.
Your stay. A home and a club card give no right to live in Thailand. Check the visa pathfinder, and look at the Long-Term Resident visa, Thailand Privilege and the retirement visa.
Your next step
If golf is the deciding factor, start with homes for sale in Bang Tao on Phuket, then compare the Gulf in Hua Hin and the courses of East Pattaya. The property map shows every course against the homes for sale, and the area matchmaker scores each district for golf alongside schools, beaches and value. If you also want the sea, read our guide to Phuket's beaches.
