Chiang Mai Golf Course Architects: Who Designed What

Four architects shaped Chiang Mai's best golf: Schmidt-Curley (Highlands, 2005, and the 2014 Gassan Legacy renovation), Ron Garl (Alpine, 2008), Peter Thomson (Royal Chiang Mai, 1996) and Denis Griffiths (Summit Green Valley, 1990). Choose by style: strategic modern bunkering, long resort golf, British links touches, or water on almost every hole.

Thai designers or in-house teams built the rest of the valley, and a few credits are still disputed. Here is who built what, what each style plays like, and where pedigree and conditioning don't line up. For our overall ranking, start with the best golf courses in Chiang Mai.

Which architects designed Chiang Mai's golf courses?

Ten Chiang Mai layouts have a known design origin. Schmidt-Curley and Denis Griffiths each have two credits, and Thai designers or in-house teams built four of the courses.

What does a Schmidt-Curley layout play like at Highlands?

It plays as a shot-maker's course. Bunkering sets the strategy on every hole, and paspalum fairways and greens reward precise iron play more than raw length.

Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley have built dozens of courses across Asia, and Chiang Mai Highlands shows their style. The fairways are wide, but bunkers guard the side you need to hit for the best angle in. Highlands has well over 100 of them, many with clover-leaf edges, set in rolling foothill ground east of the city. Golfscape's course listing (accessed 2026-10-15) describes it as a 27-hole championship layout, and Top 100 Golf Courses reviewers (accessed 2026-10-15) repeatedly call it a thinking golfer's course.

In our experience it is also the best-conditioned course in the region, and that is the main reason we book it so often. In green season 2026 the all-in rate was ฿3,400: ฿2,250 green fee, ฿400 caddie and ฿750 cart (CMGT Golf, 2026). Caddies here know the green slopes well, so trust their reads on the faster paspalum surfaces. The spa is, in our view, the best at any Chiang Mai course, which makes it a good choice when non-golfing partners travel with you.

For a second Schmidt-Curley round, try Gassan Legacy in Lamphun, which the firm renovated in 2014. It is flatter and much easier, and costs ฿1,950 all-in by day or ฿1,650 under floodlights. Allow roughly 30 to 40 minutes each way from the Old City.

Why is Alpine the Ron Garl course to play?

Alpine shows Ron Garl's American resort style at full length: around 7,500 yards from the back, water in play on many holes, and memorable par-3s.

Garl designed the original 18 holes at Alpine Golf Resort, which opened in 2008, and a third nine followed in 2016. The long par-5s ask for two committed shots before you think about the green, and the par-3s are the holes people remember, including an island green. Alpine hosted the Asian Tour's Chiang Mai Golf Classic in 2013 and 2014, according to Golfbreaks (accessed 2026-10-15).

Green-season all-in was ฿3,700 in 2026 (฿2,500 green, ฿400 caddie, ฿800 cart). Mid-handicappers should play the forward tees here; from the tips it is one of the toughest days in the valley. We cover the round hole by hole in our Alpine Golf Resort review.

Is Royal Chiang Mai a true Peter Thomson links?

It is links-inspired, not true links. Thomson used pot bunkers, run-offs and firm approaches on inland ground, and you can see his British background in the design.

Thomson won The Open five times, and his 1996 design at Royal Chiang Mai has the feel of a British course. It has small pot bunkers, closely mown run-off areas around the greens, and approaches where a bump-and-run often beats a lofted wedge. Golfscape (accessed 2026-10-15) notes that the bunkers use local sand from the Mae Ping river and the greens are Tiff Dwarf Bermuda.

The honest downside: conditioning is mixed and varies from season to season. The design holds up, but the upkeep is inconsistent. The official green fee is ฿2,800 all year, and agent all-in rates have often come in lower. It sits north of the city, so it pairs well with Mae Jo on a two-round stretch.

What did Denis Griffiths build at Summit Green Valley and the Gymkhana?

Griffiths designed Summit Green Valley in 1990 with water on nearly every hole, and he is credited with redesigning the 9-hole Gymkhana course, a club that dates back to 1898.

Summit Green Valley is the oldest of the big-name layouts and one of the region's priciest rounds, with Golfasian listing high-season rates near the top of the Chiang Mai range. Water dominates the design, and it is one of the few courses with floodlit night golf. The caveat: we hear recurring complaints about its greens, so we check recent reports before booking it.

His second credit is a redesign at Chiang Mai Gymkhana, one of Asia's oldest sports clubs, founded in 1898. It is a short par-36 nine of roughly 2,900 yards. Play it for the history, not the challenge. Green fees are low by Chiang Mai standards, but confirm the current rate before you go.

Which Chiang Mai courses were built by Thai designers?

Mae Jo (Seni Thirawat, 2004), Chiangmai Inthanon (Supachai Silamom, 2009), Lanna (Royal Thai Army, 1974) and Gassan Panorama (in-house) are Thai-built and generally cheaper.

• Mae Jo Golf Club: an orchard setting with views of Doi Suthep, north of the city. Agent all-in is around ฿2,850. Conditioning is the weakest of the premium set and pace of play can be slow.
• Chiangmai Inthanon: a long valley layout toward Doi Inthanon, about 40 minutes south. Green fee ฿1,400, caddie ฿300, cart ฿700. Reviews note conditioning has declined.
• Lanna Golf Club: 27 holes about 10 minutes from the Old City, and one of the rare courses where you can walk. Green fee around ฿1,350.
• Gassan Panorama: very long, with a par-6, ฿1,950 all-in. Condition depends on the season.

At all of these, a caddie is standard and tipping on top of the caddie fee is expected; ฿300 to ฿500 is a common range. For cost-per-round comparisons, see our best value golf course in Chiang Mai breakdown.

Which designer credits are still disputed?

Gassan Khuntan, North Hill and Star Dome have no confirmed architect. Treat any designer you see quoted for them online as unverified.

Gassan Khuntan is credited to Pravit Reang-Po in 2004 by some sources and to Schmidt-Curley in 2014 by others. We have not confirmed either. It has the most dramatic mountain scenery in the region but the weakest conditioning of the Gassan courses, and it is the longest transfer at 45 minutes or more. North Hill City Golf Club has had 18 holes since 2014 but no named designer, and its yardage is disputed. Star Dome, the floodlit nine in the city, has no confirmed designer either.

Does a famous designer mean better conditions?

No. Design is fixed when a course opens, but conditioning changes with ownership, budget and turf. In our experience Highlands is the only premium course where both are top-tier.

A good architect can't make up for thin greens. Both Summit Green Valley and Royal Chiang Mai have strong designs and inconsistent upkeep. North Hill has no named designer but some of the best private-club conditioning in the valley. Season matters too: November to February is cool, dry and busiest; March and April bring heat and burning-season haze; May to October is green season, with cheaper rates and afternoon showers. Our Chiang Mai golf green conditions guide explains how turf types and seasons affect each course.

How do you plan a trip around course designers?

Pair contrasting designers on back-to-back days, put the hardest layout mid-trip, and save the heritage nine for a rest-day afternoon.

A four-round architecture trip we often build: Royal Chiang Mai (Thomson) to warm up, Highlands (Schmidt-Curley), Alpine (Garl), then Summit Green Valley (Griffiths) under floodlights. Add nine holes at the Gymkhana on a lighter day. The Highlands Classic package (5 nights, 4 rounds) fits that plan, and the Lanna Signature (7 nights, 5 rounds) leaves room for a Thai-designed round as well. More route ideas are in our course pairings itinerary.

A package includes green fees, caddies, carts, hotel, a private driver and airport transfers, plus support on the ground if the weather changes your plans. The honest trade-off: if you only want one round, booking that course direct can cost less. For three or more rounds across courses 30 to 45 minutes apart, a single operator handling transfers and tee times usually saves money and hassle.

Booking with us works in three steps. Send your dates, group size and the designers you want to play. We check tee times and current conditions, then send a written quote. Once you're happy, a deposit confirms the trip. We are enquiry-driven, so tell us which designers you want to play and we'll come back with a plan.