A Chiang Mai winter golf trip swaps Scotland's 2 hours of daily January sunshine and winter mats for around 9 sunny hours, 30C afternoons and full greens, with all-in rounds from about ฿1,950 to ฿3,400 in the green season and higher rates in winter. The trade-off is a 14 to 17 hour journey and a smoky burning season from late February. For UK golfers escaping between November and early February, the maths usually favours Chiang Mai.
Is the weather really that different in January?
Yes. Edinburgh averages a January high of about 7C with 2 hours of sun a day. Chiang Mai averages about 30C and 9 hours of sun.
This is the core of the whole comparison. According to Climates to Travel's Edinburgh climate data (accessed 2026-09-26), January brings an average low of about 1C, around 65 mm of rain across 12 days, and daylight of roughly 7 to 8 hours. In practice, a 9am tee time on frosty ground is a gamble, and the back nine often finishes in fading light.
The same source's Chiang Mai climate page (accessed 2026-09-26) shows a January high of about 30C, a low near 15C, minimal rain on a single day, and around 9 hours of sunshine. Mornings are fresh enough for a jumper on the first tee at the higher courses. By the turn you are in shirt sleeves, and by the 18th you will want sun cream and a full water bottle.
| January average | Edinburgh | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime high | About 7C | About 30C |
| Overnight low | About 1C | About 15C |
| Rainfall | About 65 mm over 12 days | About 10 mm over 1 day |
| Sunshine per day | About 2 hours | About 9 hours |
| Typical course set-up | Temporary greens and mats at many clubs | Full greens and fairways |
What condition are the courses in over the winter?
Chiang Mai's high season runs November to March, so courses play at their best exactly when Scottish clubs are protecting their turf.
Many Scottish clubs move to temporary greens, fairway mats or restricted areas once the ground gets waterlogged or frozen. That is sensible greenkeeping, but it isn't the golf you had in mind in September.
In Chiang Mai, the cool dry months are high season. The rains have finished, the grass has had months of growth, and greenkeepers have the course where they want it. Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa is our pick for conditioning: a 27-hole Lee Schmidt design with paspalum turf and heavy bunkering that punishes a lazy approach. Alpine Golf Resort is a long Ron Garl layout that has hosted Asian Tour golf, with a par-5 4th that plays well over 600 yards from the back.
Conditioning is not uniform across the region, and it shifts from season to season as courses renovate or cut maintenance budgets. We build trips around the courses that are in form that winter and tell you if one we would normally recommend is having a rough patch. Our best golf courses in Chiang Mai ranking covers the full list.
Does Chiang Mai have anything like a links course?
One course comes close. Royal Chiang Mai is a Peter Thomson design with a deliberate British-links feel: pot bunkers, run-offs and firm approaches.
If links golf is the reason you play, nothing in Thailand replaces St Andrews or Carnoustie. That's the honest answer. Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club was designed by five-time Open champion Peter Thomson in a links style, so players raised on Scottish golf will recognise the bump-and-run shots it rewards, just played in shorts. Its conditioning is more variable than the premium courses, so we check it before each booking.
Everywhere else, Chiang Mai is mountain-valley golf. Expect elevation changes, water hazards, rice-paddy views and the Doi Suthep skyline behind the greens. The wind rarely decides your score the way it does on a Scottish coast. It's a different game, not a lesser one, and most UK groups enjoy the contrast.
How do green fees compare?
Chiang Mai rounds cost about ฿1,950 to ฿3,400 all-in during the green season, including caddie and cart. Winter high-season rates are higher and often unpublished.
Scottish winter golf can be cheap at your home club, and some famous links drop their prices from November. Golf.com reported the Old Course's low-season fee (1 November to 31 March) at £135 in 2022, against £270 in peak season (accessed 2026-09-26). That buys the name on the scorecard. It doesn't buy the weather.
A Chiang Mai fee buys more than the course: a caddie for every golfer (compulsory), a shared cart, and access to a clubhouse where lunch costs a few hundred baht. The caddie tip is separate, typically ฿400 to ฿600 per 18 holes, paid in cash at the end of the round. Our caddie culture and tipping guide explains how it works. The green fee comparison lists course-by-course rates.
What about the flight and the jet lag?
This is Chiang Mai's biggest cost. There are no direct UK flights, so plan on 14 to 17 hours via Bangkok and a 7-hour time difference.
Most UK golfers fly into Bangkok and connect to Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX), a little over an hour north. CNX sits only a few kilometres from the Old City, so a taxi (roughly ฿150 to ฿200) or Grab gets you to most hotels in 10 to 20 minutes.
Because of the travel time, a 3-night Chiang Mai trip makes little sense from the UK. The long flight only pays off over a week or more, with a rest day at the start so the jet lag doesn't wreck your first round. The Lanna Signature 7-night package with 5 rounds is a popular shape for UK groups. The Highlands Classic 5-night suits a tighter schedule.
Which winter months work best from the UK?
December and January are the sweet spot. November is good too, but from late February the burning season makes the air a real problem.
December and January both average highs around 29C to 30C and are almost dry. Late October and early November can still bring leftover wet-season showers, although mornings are usually clear and the courses are lush after the rains.
The honest downside: from around February into April, agricultural burning fills the valley with smoke, and it usually peaks in March. On bad days the air quality index sits well into the unhealthy range, and Chiang Mai has regularly ranked among the most polluted cities in the world during this period. If you want to escape a grim Scottish March, Chiang Mai is the wrong answer that month. Read our burning season golf guide before you book anything after mid-February.
How many rounds can you realistically play?
Four or five rounds in a week is comfortable. Some courses offer floodlit evening golf, which is unthinkable in a Scottish December.
Tee times start from about 6:30am in high season, and a round with a caddie and cart runs roughly 4.5 to 5 hours. An early start means you finish before the worst of the afternoon heat, with the rest of the day free for a massage, the pool or the Old City night markets. A handful of courses, including Gassan Legacy, have offered floodlit play, so ask us which are running night golf for your dates.
Most courses are 30 to 45 minutes from the city by private transfer. North Hill and Lanna Golf Club are among the closest to town, which makes them good choices for an arrival-day nine or a final round before the evening flight. For a sample week, see our 7-day Chiang Mai golf itinerary.
Does a package beat booking each round direct?
For a week of golf, usually yes. For one or two rounds, booking direct can be cheaper, and we'll tell you so.
The saving isn't mainly in the green fee. It comes from logistics: a pre-booked private return transfer to a course typically costs somewhere around ฿1,400 to ฿2,500 per trip. Grab is unreliable for a 6am pickup with four tour bags. A CMGT Golf package combines green fees, caddies, carts, hotel, private driver, airport transfers and on-the-ground support in one quote. If the weather or your back changes the plan, one message rearranges it.
We're enquiry-driven: you tell us dates, group size and handicaps, we send a quote, and a deposit confirms it. For the full breakdown, read Chiang Mai golf holiday cost and our direct vs agent booking comparison.
So who should stay in Scotland?
Stay home if links golf is non-negotiable, you only have a long weekend, or your only free window is March.
Scotland has the history, the links and a short drive home. Chiang Mai has the sunshine, full greens, a caddie on every bag, and rounds that start in 15C air and finish in 30C. For a UK golfer with a week free between November and mid-February, it's the better winter golf trip. Browse our Chiang Mai golf packages to see how a week fits together.
Get a quote for a Chiang Mai winter golf tripTell us your dates and group size. We'll send an all-in quote covering courses, caddies, hotel and transfers.Frequently asked questions
Is Chiang Mai golf better than Scottish golf in winter?
For playing conditions, yes, by a wide margin. In January, Edinburgh averages a high of about 7C, roughly 2 hours of sunshine a day and rain on around 12 days of the month. Chiang Mai averages about 30C, around 9 hours of sunshine and almost no rain. Chiang Mai courses play full greens and fairways all winter, while many Scottish clubs move to temporary greens and fairway mats. Scotland still wins on links heritage and on the cost of getting there. If you want to play proper golf most days from November to mid-February, Chiang Mai is the stronger choice.
How much does a round of golf cost in Chiang Mai compared with Scotland?
In the April to October green season, a round at Chiangmai Highlands costs around ฿3,400 all-in (green fee, caddie and cart), and Gassan Panorama around ฿1,950 all-in. Rates from November to March are higher and many courses do not publish them, so we confirm them at quote stage. In Scotland, the Old Course low-season fee was reported at £135 in 2022, and most parkland clubs charge far less in winter, though often for mats and temporary greens. The flight is the big fixed cost of a Chiang Mai trip. Each round after that costs about the same as a decent Scottish winter round.
What is the best month for a UK golfer to go to Chiang Mai?
December and January. Highs sit around 29C to 30C, mornings start near 15C, and rain is close to zero. November is also good, though the tail of the wet season can linger early in the month. Avoid March, and plan late February carefully: agricultural burning regularly pushes the air quality index into unhealthy levels, and some days rank Chiang Mai among the most polluted cities in the world. Book December and January tee times early, because they are also the busiest months on the courses.
How long is the flight from the UK to Chiang Mai?
There are no direct flights from the UK to Chiang Mai. Most golfers fly London to Bangkok, then take a domestic hop of a little over an hour to Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX). Allow roughly 14 to 17 hours door to door, depending on the connection. Thailand is 7 hours ahead of UK winter time, so plan a rest day on arrival before your first tee time. CNX is only a few kilometres from the Old City, so the last leg by taxi is short and cheap.
Do I need to bring my own clubs to Chiang Mai?
Not necessarily. The main Chiang Mai courses rent clubs, typically somewhere around ฿1,000 to ฿1,500 a set per round, though prices and quality vary by course. For a trip of 4 rounds or more, most UK golfers bring their own bag, because airline sports-baggage fees end up close to the rental total and you keep the clubs you know. Your caddie carries the bag or loads it onto the cart, so a full tour bag is no problem on the course.
