North Hill Golf Club is the best value-for-conditioning round in Chiang Mai: an 18-hole, par-72 course in Hang Dong about 15 minutes from CNX airport, with reported all-in costs of roughly ฿1,750 to ฿2,900 depending on season. Rates are not published online, so confirm at booking. One to two days' notice is normally enough to get a tee time.
What exactly is North Hill Golf Club?
A former private estate course in Hang Dong, expanded to a full 18 holes in the mid-2010s, and now the closest 18-hole course to Chiang Mai airport.
North Hill did not start as a visitor course. It opened as a compact private 9-hole layout attached to a housing estate south of the city, and Golfasian's course listing (accessed 2026-08-17) dates the expansion to a full 18-hole, par-72 course to November 2015. No architect of record is credited, which tells you something honest: this is not a signature design. What survived from the private-club era is the thing that matters, the maintenance culture.
Most listings put the course at around 6,000 yards, well short of Alpine Golf Resort at 7,400-plus. Yardage figures for North Hill vary between sources, so treat the number as approximate. The land is mostly flat, water comes into play on a good share of holes, and Doi Suthep sits on the horizon for much of the back nine. For the full picture of where it fits among the region's courses, start with our golf in Chiang Mai guide.
How good is the conditioning, really?
Fairways and greens punch far above the price, close to private-club standard. Tee boxes are the weak point, and reviewers say so consistently.
This is the reason North Hill makes our itineraries. In Chiang Mai's value tier, conditioning is usually the trade-off you accept for the price: Mae Jo has the weakest conditioning of the premium set, Lanna is honest but worn, and the outer Gassan courses are season-dependent. North Hill breaks that pattern. Fairways are tight and even, and the greens run quicker than anything else at this price point in the valley. Visitor reviews on TripAdvisor (accessed 2026-08-17) repeatedly praise greens and fairways while flagging rough tee boxes, and that matches what we see on the ground.
Two honest caveats. First, those tee boxes: patchy lies and bare spots are common, which is a strange contrast with the surfaces everywhere else. Second, like every course in the valley, standards dip in the September and October storm months. If pristine presentation on every square metre matters to you, Chiangmai Highlands remains the region's benchmark and charges accordingly.
What does a round at North Hill cost?
No published rate card. Reported all-in costs run very roughly ฿1,750 in green season to about ฿2,900 in peak. Confirm at booking, always.
North Hill is the awkward one to price. Alpine, Highlands and the Gassan group publish or semi-publish rates; North Hill does not maintain a public online rate card, and figures floating around booking sites go stale fast. The ranges above come from agent listings and recent visitor reports, not from an official price list, so we give them as a guide only.
On top of the all-in figure, budget the caddie tip. Caddies are mandatory at every Thai course, one per golfer, and the tip is separate from the caddie fee the course charges. At North Hill ฿400 per 18 holes is the norm, handed over in cash at the bag drop with a "khob khun khrap" or "kha".
How do I actually book a tee time?
Phone, hotel desk, or an operator, one to two days ahead. There is no reliable online instant-booking path for visiting golfers.
This is the second quirk. Most Chiang Mai courses are now bookable through international tee-time platforms; North Hill largely is not, and same-week availability is the norm rather than the exception because tour groups mostly skip it. One to two days' notice has been enough on every trip we have run, including January and February. Book further out if you need a specific early slot on a peak-season weekend.
If you are travelling with us, this is handled: we confirm the tee time, the transfer and the current rate as part of the quote you get through our golf enquiry page. We are enquiry-driven, so the flow is a quote followed by a deposit, not an instant checkout.
How does North Hill compare with Chiang Mai's other value courses?
It beats Lanna, Mae Jo and Gassan Legacy on conditioning, sits mid-pack on price, and is the closest of the four to the airport.
| Course | Location / transfer | Reported cost per round | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Hill Golf Club | Hang Dong, ~15 min from CNX airport | ~฿1,750-2,900 all-in (unpublished, confirm at booking) | Best conditioning in the value tier, fast greens |
| Lanna Golf Club | ~10 min from the Old City | green fee ~฿1,350, cart extra | Closest to the city, walking permitted, old-school character |
| Mae Jo Golf Club | ~20 min north of the city | agent all-in ~฿2,850, promos from ~฿1,800 | Orchard setting, Doi Suthep views |
| Gassan Legacy | Lamphun, ~30-45 min | ฿1,950 day / ฿1,650 night, all-in | Floodlit night golf, flattest layout |
The pattern: Lanna wins on city access and history, Mae Jo wins on scenery, Gassan Legacy wins on night golf, and North Hill wins on the actual playing surfaces. If your trip has one value-tier slot in it, we book North Hill unless the golfer specifically wants night golf or a walkable round.
Who is North Hill best for, and who should skip it?
Best for arrival-day and departure-day rounds, higher handicaps, and golfers who care about greens over glamour. Long hitters chasing a championship test should look elsewhere.
North Hill suits three golfers particularly well. The time-pressed golfer, because the airport is 15 minutes away and a morning round still leaves the afternoon free. The improving golfer, because a flattish course of around 6,000 yards with honest fairways is a confidence builder. And the value golfer, because nowhere else in the valley buys you greens this good for under ฿3,000 in any season.
Skip it if you measure a course by its scorecard. There is no marathon par five here like Alpine's longest holes, no ravine carries like Highlands, and a 6,000-yard par 72 will feel short off the tips for a single-figure player. It also lacks a destination clubhouse: facilities are tidy but modest, so plan lunch in the city. For the classical-design itch, Royal Chiang Mai's Peter Thomson layout is the better answer.
When should I tee off, and what about burning season?
Cool-season mornings from November to February are ideal. Avoid March: Chiang Mai's burning season regularly pushes air quality past AQI 150 and often far beyond.
From November to February you get 15 to 22 degree starts and clear views of Doi Suthep. In the June to October green season, book the earliest slot you can; storms tend to arrive mid-afternoon and mornings usually stay playable. The serious warning is the smoke.
Does North Hill fit into a package trip?
Yes, usually as the arrival or departure round. It anchors our short-stay itineraries because the airport transfer is trivial.
A single round at North Hill booked direct can absolutely be cheaper than any package, and we will say so plainly: if you are in town for one round only, ring the course. Packages earn their keep across multiple rounds, where the quote bundles green fees, caddies, carts, hotel, a private driver for every transfer and someone on the ground when weather moves a tee time. North Hill's airport position is why it opens our Layover package, 2 nights and 2 rounds, and it slots naturally into the Northern Value 4-night itinerary alongside the bigger courses. See the North Hill course page for the full listing.
Get a quote for a Chiang Mai golf trip with North Hill includedGreen fees, caddies, hotel and private airport transfers in one enquiry. We reply with a full quote.Related reading:
- Golf in Chiang Mai: the full guide
- Mae Jo Golf Club review
- Gassan golf courses near Chiang Mai: which to play
Frequently asked questions
How far is North Hill Golf Club from Chiang Mai airport?
About 15 minutes by car. North Hill sits in Hang Dong, south of the city, and it is the closest full 18-hole course to Chiang Mai International Airport. That makes it the standard first-morning or last-morning round on our itineraries: you can land at CNX, drop bags at your hotel, and be on the first tee inside 90 minutes. A pre-booked private transfer from a city hotel runs roughly ฿1,400 to ฿2,500 round trip, though most golfers reach North Hill cheaper by Grab because the drive is so short. Confirm pickup timing the night before for early tee times.
How much does a round at North Hill cost?
North Hill does not publish a public rate card online, which is unusual for Chiang Mai. Agent listings and recent visitor reports put the all-in cost, meaning green fee plus caddie plus cart, at very roughly ฿1,750 in the green season and up to about ฿2,900 in the November to March peak. Treat those as a guide, not a quote, and confirm the exact figure when you book. Budget a further ฿400 or so as a caddie tip, handed over in cash after the round. Even at the top of that range it still undercuts Alpine and Highlands.
Do I need to book North Hill in advance?
Yes, but not far in advance. One to two days ahead is normally enough, even in high season, because North Hill fills mostly with local members and repeat expat players rather than tour groups. There is no reliable online instant-booking engine for visitors, so booking happens by phone, through your hotel, or through an operator. We hold tee times for our guests as part of the package, which removes the language and payment friction. Walk-ups sometimes get out on quiet green-season weekdays, but we would not risk it on a short trip.
Is North Hill a good course for beginners or high handicappers?
Yes, one of the best in Chiang Mai. The layout is mostly flat, listings put it at around 6,000 yards, and there are few forced carries, so it will not batter a 20-plus handicapper the way Chiang Mai Highlands or Alpine can. The greens are the defence: they run quicker than the price suggests and reviewers consistently call them tricky. Low handicappers who want length off the tee will find it short. As a warm-up round, a beginner-friendly round, or a value round between the marquee courses, it works very well.
What condition is North Hill in?
Fairways and greens are the best in Chiang Mai's value tier, and reviewers regularly compare the standard to a private members' club. The course began life as a private 9-hole layout inside a housing estate, and that upkeep culture survived the expansion to 18 holes. The honest caveat: tee boxes draw recurring complaints and are noticeably weaker than the fairways they serve. Conditioning also dips in the wet months of September and October, as it does everywhere in the valley. On our visits the greens have been the clear highlight, quick and true for the money.
