Summit Green Valley is the Chiang Mai valley's only fully floodlit 18-hole championship course and, in high season, one of its priciest regular tee times: a Denis Griffiths design from 1990 with water on nearly every hole, about ฿1,900 to ฿2,100 all-in in the 2026 green season and ฿3,900 plus in peak months. Worth it? Yes for the layout and night golf, with one honest caveat on the greens. Here is our operator take.
What is Summit Green Valley?
An 18-hole, par-72 championship course of about 7,200 yards in the San Sai and Mae Rim area, designed by Denis Griffiths and opened in 1990.
Summit Green Valley is one of the oldest championship layouts in the valley and still one of the most distinctive. Griffiths routed the course across flat land north of the city and compensated for the lack of elevation with water: lakes, canals and ponds touch nearly every hole. The result plays more like a Florida parkland test than the mountain golf people associate with the north. Yardage is listed at 7,202 from the tips (Golfshake course guide, accessed 2026-08-17).
It is a fixture in our multi-course itineraries because it is unlike everything else here. For where it fits in the full picture, start with our golf in Chiang Mai guide.
How much does it cost in 2026?
Green season roughly ฿1,900 to ฿2,100 all-in with cart and caddie; high season from around ฿3,900, with a ฿4,700 all-in Jan to Feb 2026 club special.
Summit Green Valley prices swing harder by season than any other Chiang Mai course:
- Green season (April to October 2026): agent rates of ฿2,100 all-in for morning rounds and ฿1,900 for afternoon or night, including green fee, cart and caddie (chiangmaigolfclub.com rate card, accessed 2026-08-17).
- High season (November to March): Golfasian lists it from ฿3,900 (accessed 2026-08-17), and the club's own January to February 2026 special was ฿4,700 for green fee, caddie and cart.
That high-season figure puts it at the top of the valley's regular tee sheet in peak months. For context, green-season agent rates at Alpine run about ฿3,700 all-in and Chiang Mai Highlands about ฿3,400 all-in (CMGT Golf, 2026), and both of those also rise in high season. Rates move every season, so treat these as the shape of the market and confirm at booking.
What is the course like to play?
Flat, green and wet. Water threatens on nearly every hole, greens are large and receptive, and scoring depends on positional golf, not power.
The defining feature is water. Griffiths used lakes and canals as the primary hazard, so almost every tee shot asks a question: challenge the line over the hazard or bail out and leave a longer approach. Players who plot their way around with fairway woods and mid-irons score here. Players who pull driver on autopilot reload a lot; budget three or four extra balls for a first visit.
The greens are among the biggest in the region, which keeps approach shots fair even with water short or long. Putting from the wrong tier is the usual cause of three-putts. There is minimal elevation change, so it is an easy course on the legs, and pace of play holds up better than at the busier resort courses.
What you do not get is scenery. The Doi Suthep backdrop is distant, and the flat routing cannot match the drama of Highlands' ravines or Alpine's foothills. This is a golfer's course, not a postcard course.
How does the floodlit night golf work?
Full 18-hole floodlighting, night rounds at ฿1,900 all-in in 2026, and the most comfortable way to play the hot season.
Summit Green Valley is the only championship 18 in the immediate Chiang Mai area that is fully floodlit. Night golf here is not a novelty nine; it is the complete course under lights, quoted at ฿1,900 all-in for 2026 including cart and caddie (chiangmaigolfclub.com, accessed 2026-08-17).
Two situations where it earns its keep:
- Hot season (March to May). Daytime highs pass 35C. A late-afternoon start that finishes under lights is the difference between a good round and heat survival.
- Squeezing in an extra round. Fly in at midday, play the same evening. Our Layover package, 2 nights and 2 rounds is built around exactly this kind of scheduling.
The alternatives for night golf are Gassan Legacy in Lamphun at ฿1,650 all-in for a night round (CMGT Golf, 2026) and the 9-hole in-city Star Dome. Legacy is cheaper; Summit is the better course.
What about the greens complaints?
The recurring knock is real: visitor reviews repeatedly flag sanded, patchy or inconsistent putting surfaces, especially outside the cool season. At a top-of-market price, that stings.
We will not gloss this. Summit Green Valley's conditioning reputation is mixed, and the complaints cluster on the greens. GolfPass reviews (accessed 2026-08-17) include rounds on freshly sanded greens, and our own guests have hit weeks where the surfaces did not match the invoice. Other weeks the greens run quick and true. The variance is the problem.
If pristine surfaces are your single biggest priority, Chiang Mai Highlands is the region's most reliably conditioned course. Our Highlands review covers why.
How does it compare to Alpine, Highlands and Royal?
Summit is the water test and the night option; Alpine is the tournament course, Highlands the conditioning benchmark, Royal the links-style change of pace.
| Course | Design | Character | Green-season all-in (2026) | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Green Valley | Denis Griffiths, 1990 | Flat, water on nearly every hole, floodlit 18 | ฿1,900-2,100 | Greens condition varies; top-of-market price in high season |
| Alpine Golf Resort | Ron Garl | 27 holes, long, former Asian Tour venue | ฿3,700 | Toughest walk-off score for high handicaps |
| Chiang Mai Highlands | Lee Schmidt, 2005 | 27 holes, best-conditioned, heavily bunkered | ฿3,400 | Longer transfer from the city |
| Royal Chiang Mai | Peter Thomson, 1996 | British links style, pot bunkers | ~฿2,100 (agent) | Condition mixed and variable |
The smart move is not choosing one; it is sequencing them. Water golf at Summit, mountain golf at Alpine, precision golf at Highlands and links golf at Royal Chiang Mai inside one trip is exactly the variety that makes Chiang Mai a destination rather than a one-course stop. Our Lanna Signature package, 7 nights and 5 rounds is built on that rotation.
How do I get there and when should I tee off?
About 30 to 40 minutes north of the city in San Sai and Mae Rim. Cool-season mornings or hot-season nights are the windows to aim for.
Like most of the valley's resort courses, Summit sits 30 to 45 minutes from the city hotels. Grab works in theory but is risky for 6:30am pickups and struggles with golf bags; a pre-booked private round-trip transfer runs about ฿1,400 to ฿2,500 (CMGT Golf, 2026). On our trips the private driver is included, waits through the round, and handles the return.
Seasonal timing in brief: November to February gives 15 to 22C mornings and the course at its best. June to October is the value window with mostly playable mornings and short afternoon storms. Mid-January to mid-April is burning season; March air quality routinely passes AQI 150, so check IQAir daily and keep plans flexible.
Should you book direct or in a package?
A single round here is fine to book direct. Multiple rounds across courses, with hotel and transfers, is where a package wins on cost and logistics.
Honest math: if Summit Green Valley is your only round of the trip, booking direct or through a discount tee-time site will match or beat any bundled price, and we will tell you so. The package case starts at three or more rounds. Market bundles show the scale: one published 5-day, 4-night Chiang Mai package runs around ฿19,500 including hotel, transfers, tee times and caddie fees (Golfasian, accessed 2026-08-14). CMGT Golf works enquiry-first instead of listing fixed prices: tell us dates, group size and courses on our golf hub, and we send a quote covering green fees, caddies, carts, hotel, a private driver with airport transfers, and on-the-ground support. If a course's greens are down that week, we say so and re-route you.
Every course we book, Summit included, is listed alongside our packages on the golf hub.
Get a Chiang Mai golf trip quoteTell us your dates and group. We build the itinerary, courses, hotel and transfers, and reply with a full quote.Related reading:
- Alpine Golf Resort Chiang Mai: course review
- Chiang Mai Highlands golf review
- Best time for golf in Chiang Mai
Frequently asked questions
How much does Summit Green Valley cost to play in 2026?
It depends heavily on season. In the 2026 green season (April to October), agent rates run about ฿1,900 to ฿2,100 all-in for green fee, cart and caddie, with morning slots at the top of that range. High season is a different market: the club's January to February 2026 special was ฿4,700 all-in, and published high-season packages start around ฿3,900. That puts Summit Green Valley among the priciest regular tee times in the Chiang Mai valley in peak months. Prices change every season, so confirm the live rate at booking.
Does Summit Green Valley have night golf?
Yes, and it is the only fully floodlit 18-hole championship course in the immediate Chiang Mai area. Floodlights cover the full course, and night rounds in 2026 were quoted at ฿1,900 all-in including cart and caddie, slightly under the morning rate. Night golf matters most in the hot season (March to May), when daytime highs pass 35C and a 6pm tee-off is far more comfortable, and it gives you a way to fit an extra round into a short trip. Gassan Legacy in Lamphun is the other floodlit option nearby, at a lower price point.
Is Summit Green Valley in good condition?
This is the honest caveat. The layout and the large greens draw consistent praise, but greens condition complaints recur in visitor reviews, including sanded or patchy putting surfaces outside peak months. Some rounds report quick, receptive greens; others report surfaces that do not match the premium price. Our practical advice as an operator: it is at its best in the cool season (November to February), and if you are paying the high-season rate we would set expectations accordingly or ask us which course is rolling best that week.
How far is Summit Green Valley from Chiang Mai city?
The course sits in the San Sai and Mae Rim area north of the city, and most hotel pickups run roughly 30 to 40 minutes each way depending on traffic and where you are staying. That is typical for the Chiang Mai valley, where the resort courses ring the city at 30 to 45 minutes out. A pre-booked private round-trip transfer to a course in this band generally costs about ฿1,400 to ฿2,500. Package golfers get the transfer folded into the trip price, which is usually the cheaper and more reliable way to do early tee times.
Who is Summit Green Valley best suited to?
Golfers who enjoy water in play and a flat, walkable-feeling parkland round rather than mountain drama. Denis Griffiths' design puts water on nearly every hole, so it rewards straight, planned golf and punishes the driver-everywhere approach. It suits mid-handicappers who want a strategic test, night-golf fans, and hot-season visitors. If you want elevation change and views, Chiang Mai Highlands or Alpine are the stronger picks, and value hunters will get more per baht at North Hill or the Gassan courses.
