Santiburi Country Club was the first Chiang Rai golf course. The Chiang Rai Robert Trent Jones Jr designed Santiburi Country Club is laid out over vast fields with excellent placement of holes and an abundance of water hazards and bunkers. The golf course is widely regarded as one of the best conceived and maintained golf courses in Asia. Golfers living in Thailand will tell you that Santiburi in Chiang Mai is one of their favorite golf courses in Thailand, and this is no small compliment!
The golf course is championship caliber, yet it is playable and enjoyable for golfers on every skill level. Set into the contours of a valley, it offers a superbly landscaped golf course that winds beneath a canopy of magnificent shade trees, across crystal clear lakes and streams, reflecting turquoise skies and pearl white clouds above, and the lush green foothills and mountains of Chiang Rai in the distance.
Santiburi Chiang Rai Country Club features great holes with undulating fairways and perfectly rolling fast greens. Four different tees offer every level of golfer a fair chance. Eleven long par 4 makes Santiburi particularly challenging for all golfers. Most of the holes characterized by rolling greens guarded by countless sand and grass bunkers, trees and substantial water hazards. There are varied options for many longer holes including conservative approaches for the novice and challenging routes over danger for the more experienced golfers.
As the course weaves its way around natural rolling hills and lakes, the first nine plays up and downhill while the back nine holes sweep through steep valleys and a chain of 3 lakes.
The Santiburi fairways have a wide range of sloping lies, are long, and are lined with natural hazards. At holes 2, 3 and 4, you have to play alongside a considerable lake which runs the length of the holes. Most greens protected by bunkers and there are several good dogleg holes. The par-five 18th finishing hole is particularly impressive. The golfer has to negotiate water on the left side from the tee short and again on the right side of the fairway on the approach shot.
The Santiburi Chiang Rai course is kept in excellent condition year-round, as the Singha Beer family owners continue to invest in good maintenance practices. If coming to Thailand, like to golf, and part of the time will be in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, then every golfer should make time to play this course.