Chaing Rai, Thailand
In the northwest of Thailand lies one of its most polished golf courses, close to the small city of Chiang Rai. Framed by the Chaing Rai Mountains and built on the slopes of its foothills, the course is one of the best conditioned in Thailand and remains one of its most exclusive semi-private clubs. Visitors are welcomed at the course and most hotels in the region will be able to arrange tee times at a surprisingly affordable rate.
The course has two distinctly different nines. The front nine is on the flat part of the course and features water hazards on seven of the holes, cleverly using undulations and slopes to bring the water into play on many of the fairways. The back nine twists and turns into the heavily wooded with tight fairways and fast greens demanding your best game. Water hazards appear at the end of the course, to provide a challenging closing duo of its best holes. The 17th is a short par three with water all along its right side and a green that butts into the lake. A tight pin placement means that the required shot is a draw or a direct line over the water. The 18th is a double dogleg which is probably the best closing hole in Thailand. The hole starts out with a lake on the left which cuts across the fairway and comes back into play on the right, all the way up to the two-tiered green. Closing with a par is an achievement.
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