Waterford Valley Golf Club & Resort

Set in the Wiang Chai Hills Waterford Valley Golf Course is 40 minutes from the city of Chiang Rai in one of Thailand’s most attractive and most cooling areas. The Waterford golf course is built upon a plateau, surrounded by lush valleys and mountains. The beautiful mountains of the North provide a pleasant distraction to a day on the fairways, which trees, shrubs, and bushes surround themselves and make this par 72 layout one of the most scenic in Thailand.

Designed in 1994 by Rathert International, the natural beauty, incredible vistas & views, and refreshing climate makes Waterford Valley an excellent choice for a day of golf in Chiang Rai. Waterford Valley is a good, though at times hilly course. Three holes on each side have severe elevation changes, making correct club selection critical. The flatter holes are relatively straightforward, with wide fairways.

The 9th, a 390-yard par 4, is particularly challenging. The tee box is set back off to the side corner of a hill with the fairway playing a dog-leg left. A straight hit with a driver will run out of fairway and into water; a well-controlled draw around the hill to a landing area is the best bet or else a shorter 3-wood is a safer play. The approach is over a steep, water-filled ravine to a raised green sloping severely from back to front, with bunkers left and right. Avoid landing above the hole or face a downhill putt.

The 10th, a 505-yard par 5, requires an exacting drive over water to the fairway below. Trees right and left flank a narrow fairway guarded by a substantial bunker right and out of bounds all along left. It’s quite severely downhill so a good tee shot will run a long way down the fairway, setting up for a fairway wood onto the green in two.

The 18th, a 368-yard par 4, is a decent finishing hole with elevation change and birdie opportunity.  A 3-wood off the tee sets up nice for hitting it close to the uphill green. Overall Waterford is a fun Chiang Rai golf course with predominantly open parkland holes and a few decidedly tricky ones mixed in as well.

Apres golf players have a good view of the surroundings and suburbs of Chiang Rai from the outdoor clubhouse. The food is basic Thai cuisine including a few spicy northern specialties with the usual beverages. There is also an onsite golf resort which consists of a 20 room golf lodge as well as 30 dormitory style rooms. Local Thais and large groups of visiting Asian golfers enjoy the lodge, whereas most other Chiang Rai golfers prefer to overnight at better lodging in or near Chiang Rai city center.