Waterford Valley Chiangrai Golf Club & Resort

Course Data
LocationChiang Rai, Thailand
Yardage6961 yards Par 72
Course Rating 
Playing Date27 Jul. 2006
DesignerRather International (USA)
Opened1996
CaddyYes
Golf CartYes (Can be drive on the fairways)
Rating
Overall Rating
3.60
Course Layout
3
Difficulty Level
3
Greens Condition
4
Fairways Condition
3
Landscaping & Views
5
 

The golf course is set upon a plateau, surrounded by lush valley. It is laid out on the hill summit, with the course is falling away. It undulates up and down, along the contour of the plateau. With the natural slope of the hillside coming into play on about half of the holes, it presents an interesting challenge. The greens are generally small. Also, you can enjoy panoramic views of row of mountains in every direction. However, fairways are wide, a lot of water hazards do not come into play as much, bunkers are shallow and not strategically placed on most holes, so its layout is not inspiring for advanced players.



A view from the clubhouse

A view from the 6th green

A colorful butterfly seen in the course

 
6th  Par 3 197 yards

6th Par 3 197 yards

A beautiful par 3 over a lake. The green looks distinctly big compared to the other relatively small greens.

9th  Par 4 390 yards

A signature hole that doglegs to the left. The second shot is over water. The green slopes slightly from back to front, and is guarded by bunkers on both sides.

 

9th holes seen from behind the green

9th Par 4 390 yards (2)

9th Par 4 390 yards (1)
 
10th  Par 5 505 yards

A slight dogleg to the left. The tee shot is a steep downhill. The fairway is tight and guarded by trees on both sides, so you need accurate tee and second shots to have a good score.


10th Par 5 505 yards (3)

10th Par 5 505 yards (2)

10th Par 5 505 yards (1)
 
11th  Par 3 168 yards

11th Par 3 168 yards (2)

11th Par 3 168 yards (1)

A hole over a natural lake. The front and left sides of the green face the water and a bunker awaits on the right, so an accurate shot is needed.

 
14th  Par 4 439 yards
A gentle uphill, straight hole with a lake on the right. The fairway on the tee shot is wide but as it go closer to the green, the smaller the target area becomes.


14th Par 4 439 yards (3)

14th Par 4 439 yards (2)

14th Par 4 439 yards (1)
 
18th  Par 4 368 yards

18th Par 4 368 yards (2)

18th Par 4 368 yards (1)
A short par 4 with the meandering fairway. The bunkers protecting both sides of the green are deep and the green slopes from left to right.

 

 
19th hole

Restaurant

It is a 40 minutes drive both from Chiang Rai and Chiang Rai Airport and a 3 hours & half drive from Chiang Mai. A loge is adjacent. The restaurant is open air and the breeze from outside made me very comfortable. I could choose freely the tees to play from.