Asian Tour Golf: Inside Thailand's Pro & Amateur Scene
Key takeaways
- The Asian Tour is the main professional circuit for men's golf across Asia outside Japan, and Thailand is one of its most active host countries.
- Thai Country Club near Bangkok and Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin have both hosted big-purse Asian Tour events in recent seasons.
- The 2024 International Series Thailand carried a $2 million purse with a $360,000 winner's share, played at Thai Country Club.
- Most tournament venues in Thailand are public-access resort courses, so amateurs can book tee times on the same fairways the pros play.
- Pairing a tournament week with a multi-course itinerary turns a spectating trip into a full golf holiday.
The Asian Tour is the top professional circuit for men's golf across Asia, and Thailand is one of the countries where it stages the most tournament play. If you follow Asian Tour golf, you can watch a big-purse event near Bangkok or in Hua Hin one week, then tee off on that same course yourself the next. That overlap between professional and amateur access is what makes Thailand such a rewarding destination for traveling golf fans.
This guide covers what the Asian Tour actually is, where its events land on the Thai map, which championship courses host tournament-level play, and how you can plan a trip around it.
What Asian Tour Golf Is and Where It Plays in Thailand
The Asian Tour is the sanctioning body for professional men's golf across the region, excluding Japan, which runs its own separate tour. Its tournaments carry Official World Golf Ranking points, which is why they draw a serious international field alongside the region's best players. The circuit has grown steadily since the 1990s and now moves through a full calendar of countries each season.
Thailand sits near the center of that map. The country's combination of world-class courses, established resort infrastructure, and a comfortable cool-season climate makes it a natural host. Professional events in Thailand have included the long-running Thailand Open, the national championship, and more recent big-purse tournaments tied to the Asian Tour's elevated International Series. Bangkok, the eastern seaboard around Pattaya, and the beach town of Hua Hin form the three main clusters where tournament golf tends to land.
For a visiting fan, that geography is convenient. All three areas are within a few hours of a major airport, and each has a deep bench of golf courses beyond the single venue hosting an event.
Championship Courses That Host Tournament-Level Play
A handful of Thai courses do the heavy lifting when it comes to hosting professional golf.
Thai Country Club, Chachoengsao
Set in the countryside east of Bangkok, Thai Country Club is a manicured parkland layout that has hosted marquee professional events. It staged the 2024 International Series Thailand, an Asian Tour event with a $2 million total purse and a $360,000 winner's share, according to The Golf News Net. That winner's share is the standard 18 percent payout under the Asian Tour's prize money chart. The course is known for its immaculate conditioning and demanding, water-guarded closing holes.
Black Mountain Golf Club, Hua Hin
Black Mountain, tucked into the hills behind Hua Hin, has become one of Thailand's most decorated tournament venues. It has hosted multiple Asian Tour events over the years and is regularly rated among the best courses in the country. The routing runs through dramatic terrain with elevation changes that are unusual for Thai golf, which gives professional broadcasts a striking backdrop.
Siam Country Club and Amata Spring, near Pattaya and Chonburi
The eastern seaboard region holds two more heavyweights. Siam Country Club has a long history of hosting professional women's and men's events, and Amata Spring Country Club has staged high-profile team and championship golf. Both are polished, resort-grade layouts built to test the best.
These courses share a few traits: excellent conditioning, generous practice facilities, and the kind of length and hazard placement that separates scratch players from tour professionals.
How Amateurs Can Play the Same Layouts as the Pros
Here is the part that surprises many first-time visitors. Most of Thailand's tournament venues are not private clubs closed to outsiders. They are resort and daily-fee courses that welcome visiting golfers, which means you can book a tee time on the very fairways where an Asian Tour event was decided.
A few practical notes make this smoother:
- Book ahead in high season. The cool, dry months from roughly November to February bring the best playing conditions and the busiest tee sheets. Popular tournament courses fill early.
- Expect a caddie. Nearly every Thai course provides a caddie, and at the championship venues they know the greens intimately. Their reads and yardages are a genuine advantage on layouts you have never seen.
- Play the right tees. The pros compete from the back markers on courses that can stretch well over 7,000 yards. Moving forward one set keeps the round enjoyable while still letting you appreciate the design.
- Mind the heat. Even in the cool season, midday sun is strong. Early tee times are more comfortable and often cheaper.
Playing a championship course a few weeks after watching a tournament there gives you a real feel for how the professionals handled its trouble spots. Standing on the same tee, you understand why a certain drive gets so much respect on television.

Spectating Tips for Golf Fans Visiting Thailand
Watching an Asian Tour event in person is relaxed compared with the biggest global majors, and that is part of the appeal. Galleries are smaller, access is closer, and you can follow a group for a full nine without fighting crowds.
A few things help you get the most out of a spectating day:
- Arrive for the morning wave. Cooler temperatures and better light make the early hours the most pleasant for walking a course.
- Pick a vantage point. A par 3 with a grandstand or a driveable par 4 gives you steady action and a chance to see risk-reward decisions up close.
- Follow the practice range. Range sessions before rounds are one of the best places to watch technique and get near the players.
- Check ticketing and transport in advance. Some events are free or low cost to attend, but parking and shuttle logistics vary by venue, so confirm before you go.
- Bring sun protection and water. Shade can be limited out on the course, and staying hydrated matters even in the dry season.
Because the venues sit near Bangkok, Pattaya, and Hua Hin, a tournament day slots easily into a wider trip. You can watch golf in the afternoon and still enjoy the food, beaches, or city sights those regions are known for.
Turning a Tournament Trip into a Full Golf Holiday
The smartest way to experience Asian Tour golf in Thailand is to build a whole holiday around it rather than flying in for a single day. The host courses rarely stand alone. Each tournament region has a cluster of strong layouts within easy reach, so you can watch the pros one day and play a different course the next.
A well-planned week might pair a spectating day at the tournament venue with rounds at two or three nearby courses, a rest day for the range or the beach, and a booking on the championship layout itself once the event has moved on. Building that kind of itinerary around transport, tee times, and accommodation is exactly what a specialist operator does. This is where a company like Thailandgolftour fits, arranging the courses, caddies, transfers, and lodging so you can focus on the golf. Our complete guide to golf holidays in Thailand walks through how the season, regions, and courses fit together across a full trip.
If a tournament week is your anchor, decide which region hosts the event you want to see, then block out the surrounding days for the region's other courses. Start by mapping the event dates against your travel window, and build the rest of the itinerary outward from there so you land in Thailand with tee times already confirmed on the courses the pros play.
Frequently asked questions
What is Asian Tour golf?
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf circuit across Asia, excluding Japan, which runs its own tour. It sanctions tournaments in many countries and awards Official World Golf Ranking points.
Does the Asian Tour play events in Thailand?
Yes. Thailand regularly hosts Asian Tour and affiliated professional events, with recent tournaments staged at Thai Country Club near Bangkok and Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin.
Can amateurs play the courses the pros play in Thailand?
In most cases, yes. The majority of Thailand's tournament venues are resort or daily-fee courses open to visiting golfers, so you can book a tee time on the same layout.
When is the golf tournament season in Thailand?
The main professional season runs during Thailand's cool, dry months, roughly November through February, which also happens to be the most comfortable time to play as a visitor.
