This story is part of Game On, our look at the world of luxury sports travel.
Pebble Beach? Been there. St Andrews? Done that. The world’s most iconic golf destinations are worthy of repeat pilgrimages, but few places pair marquee courses with off-the-green diversions like Southeast Asia does. Over the past several years, many of the game’s greatest architects have designed and helped open new courses across Thailand and Vietnam, from seaside links to jungle-hugged layouts and pristine parkland stunners.
“The courses are professional and outstanding, but it’s the cultural immersion in each country that makes for a genuinely different kind of golf vacation,” says Mark Hillson, the executive director of Golf Traveller, a tour company that works with Virtuoso travel advisors to curate golf itineraries around the globe. The company’s custom Vietnam and Thailand trips can couple morning rounds on Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed gems with afternoons visiting UNESCO-listed temple complexes and evenings hopping between acclaimed street-food stalls. Both countries are rich in culture and amazing golf – here’s what to add to your list.
A Thailand Golf Getaway, from Bangkok to Phuket
“The real magic of a golf trip to Thailand is in the balance,” Hillson says. “Great golf, of course, but the culture, food, and people make the experience stay with you well beyond the greens.”
With more than 250 golf courses, Thailand’s roster tops that of any other country in Southeast Asia. Hillson suggests beginning in Bangkok, where the 354-room Anantara Siam Bangkok (a 12-minute walk from Lumphini Park, the city’s largest green space) makes an ideal home base.
Several excellent courses surround Bangkok: Just two months shy of his famous first Masters victory, Tiger Woods won the 1997 Honda Invitational at the Thai Country Club, a 40-minute drive southeast of the city. The course and its palm-tree-dotted fairways remain in immaculate condition. North of Bangkok, the parkland Alpine Golf Club has twice hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic, with enough lakes (eight, to be exact) to make Pete Dye proud.
Bangkok’s semi-private, 18-hole Kantarat Golf Course, owned by the Thai Royal Air Force, is the world’s only airport course, located between runways at Don Mueang International Airport. Golfers will hit within a flop shot of landing 737s, but they won’t be behind the wheel of their cart – caddies have to drive, since groups briefly cross active runways.
In between rounds, Bangkok’s exquisite temples, from the Grand Palace to Wat Pho, dazzle in their gold-plated glory, and ferry rides along the Chao Phraya River reveal skyline views and pockets of calm. Chinatown’s street-food stalls are just as revered as the city’s fine-dining establishments, and the shopping (don’t miss the Chatuchak Weekend Market) could leave travelers’ golf clubs competing for checked-bag space with their souvenirs.
Coastal Beauties: Vietnam’s Best Golf Courses
It’s possible to combine Thailand and Vietnam into one grand Southeast Asia golf getaway – Golf Traveller has done it before (even adding in additional nights in Singapore and Cambodia) – but Hillson says that “both countries warrant a stand-alone journey for travelers wanting a more relaxed pace.” While Thailand’s championship courses showcase variety, Vietnam’s most popular fairways and greens hug the country’s 2,000-plus-mile, S-shaped coastline, from its southern tip all the way north to Hanoi.
From Ho Chi Minh City, it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive southeast to Ba Ria-Vung Tau and one of Vietnam’s headline golf experiences: The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, a Greg Norman-designed dunes course that consistently appears on world’s best lists. It’s well worth the overnight trip before returning to Ho Chi Minh City and catching a 75-minute flight north to Da Nang en route to Hoi An, known for its UNESCO-listed Ancient Town, abundance of tailor shops, and handful of standout golf courses. Hoiana Shores Golf Club, a scenic, Robert Trent Jones Jr. links layout, conjures New Zealand’s Tara Iti, while up the coast, the Nick Faldo-designed Laguna Golf Lang Co features exquisite holes cut through rice paddies overlooking the South China Sea. For ambitious golfers looking to play two rounds in a day, the Luke Donald-designed Ba Na Hills Golf Club is floodlit for evening tee times. The best way to end a Vietnam golf circuit is with a few club-free days in Hanoi, the country’s dynamic capital city. Here, overnights at legendary hotels such as the 358-room Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi complement days wandering the Old Quarter in search of Vietnamese coffee and hearty bowls of bun cha (grilled pork noodles).
More Great Golf-Travel Ideas for 2026
If you’re looking to play the greats, here’s what’s new around the globe:
Te Arai Links – New Zealand
Tara Iti, a 75-minute drive north of Auckland, has earned rave reviews since its 2015 debut. Although the club is private, travelers now have access to the 36-hole Te Arai Links (which opened in 2022 and 2023), as well as the two-acre Playground, the world’s largest putting green. Keep a North Island road trip going by continuing up to the 26-room Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, home to its own cliffside championship course. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit.
St Andrews – Scotland
It’s been around for more than 600 years, but the Old Course in St Andrews keeps evolving. This year, crews are lengthening six holes in preparation for the 2027 Open Championship. The Links Trust recently added its eighth course, taking over the nearby Dukes Course (now called the Craigtoun Course). Travelers can check into the 175-room Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa for direct access to the legendary fairways, which anchor a private seven-day, round-trip-from-Edinburgh golf-centric jaunt across Scotland with CIE Tours. Departures: Any day through 2028.
Pebble Beach Resorts – California
Pebble Beach just broke ground on a Gil Hanse-led redesign of The Links at Spanish Bay; it will reopen in April 2027 in time to host the U.S. Open. Until then, travelers can play the resort’s four other courses while checking into the on-site 24-room Casa Palmero. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 resort credit.
