Ubolratana Dam Golf Course

On Thursdays, anyone over 60 who tees off at Ubolratana Dam Golf Course pays only the government tax on the green fee (the 300 THB weekday rate waived entirely), a standing seniors’ discount posted on the course’s own booking page that doesn’t show up on any listing site. Built and still run by EGAT (the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, which also operates the dam), this is a public 18-hole layout set into the embankment of the Khon Kaen region’s Ubolratana Dam, roughly an hour’s drive north of the city. It’s a working golf club, not a sightseeing stop. Come to play a round, not to wander in and look at the reservoir.

The course

The course takes its character from the dam site itself: several holes run along the water’s edge with the reservoir as a hazard rather than scenery, and the terrain along the embankment brings more elevation change than a flat inland course would. Fairways elsewhere thread through the surrounding hills and tree cover typical of this part of Isan. It’s a modest, unpretentious layout by Bangkok-resort standards. Expect functional rather than manicured conditioning, and a quieter pace than the busier courses closer to Khon Kaen city.

Fees and facilities

As of September 2026, EGAT’s own posted rates are 300 THB for a weekday green fee and 500 THB on weekends and public holidays, with a 260 THB caddy fee and 600 THB cart rental charged the same every day; the driving range is 20 THB a basket. Non-members are welcome: this is public pay-to-play, not a private club, and there’s no membership requirement to book a tee time. Facilities are basic rather than resort-grade: a clubhouse for check-in, but don’t expect the spa or fine-dining add-ons of a Phuket or Hua Hin golf resort.

Planning your round

Insider Tip: The course opens at 06:00 and closes at 18:00. Book the earliest slot you can: Isan gets hot fast once the sun’s up, and the dam-side holes have little shade, so a 06:00 or 06:30 start beats the midday heat by a wide margin.

Watch out: This is a functioning golf club with limited public transport access: you’ll need your own car or a pre-arranged ride, and it’s not set up for casual non-golfing visitors to drop in.

Nearby

If golf isn’t the plan, the dam itself (Ubolratana Dam) has its own viewpoints and reservoir access nearby that don’t require a set of clubs or a green fee.