Hua Hin was once a quiet fishing village with only locals to enjoy the picturesque region of Thailand. However, this started changing in the 1920’s, when Bangkok’s elite started to visit the area for their holidays from Bangkok.
It soon became a fashionable place to be seen on holiday, for locals and foreign tourists alike and the beach soon became a great meeting place for people to enjoy relaxing, bathing and water sports.
However, Hua Hin has moved on a great deal since then and is now home to many top golf courses, meaning Hua Hin golf packages have become more and more popular in recent years. If you are considering a golf break in Thailand, Hua Hin should be at the top of your list.
Hua Hin is truly a tremendous place to play golf in Thailand and you are spoilt for choice when it comes to creating Hua Hin golf packages.However, there are a few golf courses which take the whole golf playing experience to a different level, starting with Black Mountain Golf Club.
Opened in 2002, Black Mountain Golf Club has played host to the Asian PGA and European Tour and this highlights what a great golf course the designer, Phil Ryan, has created. With many natural creeks and rocks throughout the 18 holes, Black Mountain makes superb use of the local environment and original trees have been supplemented with new ones and this adds to the overall feel of the course.
There are several risk/reward options and you must decide which route to take when playing at Black Mountain Golf Club. This makes the course suitable for beginners and experienced golfers alike and combined with the excellent clubhouse, restaurant, pro-shop, driving range, locker rooms and spa, it is a must-play when in Hua Hin.
It takes only 30 minutes to reach Black Mountain Golf Club from the Hua Hin city, so there is no reason to miss out on what is a fantastic day of golf.
For a top golfing experience even closer to Hua Hin, you must book a tee time at Banyan Golf Club. Just 15 minutes away from Hua Hin, Banyan Golf Club opened in 2008 to great acclaim and won the 2009 Best New Course in Asia Pacific by the readers of Asian Golf Monthly.
Make no mistake, Banyan Golf Club is home to a world class golf course and you are treated to lovely views of the mountains and ocean from many of the 18 holes. The well-placed water hazards, waste bunkers and sand traps make this a tough test for any golfer but with six tee boxes from which to choose, golfers of all abilities will enjoy a round at Banyan Golf Club.
Look out for the sloping fairways and elevated greens which add to the splendour of the course and don’t forget to book a table in the Terrace Restaurant or have a drink in Mulligans Bar after the round, which provides great views of the Burmese mountains and the golf course.
A Hua Hin golf course which is a favourite of both locals and visitors is Lake View Resort and Golf Club. This golf course makes a great addition to any Hua Hin golf break thanks to its proximity to Hua Hin city and the scenic setting of the 36 holes.
Lake View Resort and Golf Club has four sets of nine holes which combine to make two excellent 18-hole golf courses. The original Imperial Lake View course features a large lake and several streams which cross the golf course. These add to the trees, undulating fairways and doglegs to make the Imperial Lake View course an entertaining and fair test of golf.
The second 18-hole course at Lake View Resort and Golf Club combines the Desert Course and the Lake View Links Course. These 18 holes are very different to the Imperial Lake View course and the links course is very open in comparison to the others, tempting many golfers to get out the driver as often as possible.
The clubhouse has a swimming pool with views of the golf course and makes a great place to relax after a lovely round of golf at Lake View Resort and Golf Club.
If you would like to go back to where international quality golf began in Hua Hin, you must play a round at Palm Hills Golf Resort and Country Club. This golf course makes a great addition to any Hua Hin golf package thanks to the undulating terrain and huge amount of water, which comes into play on many of the 18 holes.
However, the fairways are very generous, so this golf course is considered a little easier than many of the later creations in Hua Hin but if you are new to playing golf in Thailand or Asia, Palm Hills Golf Resort and Country Club is the perfect golf course on which to start your adventure.
For those who would like the ultimate challenge when playing golf in Hua Hin, you should book a tee time at Majestic Creek Country Club. Like many of the golf courses in Hua Hin, Majestic Creek Country Club is only 30 minutes away from the city and has arguably the best layout of any golf course in this region of Thailand.
Each of the 27 holes were given a renovation in 2012 and the natural scenery including tapioca, sugar cane and pineapple plantations makes this a great golfing experience. There are water hazards throughout the 27 holes and you can count on one hand the number of holes where water does not come into play.
Good accurate shooting plus a strong strategy are required to hit a low score at Majestic Creek Country Club, which is one of the greatest golfing challenges in the whole of Hua Hin.
While the above-mentioned golf courses are some of the best in Hua Hin, you are not restricted to these and you have a wide selection from which to choose. Other Hua Hin golf courses you may consider include Milford Golf Club, Royal Hua Hin Golf Course, Sawang Resort and Golf Course, Sea Pines Golf Course and Springfield Country Club.