Heavenly Hua Hin

Home to Thailand’s oldest course and now two of its most notable layouts, this increasingly popular beach resort, situated 140 miles to the south of Bangkok, has well and truly taken to golf. Alex Jenkins checks out the best of the bunch

SPRINGFIELD ROYAL ****

Before Black Mountain and Banyan arrived on the scene, Springfield was the place to play in Hua Hin. An unmistakable Jack Nicklaus design, which features more than its fair share of water and vast sandy waste areas, this gently undulating track benefits from an excellent routing and generally well maintained playing surfaces. Thanks largely to generous fairways, Springfield is very playable for all standards of golfer. The course is part of an all-encompassing resort (note the kiddies water park), which also includes a hotel and spa. A third loop of nine, designed by the prolific Schmidt-Curley firm, was added in 2005, but it isn't, in this writer's opinion at any rate, as scenic or fun to play as the original 18 holes. A busy team of on-course marshals keep the pace of play at Springfield to bearable levels.


Springfield Royal Country Club

YARDAGE: 7,043 PAR: 72

Designed by Jack Nicklaus

Contact: springfieldresort.com

Getting there: 25mins from Hua Hin

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Written by Alex Jenkins

Photography by Alex Jenkins

Click here to see the published article.

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