Palm Hills Golf Resort and Country Club

Palm Hills Golf Course & Country Club, Cha-Am

Hans Bosshard

Fax: (032) 520-820. Bangkok Office: Tel: (02) 233-2922-7. Fax: (02) 236-7842.

Palm Hills was the first of the new courses to be completed when it opened in December 1991. The 650-acre resort is one of the most attractive in the area, and the owners have gone to great lengths to preserve the natural surroundings with a development scheme which is very pleasing to the eye.

Designed by the American golf course architect Max Wexler, the 18 holes are arranged in two distinctive nine-hole sections, separated by the clubhouse and a rocky outcrop extending from the mountain range. These escarpments strongly influence the topography, which the designer has exploited so that gentle undulating slopes and side-hill lies are very much the main features of the course. Water can come into play on twelve of the holes, but in the majority of cases it requires an unusually poor golf shot before justice is served. The exceptions are the 2nd, 8th, 11th and 14th holes, where habitual “toppers” should be particularly wary. Predominantly, the course is fairly open and easy going on the legs as well as the nerve system, with generous fairways leading to receptive greens.

Green Fees: Weekdays Bt1,200; weekends Bt1,800. Caddy fee: Bt170. Golf cart: Bt600 Robert Greenough: An excellent course for golfers of both high and low handicaps. Mainly generous wide fairways for the errant hitter and few trees . The water hazards are few but quite difficult and the course is set up to tempt the big hitters into taking risks. A gentle undulating course with friendly helpful staff and plenty of watering holes.