Turf color, consistency, and the oldest course in Thailand

Last month I made a trip to Hua Hin and visited two of the fine golf courses there—Royal Hua Hin GC and Banyan GC (now Pineapple Valley GC Hua Hin).

Hua Hin has one of the driest climates in Thailand. The courses there, and the hills around them, change in color throughout the year.

The “Royal” is right in the middle of town, adjacent to the train station. The train station itself is a tourist destination.

The course, as I understand, is owned by the government’s railway department. The course was laid out in 1924, and you can read about it at the Golf Asian site. They write that A.O Robins, the course’s designer, “was a Scottish railroad engineer.”

The hills around Hua Hin change color with the seasons, depending on how much rain has fallen. There is plenty to do besides golf. Fancy a winery visit? On an elephant? That can be arranged.

Back to the golf, when one walks from the clubhouse to the first tee, this prayer tree is on the right.

Even though the course is in the middle of the town, it sits on a piece of land between the railroad tracks and a mountain. It feels like walking through a park.

The land in Hua Hin is rolling, too. There are wonderful ground contours. Walking the course is a pleasure, with gentle uphill stretches, an equivalent amount of downhills, big trees for shade, usually an ocean breeze, and tons of birds in the trees and flying through the air.

Speaking of flying through the air … I made a birdie and tried a new pose for my birdie dance photographs. A lot of people are saying this is the best one ever.

Of course the Royal is not the only course in town. There are a lot of golf courses in this popular holiday and retirement area.

One of my favorites is the Pineapple Valley GC (formerly Banyan GC). Colors there change even more dramatically than at Royal Hua Hin. That’s because the course is set into a valley, surrounded on three sides by forests. Those forests range from green to orange to brown to yellow, depending on the light, and depending on the season.

The playing conditions there are superb, with native manilagrass fairways and smooth Tifeagle greens. When it is dry, it seems the ball can run forever.

After you’ve played golf, and have checked the colors of the grass, you can also check the color of the sky at sunset, and the colors at the beach.