Black Mountain Named Best Golf Course in Thailand

Bangkok, November 9, 2011 -- Only four years after it opened near Hua Hin, a popular seaside resort 200 kilometers south of Bangkok, Black Mountain Golf Club has been named the best golf course in Thailand and the best championship course in Asia/Pacific.

The awards by Asian Golf Monthly magazine were announced last week at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Pattaya, Thailand.

In becoming the best course in Thailand, Black Mountain has taken the mantle held for the past eight years by Thai Country Club in Bangkok. Black Mountain was second to Thai Country Club in the category last year.

In winning the award for best championship course in Asia/Pacific, Black Mountain took the title from Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club where the WGC-HSBC Champions PGA tour event, won by Germany's Martin Kaymer, was held last week.

Many golfers who have come to know Black Mountain over the past four years regard the awards as recognition of the outstanding layout, course conditioning, playing enjoyment, clubhouse facilities and service that have won widespread acclaim from local Thai as well as visiting international golf tourists.

General manager, Harald Ellison, accepted the award at a ceremony that concluded the 5th Asia Pacific Golf Summit in the resort city of Pattaya.

"We are extremely delighted and proud to win 'Best Golf Course in Thailand' as well as 'Best Championship Golf Course in Asia Pacific'. It is truly amazing," he said. "From the beginning, winning these prestigious awards from Asian Golf Monthly has been one of our long term goals and to receive them after only four years is truly fantastic. We will keep on working very hard to retain them next year."

Located just 10 minutes from Hua Hin, a long-standing holiday destination of the Thai Royal family and favoured by European visitors, Black Mountain was designed by Phil Ryan of Pacific Coast Design in Melbourne, Australia. It became the seventh golf course in Hua Hin when it opened in 2009.

Offering spectacular views of the Black Mountains in the background, the par-72 course is notable for the use of many natural features of the original jungle and pineapple plantation, including creeks and rocks that are featured on many holes.

The concept of the design was to create a layout that would test the world's top golfers, but remain playable and enjoyable for average players. The design offers generous fairways for the shorter hitter, but become narrower for better players.

In 2009, it hosted the Black Mountain Masters, an Asian Tour event won by Swedish star, Johan Edfors. With four sets of tees, Black mountain plays a daunting 7351 yards off the black tees, 6894 from the gold tees, a less imposing 6508 yards from the blue tees and 6100 yards from the whites.

There are many wonderful downhill and uphill holes, several with water carries and almost all holes offer scintillating views over the surrounding countryside. The clubhouse and expansive dining terrace is a perfect place to watch golfers close out their rounds.

Typical of the risk/reward approach taken by the designer on several holes is the par-4 fourth, which plays 447 yards from the blue tees. With a large lake on the dogleg left hole, cutting the lake requires a 230-yard carry, leaving a short 130 to 140-yard pitch to the hole. But taking the conservative route around the lake means it plays the full length, making it difficult for many amateurs to reach the green in two shots.

On December 1, Black Mountain Golf Club is opening a new (and challenging) par-3 course, close to the main layout.

The club is a member of Thailand's prestigious golf destination marketing program Golf In A Kingdom (www.golfinakingdom.com) that includes the kingdom's top golf courses, resorts and hotels.

For more information about Black Mountain, visit www.bmghuahin.com

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For more information, contact:
Paul Myers, Asian Travel Media, Bangkok
Email: paul(at)asiantravelmedia(dot)com
Tel: +66 (0) 84 125 1894 (Thailand) or +61 407 738 453 (Australia)