SeaPine Golf Course

Opened amidst much fanfare in 2010, Sea Pine Golf Course is the only course in Hua Hin with holes that run right alongside the beach, and comes across like a tropical version of a Scottish links course. It's a stunning backdrop to a course whose difficulty depends on the strength of the wind coming in from the Gulf of Thailand.

The course has been built either side of the railway track and you start you round beside the beach before heading inland, passing underneath the railway line to continue the front nine, before returning to the beach for the last few holes, which finish in front of the clubhouse. The course is not too difficult, but this can change if the wind starts blowing. Under normal conditions most golfers will find the courses very playable, although single handicappers might find the course a little too easy.

The final three holes run alongside the ocean and make for the best finish to any round in Hua Hin. The 16th is a dogleg par-5 with a particularly challenging approach to the green across water and a greenside bunker to a sloping green although you can bail out left of the green. This is followed by an excellent par-3 with a carry over water to a green surrounded by bunkers – club selection is a real challenge when the wind blows.

The par-4 18th, the hardest on the course, is a potential card wrecker. Avoiding the canal bisecting the fairway requires a carry of more than 200 yards, so for most us the smart play is to lay up short and go for a finishing par.

Location: 20 minutes from central Hua Hin / 3 hours from Bangkok