Black Mountain GC is located in Thailand's oldest seaside resort, Hua Hin. A championship course ranked among Asia's best, and in December 2009 it won an award as, "Thailand's best championship course."
 
Now it’s time to think. It is possible to reach the green in two shots, but then there is absolutely no room for error. It is also perfectly acceptable to try and go for a certain par, but how interesting is that when there are alternatives?
Hole six at Black Mountain, a par five of 520 metres, is a typical must win hole where the decision of course, in combination with the result, gives you an incredibly satisfying reward. Or, if the reward is absent due to the result, it gives you the realization that it was far from a well thought out decision.
For my own part, the result was a visit to the water because the capacity of my spoon was slightly overestimated. My caddy shakes his head and points at the iron six that was her suggestion. Then comes that typical Thai smile that makes it just impossible to be pissed off because I am constantly reminded of how privileged I really am.
There are always mountains present in the background; verdant with black rocks that are the source of the course’s name.

Black Mountain Resort and Country Club is located in a valley 10 km west of the Thai royal family residential city of Hua Hin. The geography is somewhat undulating, making it justifiable to glide around in a golf cart when the temperature has now risen to almost 30 degrees.
The golf cart and caddy can seem like an unnecessary luxury at first but you quickly become comfortable. And somehow, it’s also part of the charm of playing golf in Thailand. A caddy who earnestly and goal-oriented reads the putting line and who lives the game, can hardly make the round worse.
Black Mountain's originator, Stig Notlöv, is from Sweden, namely Pajala. He previously owned a company called Byggmax and besides was president of the company. He knew in other words what he was getting into when the first sod was cut.
That it was exactly a golf course in Thailand Stig justifies with the comment that "it’s the nicest place on earth".
From idea to completed course happened quickly. Three hundred and fifty construction workers, 75 excavators, 320 trucks and 13 months later, the course and clubhouse were finished.

There is another Swedish element in the form of the chef. In fluent Thai he instructs his colleagues in the kitchen while lunches are organized quickly.
"Black Mountain Pasta with filler of beef, cream and tomato, or Black Mountain Clubhouse Toast which is 180 grams fillet of beef on toast with Béarnaise sauce I would recommend. Otherwise we have classic golf food like Caesar salad, Club Sandwich or Pasta Carbonara, "he explains quickly and promises fine ingredients regardless of choice.
And of course the lunch tastes good, especially with a cold Singha. With this the complete experience is hard to beat.
From Black Mountain it’s not more than a fifteen minute drive to Hua Hin - Thailand's oldest seaside resort. A recreational site for many of the residents of Bangkok who with a drive of two and a half hours can flee  the urban throng.

Text and photo: Anna Brolin. Photo: Sportpixgolf.com
Web editor: Emma Lindén