Black Mountain Golf Club: This exciting, challenging and scenic newcomer to golf in Thailand, has quickly realised its potential among Thailand's top courses. Surrounded by jungle-clad hills on three sides, and views to far-away mountains on the fourth, the course sits neatly in a natural bowl, which creates plenty of elevation changes and dramatic contouring. Although there are several slopes, none are overly steep or demanding, allowing golfers the opportunity to walk the course, even if the heat and humidity compels most to take a buggy. Black Mountain contains many innovative design features as well as holes demanding good course management, but these are balanced with many other holes where you can rip-it with the big timber and follow-up with a well-hit approach shot. There are a few partly blind tee and approach shots to make, but nothing as demanding as can be found on the average Scottish links course. Among many excellently designed and testing holes, two short par-4' on the back-nine are holes to relish. The 16th is the only hole on the course to traverse the base of the mountain, all others run in a more or less straight line from the clubhouse to the mountain and back again. The 17th requires a lay-up drive to a postage stamp sized fairway, before crossing water to the green (there is also the option to drive the green - downhill and only 374 yards from the back tees !). A smattering of real estate being built on two sides of the course, should not be detrimental to the splendour of the views, which are created by the course's unique position at the foot of Black Mountain.