Palm Hills Hua Hin – Fun Course but Brutal Greens

Gunnar Kobin
Jan 27
4 min read

Updated: Feb 7

Palm Hills: Great Course, Insane Green Speeds

Palm Hills was one of Hua Hin's first proper international golf courses, and you can still feel that pioneer spirit when you play it today. Located between the coast and hills, close to the airport, it's got this relaxed tropical vibe combined with clever routing and genuinely interesting golf holes.

It's not trying to murder you like Black Mountain or test every part of your game like Pineapple Valley. But as an overall golf experience? When they've got the setup dialed in reasonably, Palm Hills is among the most fun courses in the region.

Everything feels effortless from arrival. The clubhouse sits up high with views stretching across the course toward the hills. No stress, no rush, just that easy-going Thai golf atmosphere where everything flows naturally. This is holiday golf done right.

The Layout Works Really Well

The course moves across gently rolling terrain—palm trees everywhere, rocky outcrops, several lakes affecting routing decisions. Unlike boring flat resort courses, Palm Hills constantly presents subtle questions. You're rarely on level lies, approaches often need careful trajectory control.

Front nine eases you in with generous fairways and wide landing areas, but it's never dull. Angles matter, position matters. Get sloppy and you're left with awkward stances or partially blocked shots. The greens start showing their personality early—fast, sloped, often misleading.

Back nine climbs gradually into the hills where the course really hits its stride. Elevated tees, mountain views, rolling fairways—it's a beautiful stretch. Several par 4s need accurate drives to set up manageable approaches. Par 5s tempt you into aggressive plays that can flip from birdie to bogey instantly.

Routing's excellent throughout. Constantly changing direction and perspective, making the round feel shorter than the scorecard suggests.

Those Greens Though...

Here's where Palm Hills gets complicated. Like most Hua Hin courses, the greens define everything. Subtle slopes, grain, visual breaks that lie to you—reading putts becomes the day's real test.

Four greens in particular are absolutely brutal: 6th, 9th, 17th, and 18th. These can wreck your scorecard if you miss your spot.

The 6th is really short—looks like an easy birdie chance. The green destroys that illusion completely. I had 70 meters in, three-putted anyway because I finished above the hole. Your approach HAS to stay below the pin. Get above it and keeping the ball on the green becomes an achievement. Five-putts are genuinely possible here.

The 9th teaches similar lessons. Even below the hole, position matters enormously. I was underneath but on the wrong side, leaving this second putt that climbed uphill for nearly 15 meters. Simple two-putt turned into a delicate lag just to save par.

Then the finish. Both 17th and 18th demand absolute precision. On 18, I'm pin-high with a sidehill putt that should be routine. Ball just kept trickling and rolling until it finished nearly 10 meters below where I started. Perfect example of how severe these slopes get.

Here's My Problem With the Setup

With greens shaped this aggressively, speed becomes crucial for maintaining fairness. And Palm Hills currently has it wrong. The greens are too fast for the slope they contain.

On holes like 6, 9, 17, and 18, combining severe contours with excessive speed turns strategic challenge into something almost ridiculous. Well-struck approaches get punished. Putting becomes damage control rather than skill demonstration. Instead of rewarding precision, the slope-plus-speed combo means gravity dictates outcomes more than talent.

Slow them down slightly and you wouldn't reduce the challenge—you'd dramatically improve playability, fairness, and enjoyment. The architecture would shine instead of overpowering the experience.

Throughout the round, down-grain downhill putts become lightning. Subtle uphill lines need way more pace than your eyes tell you. Local caddies become absolutely essential, and trusting them means holing putts you'd otherwise leave embarrassingly short or send racing past.

Smart Design Without Being Mean

Palm Hills doesn't overwhelm you with forced carries or extreme hazards. It nudges you toward smart decisions constantly. Water's in play but not excessive, bunkering's positioned intelligently, natural elevation creates challenge without artificial nonsense.

Long hitters find scoring chances, especially on par 5s, but reckless aggression gets punished quickly. Shorter hitters can play from appropriate tees and enjoy themselves without feeling overpowered.

This balance makes Palm Hills perfect for mixed-ability groups, holiday golfers, repeat plays—where enjoyment and flow matter as much as challenge.

Max Wexler's Approach

Max Wexler designed Palm Hills. His Southeast Asian work focused on playability, visual harmony, and strategic simplicity rather than brute difficulty. His routing here uses the natural landscape superbly, letting the course flow effortlessly across hills, palms, and rocks.

Instead of forcing dramatic artificial features, Wexler let the land dictate hole movement. Gentle elevation changes, natural landing zones, green complexes that fit organically into surroundings. The result feels timeless rather than trendy—still plays beautifully decades after opening.

This philosophy becomes obvious on the back nine, where terrain naturally lifts and falls, creating some of Hua Hin's most scenic and enjoyable holes.

The Vibe Is Perfect

Palm Hills delivers exactly what many golfers travel to Thailand for—relaxed pace, attentive caddies, friendly service, beautiful surroundings. Staff and caddies are professional, experienced, genuinely welcoming. Creates a comfortable environment from first tee to final putt.

Clubhouse terrace is perfect for post-round drinks, sweeping views back across the course into the hills. Easy to sit here longer than planned, replaying shots while enjoying the breeze.

Everything about Palm Hills encourages slowing down and enjoying the experience rather than rushing through.

Bottom Line

Palm Hills remains one of Hua Hin's most enjoyable and scenic courses. Strategic design, tropical beauty, relaxed resort atmosphere—it combines them well. At its best, it rewards planning and creativity.

But with greens set at excessive speeds relative to their slopes, certain holes cross from challenging to unfair. Slightly softer setup would unlock the design's full potential and turn Palm Hills from very good to truly outstanding.

You leave smiling—and slightly shaking your head at a couple of unforgettable putts—already thinking about when you'll return. Just maybe hoping they've slowed those greens down a touch by then.