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Greg Norman Golf Course Design has begun golf course shaping on their project with Asian Coast Development (Canada) Limited at coastal Ho Tram, in south-eastern Vietnam.
The golf course is part of the Ho Tram Strip project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam. The 164 hectare (405 acre) Ho Tram Strip is comprised of five resorts, including two with gaming facilities, located on over two kilometers (almost 1.5 miles) of pristine beach front property.
The first resort to open will be the MGM Grand Ho Tram Beach which will be managed and operated by MGM Resorts International. The MGM Grand Ho Tram Beach will feature an 1,100 room five-star MGM Grand hotel, a world class entertainment facility, restaurants, high-tech meeting spaces, an exclusive VIP area, set on its a pristine beach front location.
The Greg Norman-designed championship golf course site features spectacular rolling dunes and dramatic ocean views which will come into play on virtually every golf hole. “It’s not every day that we get a site as good as this one to design a golf course,” said Norman. “This site has everything that you are looking for when designing a course. It's a true links golf experience. Seaside, sand dunes, and wind. This is a project that I am very proud to be a part of.”
During multiple visits, Greg Norman and his team have explored numerous layouts to ensure they design a golf course which utilizes the natural rolling topography of the native dune system with minimal disturbance to the environment. Norman wanted to minimize the impact on the existing dune system by maintaining the native landscape and utilizing an efficient and modern irrigation system. The course which is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2013 will be challenging, yet very playable for the resort golfer.
“We spent a lot of time trying to ensure the best routing for this beautiful piece of property. We wanted to use a least disturbance approach. On the back nine we are shaping in the greens and tees and that's it. It's an incredible natural golf site and we want to deliver a timeless and memorable golf experience. It's how golf used to be built a hundred years ago,” said Norman.
“Greg Norman and his team have designed a remarkable golf course that will be a key and compelling amenity for our resort guests. Greg’s name is synonymous with the greatest golf in the world and it is our expectation that we will have one of the best, if not the best, course in Asia,” said Lloyd Nathan, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Coast Development. “Greg and his team are another example of our attracting only the finest talent for our development. We are creating a spectacular destination resort and golf experience for Asia and the world and are looking forward to opening next year."