| In March 2010, when Greg Norman toured the seaside site of what would become the Dunes Course at Danang Golf Club, the Australian golf legend and course architect laid down the gauntlet to himself: "If you don’t wind up with a pretty good golf course here, you can be pretty sure you screwed up." After what happened here last week, it's safe to say the screw-up was well averted. The Dunes Course won 'Best New Course in Asia-Pacific' at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit, an event capped by the 12th annual Best of Asia Awards, widely regarded as the region's golfing Oscars and the only course plaudits that take into account all of the courses in Asia-Pacific, from New Zealand to Korea to India. Vietnamese courses have fared well in the competition in years past, but this is the first time a Vietnamese club was named 'Best New Course in Asia-Pacific', a laurel bestowed on a litany of high-profile courses since 1999, including Mission Hills Haiku's Blackstone Course (China), Kau Sai Chau's East Course (Hong Kong) and Bangkok's Amata Spring CC, perennial host of the Royal Trophy international team event. "This is an historic moment," said Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Chu, secretary general of the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA). "To have Danang Golf Club standing beside the likes of Amata Spring is a major accomplishment not just for the club, but for Vietnam as a golfing country. It shows that our new courses are as good as anything being built in Asia." Danang GC beat out a pair of finalists from China -- Leaders Peak at Stone Forest International Country Club and The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula -- for the distinguished 2011 honor, determined by votes cast at asiangolfmonthly.com over an 8-week period earlier this year, with input from a 24-member panel of industry experts. The victory comes 11 months after GOLF Magazine U.S. called out Danang GC as one of the top 15 golf venues to open worldwide in 2010. Indeed, Danang GC has only been open for play since May 2010. "We've accumulated some nice hardware since opening our doors," said Craig Douglas, Danang GC's acting general manager, "but I think there's always room for more on that proverbial mantel. We're certainly motivated by these kinds of accolades. “In a larger sense, however, we really do feel this award is a tipping point for golf tourism here in Danang, on Vietnam’s beautiful Central Coast. It means a lot that the 'Best New Course in Asia-Pacific' is located here. We see it as recognition for a whole region." Douglas believes Danang's maturation as a golf destination is a function of ever-improving quality and convenience. He noted that Golf Digest's influential Planet Golf panel ranks historic Dalat Palace GC as the country's top track, while Vietnam Golf magazine and Asian Golf Monthly consider The Montgomerie Links to be No. 1 in Vietnam. "We naturally think that Danang Golf Club is the best course in the country, but to concentrate on this disagreement is to miss the point," Douglas said. "What's important is there are three courses of such clearly high quality that are so convenient to one another. We are located right next door to Montgomerie Links and Dalat Palace is linked to Danang by regular, one-hour flights that cost less than US $75. "And Nick Faldo's new design at Laguna Lang Co will open in 2012 just north of us. It's time golfers around Asia-Pacific take note and begin to think of Vietnam as the first-class golf destination it is." The Dunes Course is a collection of 18 rugged, seaside holes that crisscross a stunning sand-based landscape similar to the coastal terrain of Scotland, golf's birthplace. In addition to November's 'Best New Course in Asia-Pacific' honors, the course served as site of June’s Vietnam Amateur Open -- the first time a course other than Dalat Palace GC has hosted the prestigious tournament. |
Danang GC receives accolade
First Vietnamese club to earn 'Best New Course in Asia-Pacific.
