In a move that closely complements the July 2007 launch of the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, Vietnamese course owners and officials met at Kings’ Island Golf Club on Aug. 18 to discuss and celebrate the formation of a formal governing body for golf in Vietnam.
The gathering took place a day after representatives from all seven Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail clubs, in addition to more than 150 Vietnamese golf officials, vendors and dignitaries, committed to the organization of a Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) — responsible for uniform course ratings, handicapping services and nationwide tournament administration — in 2008.
“The birth of the association is a new milestone in Vietnam’s international integration process,” said Vu Khoan, former Deputy Prime Minister.
Added Thomas Benefield, Kings’ Island GC’s operations manager: “This is the next logical step in the maturation of golf in Vietnam. Some day, we’ll look back on that weekend as an historic one — the moment it all started really.”
It was fitting that such an event took place at Kings’ Island GC, the oldest club in the country’s northern tier. Formed in 1994, the 36-hole facility is also a founding member of the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail (www.hochiminhgolftrail.com), the region’s first comprehensive golfing itinerary.
Benefield also announced at the Aug. 19 meeting that Kings’ Island has shifted into high-gear its makeover of the original Lakeside course. Renovations began earlier this year with improvements on the front nine, and have since carried over to the back.
“Tourism is increasing, and golf interest is increasing, so it’s vitally important that course quality increases with it,” he said. “Visitors want international standards, and they want it all to mesh—the lodging, the attractions, the golf. We’ll leave no stone unturned. Grass, irrigation, tees, bunkers ... You name it, we’re upgrading it.”
Refurbishment efforts on the front are focused on reshaping fairways and enlarging greens “that for too long have been too small,” said Benefield. On the back, the primary target is the par-3 16th hole, where a dramatic island green is under construction—250 yards from the championship tees.
“The carry is going to be lengthy but the hole is going to be fair, because the green will be big and surrounded by bunkers,” said Benefield. “It’s really going to be something to look at. I can’t wait to play it.”
The great course venues in this emerging Southeast Asian nation do not end at Kings’ Island, but stretch south through a country as yet unplumbed by golf-mad tourists still learning about its depth of course talent.
The Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail highlights that talent with an all-star line-up of first-class clubs and resorts—and some of the most luxurious accommodations in the region. Routed north to south through Vietnam, the Trail pairs leisure time on the links with leisure time at singular attractions throughout the country.
Kings’ Island, for example, is close to the country’s governmental and cultural capital as well as Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located 25 miles west of Hanoi, Kings’ Island pioneered the game in the environs of Vietnam’s capital city. From the moment it opened, the club was not only something new, but something unique—from its spot on this comely chain of lakes, to the shore-side parking lot, to the high-speed motorboats that ferry golfers back and forth to the club.
The Lakeside layout, designed by Robert McFarland, came first, gently sloped and always flirting with the shores and inlets of the surrounding waters. The Mountainview course—by another American architect, Phillip Rodgers—was added a decade later. Together, they form a brilliant tandem that is about to get even better. “Our goal is to keep that characteristic on the Lakeside, while at the same time making it more fair and visually striking,” Benefield summed up.
In addition to Kings’ Island, golfing stops along the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail include:
- Chi Linh Star Golf & Country Club, a dazzling collection of 27 holes outside Hanoi and recent host to the Asian PGA Tour’s Carlsberg Masters.
- Dalat Palace Golf Club, a mile-high gem, the only wall-to-wall bent grass course in Southeast Asia, laid out in the 1920s for Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam.
- Dong Nai Golf Resort, a breathtaking, 27-hole track designed by American Ward Northrup, whose layout skirts the inlets and shores of a natural lake.
- Ocean Dunes Golf Club, a windswept Nick Faldo design, a “tropical links” lapped by the warm waters of the South China Sea.
- Tam Dao Golf Resort, a stunning new 18 in the cool highlands northeast of Hanoi, convenient to the airport but a world away.
- Vietnam Golf & Country Club, home to 36 pristine, otherwise private holes just 20 minutes from downtown Ho Chi Minh City.
To make travel plans for a tour of the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, contact Ms. Phi Thu Thuy at exotissimo@hochiminhgolftrail.com.
For more information on the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, visit www.hochiminhgolftrail.com.
