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A Golf Tour of Vietnam
Category: General Published on Thursday, 05 March 2009 00:01 Written by The Word Hits: 845
When I announced to a friend that I was taking a holiday to play a couple of golf courses in Vietnam, I was met with astonishment and surprise.
“Why would you want to go and play golf?” she said. “You spend half the time looking for the ball and the other half walking around, preparing to hit it.”
I have to admit, such a statement resounded with me and I began to dread my trip and what it might entail, namely walking around aimlessly searching for a tiny white ball amid lakes, sand and grass. I was clueless.
Swinging Among the Hills
However, all my fears evaporated on my arrival at the Dalat Palace Golf Club. Scott Dido, golf professional and operations manager, put me at ease.
“We have everything available for hire including shoes and clubs,” he said. As for the more technical worries, he was to guide me through it all.
Playing with Scott was eventful. Coming from a typically reserved English background and being a natural pessimist, I was taken aback by his unfaltering optimism and “yes you can” attitude. His encouragement was constant and startling at times, with yells of glee such as “bowzer” when I made a good shot at the driving range. I couldn’t help but feel positive, even when I frequently swung and missed the ball. He simplified the game, making it perfectly manageable.
His passion for golf is unfaltering.
“I was working in software and one day, saw some clubs in the back of my girlfriend’s car and decided to give it a go,” he says of his introduction to the game. “I became completely obsessed and haven’t looked back since.”
Set amidst rolling hills with beautiful views of Dalat and the surrounding mountains, the Dalat Palace is gorgeous and has deservedly been voted the number one course in Vietnam. It’s immaculately tended for and the facilities are excellent. What’s more, during the week, you practically have it all to yourself.
Because the course was quiet, it enabled me, a beginner, to venture and play a few holes after only a few driving sessions. Of course, I managed to crash quite spectacularly into every possible obstacle. Among my many moments of glory were hitting the ball out of bounds, into the lake, a bunker and generally just making a mess of things. My score card was interesting to say the least, taking about three times the number of strokes needed for each hole.
Despite the numbers, my time at Dalat Palace Golf Club was fun and a great way to wile away a morning. The course is the oldest in Vietnam and has charm and character; you can really feel its history. It is a great place to start a passion for golf, especially under Scott’s superb tutelage.
Teeing Off By the Beach
My second installment of golf was to take place in Phan Thiet. With palm trees swaying in the breeze, views of the ocean and rolling, undulating greens speckled by innumerable lakes and bunkers, Ocean Dunes is a stunner. Designed by Nick Faldo, it’s of championship calibre and counts lots of water and a big wind factor among its challenges. It has garnered many awards and the clubhouse has been voted the fifth best in Asia. Another accolade belongs to the ninth hole, which has been included in the top 500 holes in the world by Golf Magazine.
Before laying my hands on a club, I decided to get the lay of the land. Right from the outset, I had a sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach as Kenny Saunders, resident PGA pro, told me “the first hole is one of the hardest starting holes.”
About to question why, I looked down the fairway and saw water stretching out across a substantial part of the green. Water features a lot on the course as does sand.
Despite all that, I managed to almost completely avoid any water thanks to Kenny’s advice.
A self-confessed sports nut, Kenny has been playing since he was five years old when he used makeshift golf clubs sawn down to fit his size. He never thought about making it into a career until one day, his wife asked him what his dream job would be.
“I thought about it for a few days and then told her it would involve golf,” he says. “She encouraged me to go for it and at the age of 40 I had to start all over again. I landed a job that paid US$6/hour. It paid off, though, as three years later, I got a job in Vietnam as head pro.’
My time at Ocean Dunes was spent tweaking what I had already learned in Dalat. Having someone there to guide and analyse what I was doing wrong was helpful and in just two days, I saw improvement. Of course, nothing would be complete without a few of my classic bad shots. At one point, having somehow scuffed and rolled the ball to within five metres of the green, I managed to waste the next four shots hitting the ball right around the hole.
The second day was better and I managed to hit a respectable number of “good” shots in a row. Seemingly pleased with my progress, we set out to tackle nine holes. After a frankly shocking start, where I either missed the ball, hit it really badly or into yukka plants, I improved drastically and began to really enjoy myself and things just seemed to click into place.
My round ended at the spectacular ninth hole with a gorgeous view of the ocean and, although by this time, I was tired and my game had gone to pot, I couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of the setting and my progress from the day before.
Information
Lessons
Individual lessons are US$30 with a PGA Pro and US$15 with a local pro. An individual playing lesson is US$100 and US$50 respectively.
Ocean Dunes Golf Club
Nine holes cost US$60 and 18 holes US$95 for a walk-in guest. Prices vary if you stay at one of the partner hotels such as the Novotel. Another good option is The Palms which is located on the 10th Hole (see the review on page 58).
The club is about to start a golf clinic package specifically for those wanting tuition. Two and three-day programmes include three hours of instruction per day with lunch, drinks, clubs and balls, and cost US$150 and US$200 respectively.
Dalat Palace Golf Club
In Dalat, the five-star Sofitel Palace Hotel offers golf packages ranging from US$150 to US$383. This includes one to three nights accommodation plus as the same number of days of golf. Golf fees for non-members are US$95 on weekdays and US$105 on weekends, including a caddy.
See the website www.vietnamgolfresorts.com for more information.