If you’re looking widen your hackin’ horizons, consider Asian golf. It’s more beautiful, bountiful and boast-worthy than ever in Southeast Asian nations like Thailand and Vietnam, and further north in Korea. Here’s a rundown of recent news from the far side of the planet.
VIETNAM: HOIANA SHORES
Hoiana Shores Golf Club will welcome its first players starting on 23rd September 2019, to preview the completed, 18-hole design from architect Robert Trent Jones II.
The golf course will be the first facility within the new Hoiana Integrated Resort to welcome the public.
The 985-hectare, US$4 billion Hoiana complex is the most ambitious resort development ever undertaken in Vietnam. Its first operational phase, which is nearing completion, will eventually integrate more than 1,000 rooms, suites and villas (managed by Rosewood Hotel Group), 4 kilometers of pristine beach, a suite of beachside pools and restaurants, a stand-alone beach club, an entertainment facility managed by Suncity Group, and a wide array of retail partners.
“Hoiana Shores Golf Club will indeed be the first component of this larger development welcoming both domestic and international tourism to our shores,” said Steve Wolstenholme, Group COO at Hoiana. “As a group we intend to showcase the vibrancy and economic potential of not only Hoi An and Central Vietnam but this region in general.”
“It all starts with the golf,” said Ben Styles, Vice President of Golf for Hoiana. “What we have tried to achieve at Hoiana Shores GC — with help from the design team at Robert Trent Jones II— is something specific and nuanced: a traditional links that proudly builds on local traditions, which, if we are honest, is what all great golf courses do.”
Hoiana Shores Golf Club began construction since late 2017, under direction of experienced, Hong Kong-based course builder Linksshape, led by Australian, Stuart Stone. “It’s been an amazing experience to be entrusted with this extraordinary piece of land,” Stone said, “almost the dictionary definition of what ‘linksland’ should be.”
Six of the 18 holes at Hoiana Shores come into direct contact with the beach. According to Styles, this illustrates both Hoiana’s vision and ambition. “It speaks volumes about our ownership group — to allow so much interaction with the shoreline. That’s a rarity. The beachfront could have been otherwise developed,” he said. “But this decision will ultimately pay off, as this part of the course is uniquely unforgettable… There is nothing quite like playing those holes — playing shots from the beach itself! It is proof you are playing a proper links. There aren’t many courses in Asia that serve up that type of experience.”
To make a tee time during the preview period contact reservations@hoianashores.com.
