To attract the interest and curiosity of international and Vietnamese golfers to the course, the design plays a key role in developing Golf in Vietnam.
Since the first golf course was built in Da Lat in 1922, then Dong Mo golf course in 1993, there’re 37 golf courses has been built in Vietnam with the majority located in the North and South and only three in the Central region and many golf courses still under construction. That confirms the nonstop development of golf in Vietnam, along with that is the increasing strict requirements of building a first-class golf course.
According to the report just published by the R&A, there are over 34,000 golf facilities around the world, the United States of America has, by far, the most golf courses in the world – 15,372 that accounts for half the golf courses in the world with revenues of US$ 62 billion/year and attract 26 milion players each year. In the United Kingdom, nearly 3,000 golf courses attract 1.3 milion golfers.
In the Southeast Asia, this population per golf hole rate drops, in Thailand, half milion golfers are sharing 256 golf courses.
The construction of new design golf courses is the trend, that can attract more international golfers come to Vietnam to play.
Bui Tat Thang, director of the Development Strategy Institute under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), said that he has received a series of proposals from developers, asking to be added to the national golf course development plan by 2020.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed an order revising the government’s development plan for golf courses until 2020 by removing nine from the list and adding 15 others.
Of the 15 additional golf courses, seven would be located in the northern provinces and city of Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Yen Bai, Ha Nam and Hai Phong; six in the central coastal provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan; and two in the southern provinces of Tay Ninh and Long An.
Ninety-six golf courses will remain in the plan for development by 2020.
“Vietnam will be a golf destination like Thailand when we attracts a large number of international players. Business environment will be more competitive, but it will raise the requirements of a golf course and lower the fee that can make it easier for Vietnamese to play golf.” Said Mr Darren Robson -a Qualified British PGA Professional who is also the club manager and golf pro at Laguna Lang Co.
