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Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail welcomes 9 new holes at Chi Linh Star |
One month after the inauguration of the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, the
already impressive array of golf facilities has boosted its appeal
with the addition of nine new holes at the Trail’s
northernmost link, Chi Linh Star Golf & Country Club.
“The new holes are tighter with significant changes in
elevation,” said Lars Holden, general manager at Chi Linh
Star. “The greens are fast and undulating. The holes will
test every aspect of a player’s game and afford superb views
of the surrounding countryside, particularly from Nos. 6 and
8.” For stick-swinging sojourners, the great golfing venues
in this emerging Southeast Asian nation do not end at Chi Linh
Star’s 27 holes, but stretch south through a country as yet
unplumbed by the golf audience it deserves. The region's first
comprehensive golfing itinerary, and one of the planet's most
exotic, the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail launched July 1 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 pastime at the links with pastime
at singular travel attractions throughout the country. Located an
hour's drive from Hanoi on the way to Halong Bay, Chi Linh
Star’s new nine dances along the mountaintops, a marked
contrast to the original 18 that play through a valley and border
the shores of a large lake. While enthusiastic about all the new
holes, Holden is particularly fond of the 6th. The teeing ground
for this spectacular par-4 is perched on the highest point of the
course. The drive plummets more than 100 meters to the lush Bermuda
grass fairway where a small bunker set in the middle of the landing
area is best avoided. The second shot travels back uphill to an
elevated, smooth-rolling Tifeagle Bermuda grass green protected by
two bunkers to the right and a large gum tree. The new nine at Chi
Linh is a boon and a bonus for the Trail. “The Trail
isn’t a static development,” said Holden.
“We’re the first to demonstrate that a Ho Chi Minh Golf
Trail experience is bound to be a dynamic experience, with new
twists, turns and challenges on a regular basis.” In addition
to Chi Linh Star, golfing stops along the Trail include: • Tam
Dao Golf Resort, a stunning new 18 in the cool highlands northeast
of Hanoi, convenient to the airport but a world away. • 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. • Ocean Dunes Golf Club, a windswept
Nick Faldo design, a “tropical links” lapped by the
warm waters of the South China Sea. • Dong Nai Golf Resort, a
breathtaking, 27-hole track laid out by American Ward Northrup,
whose design skirts the inlets and shores of a natural lake. •
Vietnam Golf & Country Club, home to 36 pristine, otherwise
private holes just 20 minutes from downtown Ho Chi Minh City.
• King’s Island Country Club, Hanoi’s oldest club
and home to two 18s that play over some of the finest, most diverse
golfing ground in Southeast Asia. Europeans, Australians,
Singaporeans and Hong Kongers have long flocked to Vietnam for the
country's tropical climes, its thousand-mile coastline and
affordability.
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