- Long Thanh Golf Club
- Reviewed by:
Review Summary:
The conditioning of the course was superb, the layout of the course is interesting and the surrounding is peaceful. Facilities of the club such as the restaurant , locker 1 & 2 、 starter and outdoor cafe are all decently decorated.
| Address | National highway 51, Tan Mai II Hamlet, Phuoc Tan Village. |
|---|---|
| 007 booking hotline | +852 2180 2963 or book-on-line |
| No. of holes | 36 , Hill Course & Lake Course |
| Par / Back tee | 72 / 7,046 yards |
| Designer | Golfplan Company |
| Course transport | Buggy (Cart path) |
Introduction
Having heard so much of the fast development of Vietnam since it entered the WTO, especially when a friend of mine, who has visited the country many times, told me they have some nice courses, I recently decided to check it out myself.
Vietnam has 2 major cities: Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon ), where I visited, in the south east. Both cities are about 2&1/2 hours away from Hong Kong .
I stayed at the conveniently located Windsor Plaza Hotel(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) throughout the trip (about 10 minutes from the town centre). My first ever round of golf in Vietnam was at Long Thanh Golf Club, which is approximately 40 kilometers away.
Fairway & Green maintenance
Fairways & greens were in excellent shape, bravo!
Caddy Service & knowledge
Service was good & attentive but knowledge of the course can be better….may be her English was not very good, making it hard for her to explain in details.
Course Design
This club has 36 holes: the newer course is the Lake and the older one is Hill Course. Since I had limited time on this trip & my game has not been on top form recently, I decided to go for the easier (so I thought) Hill course. The Hill Course ( scorecard ), in fact, measures a respectable 6,513 yards from blue tee, and due to its hilly layout, with rolling & tight fairways, presents a certain challenge to those not hitting the ball straight. Luckily the rough has been trimmed down so slightly wayward shots will still be salvageable. Worth a mention are the par 3s, the shortest measuring 165 yards up to a rather more difficult 186 yards.
Photos
-
A gentle upslope & dogleg to the right par 4.
-
A long par 4, the approach to the well protected green is downslope.
-
The hardest hole, a long par 4 and uphill all the way.
-
There are 2 greens here, one is well below the tee box on the left, the other is opposite and need to carry the valley in front.
-
A nice par 5, need to carry the lake & valley in front, a good 2nd shot is needed to land on the narrower landing area.
-
A short par 4 , water in play in front of the green, select a suitable club to leave you a nice approach to the relatively flat green.
-
A short par 5 but plays much longer as it is going uphill all the way….try to land short of the green as it slopes severely from back to front.
-
A well placed shot is needed as the green is protected by bunker on either side.
-
A big dogleg right , the approach is uphill.
-
A slighly downhill short par 4.
-
A short dogleg right par 4 with water on the right.
-
A tough par 3, need to carry water in front & the green is well protected by deep bunkers.
-
A downslope short par 4.
-
A slight uphill dogleg left par 4.
-
A very long par 5, tee shot is going downhill to a fairly narrow fairway.
-
A difficult par 4 , the approach needs to very accurate to land on the elevated green.
-
A medium – long par 3.
-
This finishing hole is a short par 4 but plays longer going upslope.
007’s Rating
The conditioning of the course was superb, the layout of the course is interesting and the surrounding is peaceful. Facilities of the club such as the restaurant , locker(1, 2)、 starter and outdoor cafe are all decently decorated.
Really enjoyed my round at the Hill course and just before I left the club, I took a quick look at Lake course(1, 2, 3) …….looks good, maybe I should give it a try next time.
The club is even better than I expected and almost prefect in every way.
* The blooming economy has driven up the cost of hotels in Vietnam recently, but I was told there will be more hotels available in 08 which should bring the cost down a bit. As usual, I took some time off to check out the shopping, eating & sight seeing and am very impressed with the quality of food & hotels. Ho Chi Minh is definitely well worth a visit.
Add Review