Asia's New Golf Destinations

Asia is fast becoming the best continent in the world for a fabulous golf holiday.  A combination of world class golf courses, tremendous climate, delicious food, spectacular scenery and lovely people makes Asia the number one choice for a golf vacation.

While some countries and areas within them, such as Pattaya in Thailand have become very popular with golfers searching for the perfect trip, other destinations have started to emerge across Asia.

Bagan Golf Club, Bagan, Myanmar

Asia is fast becoming the best continent in the world for a fabulous golf holiday.  A combination of world class golf courses, tremendous climate, delicious food, spectacular scenery and lovely people makes Asia the number one choice for a golf vacation.

While some countries and areas within them, such as Pattaya in Thailand have become very popular with golfers searching for the perfect trip, other destinations have started to emerge across Asia.

When planning a golf holiday to Asia you are spoilt for choice and that choice is about to become even wider thanks to Asia’s emerging golf destinations.  If you are considering a golf holiday to Asia, make sure you check out the upcoming destinations below and you are sure to find the ideal location for a dream golf holiday.

Phnom Penh Golf

Cambodia is perhaps best known for being the home to the 8^th wonder of the world, the temples of Angor Wat. 

However, Cambodia has plenty to offer those searching for a golf holiday and Phnom Penh is one Asia’s top emerging golf destinations.

Phnom Penh is home to Cambodia Golf and Country Club, which was Cambodia’s first golf course and opened for play in December 1996.  The back and front nine holes offer a contrasting challenge and whereas the front nine is flat, with generous fairways the back nine features more elevation changes and smaller greens.

Having sampled a slice of Cambodian golf history, it is time to head to the best conditioned golf course in Phnom Penh, Garden City Golf Club.

This course opened for play in 2013 and is located 15 kilometres northeast of downtown Phnom Penh.  The best compliment you pay this golf course is it gives a good test of golf for players of all abilities, ranging from beginner to professional.  Large greens, water hazards and mounds are the strongest features of this golf course and you will find the par-3 15^th hole brings much enjoyment to your group.

This hole has a double green and the person playing first has the choice between the mountain or the island green.  The green is surrounded by sand and water on both sides, so whichever you choose club selection is crucial.

Coupled with the Grand Phnom Penh Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Royal Cambodia Phnom Penh Golf Club, the above-mentioned golf clubs combine to make Phnom Penh a hot spot for golf in Cambodia and Asia.

Vientiane Golf

Vientiane is fast becoming one of Asia’s emerging golf destinations.

Long Vien Golf Club

Located to the north of Cambodia and nestling between Thailand and Vietnam you will find the country of Laos.  Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos, situated on the banks of the Mekong River and close to the border with Thailand.  This may not be a place you have considered for a golf holiday in the past but things are changing and Vientiane is fast becoming one of Asia’s emerging golf destinations.

Perhaps the best place to start your Vientiane golf holiday is at the Lakeview Vientiane Golf Club.  This is a modern resort course established in 2016 and is just a 15-minute drive from the city centre.  Using additional mounding, what was a flat area of land has been converted into an interesting golf course.

Featuring several man-made lakes which frame each hole and undulating greens surrounded by deep bunkering, this is a golf course which challenges even the best players.  Using the latest Paspalum grass, this course is always in great condition and with the addition of the trees which continue to grow around the course, Lakeview Vientiane Golf Club is set to become a top Asian golf course.

While staying in Vientiane, you should also visit Long Vien Golf Club, ranked as being one of the best golf courses close to the city and Lao Country Club, which has enjoyed significant refurbishment to bring it up to the standards now expected of golf in this region of Laos.

Vientiane is the home of golf in Laos and you are ensured of a tremendous experience playing golf in this emerging Asian golfing destination.

Myanmar Golf

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to playing golf in Yangon

Pun Hliang Golf Club

Heading north of Laos you will find Myanmar, a country which also shares borders with China and India plus enjoys an expansive coast line to the south.  The largest city in Myanmar is Yangon, which mixes both modern and traditional architecture.

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to playing golf in Yangon and there are four excellent courses from which to choose in the area.  Yangon Golf Club is the closest to the city and one of the oldest golf courses in Myanmar.  The British established the golf course over 100 years ago and it has constantly been maintained and improved to allow golfers to continue to play at this historic venue.

A sign of the quality of Yangon Golf Club is the fact it has played host to the Asian Tour, so if you want to try your hand on the same course as the professionals, this is the place to do it.

For a choice of two golf courses in Yangon, you must visit Yangon City Golf Resort.  Located just 40 minutes outside the city, you are treated to two excellent 18-hole golf courses, both of which offer something different, so it is worth playing the two.  The Silver Course is flat and offers wide fairways whereas the Myakantha Course has tighter fairways and offers a more difficult test.

That’s not all however, as a famous name in the world of golf has left his mark in Yangon and you must play a round at Pun Hlaing Golf Club, which was designed by Gary Player.  This course boasts lovely views of Shwedagon Pagoda, the famous gilded stupa located in Yangon but also provides a very rewarding round of golf.  There is plenty of water in the way of lakes and rivers to contend with but at the same time the fairways are wide enough to allow you to use the driver.

Yangon in Myanmar is one of Asia’s emerging golf destinations has a great choice of courses near the city.

Philippines golf

Manila is a great place to stay for a golf holiday and you are spoil for choice when it comes to golf courses in the surrounding region

Anvaya Cove Golf & Country Club

For a truly unique golfing experience in Asia you should try the Philippines.  The Philippines is an incredible holiday destination but if you head to Manila, the capital of the country, you will find some superb golf courses.

The pick of the bunch must be Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, which is home to the first Philippine gated community and features two Jack Nicklaus signature championship golf courses.  The Masters Course is arguably the top golf course in the Philippines and features deep bunkers, creeks and lakes. 

The second course is the called The Legends and this is an award-winning championship golf course boasting quality undulating fairways and several testing dog leg holes.  Water does not come into play as much on this course as the Masters Course so if this is something you like to avoid when playing golf, the Legends Course is the one for you.

Coupled with the tremendous facilities, you will struggle to find a better golfing experience anywhere in Manila or the Philippines.

Travel just 30 kilometres south of Manila and you will find two more excellent 18-hole golf courses.  Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club features a course designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior and those who have played this course rank it as being one his best in Asia.  You also have the Country Club Philippines, a course which hosted the Solaire Open in 2015, an Asian Tour event.

Manila is a great place to stay for a golf holiday and you are spoil for choice when it comes to golf courses in the surrounding region.

Phu Quoc Island Golf

One look at the images of Phu Quoc and you are instantly transported to a paradise

Vin Pearl Golf Resort, Phu Quoc

Travelling back to Vietnam, or more specifically a Vietnamese island and one of Asia’s emerging golf destinations must be Phu Quoc.  One look at the images of Phu Quoc and you are instantly transported to a paradise and while this is a great place to relax on the beach, the island is home to the fantastic Vinpearl Golf Club.

Featuring streams and reservoirs, this 27-hole golf course is an IMG design using Paspalum grass throughout, which helps to keep in great condition throughout the year.  There are three nine-hole loops at Vinpearl Golf Club named Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Quy Nhon, each after a famous place in Vietnam.

Each set of nine holes plays out and back from the clubhouse and the Nha Trang and Phu Quoc courses play mostly through forested terrain, whereas the holes on the Quy Nhon Course are more open to the conditions and work their way around a series of large lakes.

The course is very scenic and the clubhouse building blends in nicely with the rural setting.  For a golf experience unlike any other in Asia, you should head to Phu Quoc and sample the 27 holes at Vinpearl Golf Club.

Isaan Golf Clubs, Thailand

It is the least visited region of Thailand yet is home to three marvellous golf courses

Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club

Finally to Thailand, which is home to some of Asia’s top ranked golf courses but one area which has recently emerged as an excellent place to play golf is Isaan. 

Even if you have travelled to Thailand to play golf in the past, this may be a new name to you but you will be hearing a lot more about it in the future, so now is the time to visit for a round of golf if you would like to beat the crowds.

Isaan is in the north-eastern region of Thailand and is bordered by Laos and Cambodia.  It is the least visited region of Thailand yet is home to three marvellous golf courses.

The pick of these golf courses is Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club, which has hosted the Asian Tour.  This was originally part of the land owned by the Singha Beer brewery but when they no longer had any use for it, the land was transformed into the wonderful golf course we see today.

The 18-hole course is a tough test, even for top players and the course winds its way around nine lakes with natural stones, large sand bunkers and and native trees and shrubs adding to the delightful surroundings.

The holes are varied and provide golfers with a good challenge, with long and short par-3’s, reachable par-5’s and a nice mix of par-4 holes.  The course is flat throughout so while severe undulations will not be a problem, water does come into play on all but two of the 18 holes, so accuracy is required always.

A standout feature of Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club is the modern clubhouse.  It has won many awards for its design and you can enjoy a range of refreshments while overlooking both the 15^th and the 18^th green.

While staying in the Isaan region of Thailand you have two other golf courses to enjoy.  Victory Park Golf and Country Club was the first 18-hole golf course in Nong Khai province and much like the course at Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club, is relatively flat throughout.  This course has been used for several tournaments including the Heineken Amateur Thailand Championship and the Singha Issan Championship.

The first golf course to open for international visitors in Isaan was Dancoon Golf Club and this opened for play in 2008.  If you love nothing more than to get out the driver then this is the golf course for you.  The fairways are flat, wide and have semi-rough around the edges, which is easy to escape.

The greens are the most testing aspect of this golf course but with slight undulations, most golfers shouldn’t need any more than two putts.  Dancoon Golf Club is a brilliant place to play if you want to achieve a low score and have a relaxing round of golf.

However, with so many of Asia’s emerging golf destinations expanding their choice of golf courses, there is no better time than the present to choose one or more of the regions above and begin planning your golf holiday of a life time.