The only golf course in the world designed by former top-ranked player Luke Donald is the best new layout in Vietnam.
That was the message delivered yesterday to Ba Na Hills Golf Club when it won ‘Best New Course 2016-2017’ at the annual Vietnam Golf Magazine Awards ceremony in Hanoi.
The award, which was based on the results of an online survey and input from a panel of golf course design experts, is the third of its kind to come the club’s way in less than a year.
Last November, Ba Na Hills GC was tabbed ‘World’s Best New Course’ at the World Golf Awards in Portugal and ‘Best New Course in Asia Pacific’ at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Thailand.
“While it’s possible those accolades may have paved the way for this honor, you just never know,” said Tim Haddon, Ba Na Hills GC’s general manager. “Our No. 1 goal is to make the experience here better every single day. If you can do that, the awards should come.”
Since debuting in March 2016 on the outskirts of Danang, Ba Na Hills GC has made a name for itself by offering a golf product unlike any other in Vietnam.
In collaboration with IMG, Donald conceived a championship-standard course that blends seamlessly into a rolling piece of terrain that sits at the foot of a towering mountain range and is accentuated by lakes, streams and lush vegetation.
Among the course’s standout features are its flexibility — it can play long, short or anywhere in between, thanks to five sets of tee boxes — its comprehensive lighting system, and its views.
The most breath-taking vantage point comes at the par-3 12th hole, which plays downhill to a bunker-guarded green backdropped by a dense forest stretching as far as the eye can see.
Ba Na Hills GC is managed by IMG and owned by Sun Group, one of the leading investors in Vietnam. The InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Novotel Danang Premier Han River Hotel and Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort are among the other properties in its portfolio.
Ba Na Hills Golf Club www.banahillsgolf.com