Troon has announced the opening of the second Sir Nick Faldo-designed Championship Course at Vattanac Golf Resort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The newly opened ‘West Course’ will also be managed by Troon International, the international operating division of Troon, who were brought in by resort owner Sam Ang Vattanac six months ago.
The opening of the West Course aligns with the East Course being recognised as ‘Cambodia’s Best Golf Course’ at the recent World Golf Awards. Set within captivating natural surroundings, the East is a strategic course that features dramatic water hazards, creative bunkering and various forms of native fauna.
The two courses provide a spectacular setting around the recreations of famous cultural sites such as Angkor Wat, Preah Vihear and Bayon. Positioned on the 7th hole of the new course, one statue pays heritage to King Jayavarman VII from the Angkor period.
The West Course offers five sets of tees, beginning at 4,935 yards, and stretching right through to 7,249 yards. It features narrower and more undulating fairways than the East, a boasts a variety of unique water features and testing Paspalum greens, while cultural sculptures are also interspersed among the holes.
Sir Nick Faldo said: “It’s a great moment to see the West Course now open and ready to play. The West Course complements the East Course magnificently with its fluid shaping giving the design its own identity.
“Much like the East, the West Course project focused heavily on celebrating the amazing culture in Cambodia and Vattanac Golf Resort’s surrounding environment to create the course’s truly unique character. By integrating cultural inspiration into the landscape, like the Terrace of Elephants replica statue or the Dragon Lake for example, the course has a real sense of place and its local features help to create an unforgettable experience.”
He added: “The West Course offers a slightly more intimate look and feel to the East, but offers different strategic challenges with fairway positioning and shot choice crucial for players looking to find reward and an inviting line to the green. It certainly asks questions of golfers’ game-management, long, short, left or right from the tee can find difficulty and create a complicated hole. However, with five tee sets the course is accessible to all with something for every golfer, from the very best to the very beginner, so, importantly, enjoyment out on the course will not be hard to come by.”
The resort now moves into the next phase of the integrated resort development that will soon include night golf and new academy.
Karl Whitehead, general manager at Vattanac Golf Resort, said: “We are extremely excited at what we are creating here, following Mr Vattanac’s vision, and look forward to delivering a new standard of golf resort in South East Asia that will be compared to the world’s best. The Golf Academy is a key component of this project, as Mr Vattanac is extremely passionate about growing the game of golf in Cambodia.”
Future developments of Vattanac Golf Resort will see a state-of-the-art clubhouse offering dining, retail and spa, complimented by a luxury hotel and residential community.
“Our excitement continues to build as our vision is coming to life and we thank Troon for their expert management since we brought them on board. The West Course has received wonderful reviews from our local golfers since opening for play on October 17. We are extremely proud to have two Sir Nick Faldo-designed championship courses and we look forward to continuing to develop our Golf Resort in the coming months to be ready to welcome tourists to our new golf destination”, said Sam Ang Vattanac, owner of Vattanac Golf Resort.
Mark Chapleski, President of Troon International, commented: “Cambodia certainly has a new golf destination and we are proud to be part of this world class project. Mr Vattanac’s passion for quality is infectious and we share his ambition to make Vattanac Golf Resort a landmark for golf, not only in the region, but worldwide.”