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Rob Miller

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The flight from Ho Chi Minh City is a short one, but it is hard to believe that when you land in Dalat that this is still Vietnam.  The heat and humidity present in most of the country make way in the mountains for cool temperatures and soft breezes.   The ride from the airport to the city of Da lat is a long and picturesque one, winding through the mountains on recently paved highways.  Signs for future developments line the roads.  After arriving in the city of Da lat, almost immediately you realize that the country’s oldest golf course, Dalat Palace Golf Club, is right in the center. 

It’s amazing that this course has survived and is the gem that exists today.  The city plans for Dalat in 1922 by the French architect Ernest Hebrard included a golf course at its center.  The last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, who spent time in France was reported to love the game and may have been the inspiration and impetus for the course.  Sometime around 1931 the eight hole course called Ville de Delat was built as his playground.   

In a 1930 publication, Colt and Alison list Ville de Dalat as one of their designs.  It’s unlikely that they visited the site but they may have contributed to the routing.

Bao Dai left the country in 1945 and the course sat vacant until it was saved by a Vietnamese dentist in the 1950’s.  Finding the course routing was a challenge and he relied on aerial National Geography Institution photos to bring the course back to life.  He added a ninth hole in 1959.

The course was in play until 1975 and was turned into a park until its second rebirth in 1993 by one of the founders of DHL.  A second nine was built, pine trees were added and the course became an 18-hole layout.  The back nine had Thai design involvement and according to a former owner “was awful, just awful.”  The pine trees, which are not native, grow to 100 feet in the Pacific Northwest but top-off  around 15 feet here in Dalat.  IMG did the final redesign of the course that exists today.

This course and the city of Dalat have seen the Emperor, French elite, Japanese occupation forces, and American GI’s and diplomats pass through. 

The first nine holes of the course and a few on the back were outstanding and the experience was something special.  Played and walked over the course of a weekend as long as daylight allowed.  Pictures below. 





The small putting green off of the first tee. 



The humble, historic clubhouse



The course was quiet on my first day there, but a couple was posing for wedding photos.  The best man was hitting golf balls at the range in his tux.  Classic.



1st hole, par 3 opener



2nd, par 4 383 yards


2nd approach



Par 3 5th 234 yards



Sixth hole, par 5.  An outstanding par 5 that rewards accuracy.


Approach, 6th



The par 4 7th- two options from the tee, lay up to the left and have a medium iron in or carry 220 on the right from the back tee.  Great hole.


8th, par 4, 430.  It's a bit difficult to notice in the photos but the fairway bumps and slopes the entire hole.  Walking down to your drive, it feels like this hole has been here forever.



13th, par 4



Par 5, 14th, 556  Strangely the cool weather, tower in the background, and the pine trees lining the fairway reminded me and made me a bit nostalgic for western PA golf. 



16th, approach.  Par 4 434



18th, par 5.  The tree in the center is absolutely in play on your tee shot.
 


Finally, I have to say I spent the weekend with the funniest and most knowledgeable caddy I've ever had.  Vui has been here since the beginning, well...of this phase- 1993.



So...that's it from Vietnam.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a round in at Kawana in Japan in a few weeks. I'll post pictures if there is interest.  :P  Late April will spend some time on the Monterey Peninsula.  Have an ongoing letter writing campaign in an attempt to walk CPC but to no avail.  Will play Pebble for the first time though. 

Rob Miller

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Sorry...a little snafu there with the photo for the 13th hole. 

Here is the actual 13th hole



Dale Jackson

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Rob, some of your pictures show small ditches between the fairway and rough.  Do you know if they are intended to keep different grasses used for the two areas from cross contamination or ???

Nice looking course.
I've seen an architecture, something new, that has been in my mind for years and I am glad to see a man with A.V. Macan's ability to bring it out. - Gene Sarazen

Rob Miller

  • Karma: +0/-0
Dale- not sure about the purpose for the ditches except that they tend to be on the holes that border the property.
Interesting was that equipment and probably management practices seemed more on par with courses in the US and UK than Vietnam.  Most courses rely on inexpensive labor for course maintenance but is seems Dalat is the exception.   

Christoph Meister

  • Karma: +0/-0


It’s amazing that this course has survived and is the gem that exists today.  The city plans for Dalat in 1922 by the French architect Ernest Hebrard included a golf course at its center.  The last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, who spent time in France was reported to love the game and may have been the inspiration and impetus for the course.  Sometime around 1931 the eight hole course called Ville de Delat was built as his playground.   

In a 1930 publication, Colt and Alison list Ville de Dalat as one of their designs.  It’s unlikely that they visited the site but they may have contributed to the routing.

Bao Dai left the country in 1945 and the course sat vacant until it was saved by a Vietnamese dentist in the 1950’s.  Finding the course routing was a challenge and he relied on aerial National Geography Institution photos to bring the course back to life.  He added a ninth hole in 1959.

The course was in play until 1975 and was turned into a park until its second rebirth in 1993 by one of the founders of DHL.  A second nine was built, pine trees were added and the course became an 18-hole layout.  The back nine had Thai design involvement and according to a former owner “was awful, just awful.”  The pine trees, which are not native, grow to 100 feet in the Pacific Northwest but top-off  around 15 feet here in Dalat.  IMG did the final redesign of the course that exists today.

This course and the city of Dalat have seen the Emperor, French elite, Japanese occupation forces, and American GI’s and diplomats pass through. 

The first nine holes of the course and a few on the back were outstanding and the experience was something special.  Played and walked over the course of a weekend as long as daylight allowed.  Pictures below. 

 

Hello Rob,

thank you for your interesting summary regarding the history of Dalat GC and also the photos you have posted. Please find below an 18-hole routing for Dalat GC from the 1931 "Guide de Golfs du Continents" publ. by. Editions Plumon in Paris, France.

Are there any resemblances of today routing with the enclosed routing plan from 1931?

Also the mentioning of Colt & Co.'s involvement is most interesting - would be great to find out more about this...

Greetings

Christoph

Golf's Missing Links - Continental Europe
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Anthony Gray


   Rob,
 
  Thanks for the thread. Golf is truly an universal game and threads like this help culture all of us. Thanks for your efforts.

  Anthony


Tiger_Bernhardt

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Rob, thank you for bringing something here I did not even dream of looking for.

Minh Nguyen

Hello everyone, Ran was kind enough to grant me access to GCA after an email exchange on Vietnam golf.  To tell you the truth, I don't play enough golf at world renown courses nor do I work in this industry so I'll get more out of GCA than being able to contribute to GCA but I hope that my few comments will be of interest.  I grew up in the States but now live and work in Vietnam with 2-3 trips to Australia annually. 

As far as this topic goes in particular, Dalat has always rated as the best pick from the golfing community here in Vietnam.  I don't think it has much to do with architectural merits but more having to do with historical value and great atmosphere.  the French style hotel that runs the golf courses certainly take you back to a different era and that really adds to the Dalat experience.  I personally find this golf course very enjoyable and not being a low single handicap golfer, find its challenges unique as well.  As for style, I hope the new Norman golf course in Danang (central part of the country) with its "minimalist" and "natural" look will set the trend for future golf courses in Vietnam - as opposed to the over-watered, lush green, starch white sand and manicured rough, courses that you will find here in Vietnam (and in Southeast Asia and China). 

Cheers

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