Montgomerie Links, Danang, Vietnam

[Rob Miller]

Visited the newly opened Montgomerie Links in central Vietnam last weekend.  Photos below with a few random thoughts and ramblings.

The course is an IMG managed, Colin Montgomerie design.  I believe he spent one full day on site and is coming back in a few weeks for the grand opening.  Monty Links is the first golf course in the Danang area and soon will be joined by what looks like a very interesting 36 hole Greg Norman development.

Central Vietnam has gorgeous sandy dunes and outstanding beaches, so natural to see 'links' courses.  Instead of dealing with wind, rain and cold, there is just heat, humidity, and more heat.   

The design is solid and the greens are outstanding, but unfortunately it's just off of the ocean with no ocean views or oceanfront holes.  I believe the water table did not allow the course to get any closer but the Norman course down the road will have three holes along the ocean.  There will be real estate development along with the course but fortunately it's not too severe and not throughout the course. 

Here are some of the highlights:

The opening hole, 581 yard par 5.  Your first impression is one that is not going to leave you throughout the round- there are a LOT of bunkers and they come into play on EVERY shot.


2nd hole, Par 3, 197 yards


4th hole, Par 4 327 yards.  Drivable par 4 but water (not shown in the photo) to the right and OB left make it a challenge


Outstanding green contouring


Par 3 11th, 205 yards


Par 4, 13th, 455 yards, minefield of bunkers


Par 4 15th, 361 yards.  This is one of my favorite holes because as you move away from the dunes it feels like a completely different environment.  Palm trees and jungle await in the horizon and you're reminded where exactly you are playing golf. 


Caddy training- yes this is Vietnam


Still new to golf, still learning the rules (and a little camera shy)


Quite a few elevated approaches with well-protected greens


Another example of bunkering, clubhouse in the distance


We're not in Kansas anymore...LARGE beetles


After playing a few rounds, I enjoyed the course but there are few shots where you are not adjusting play to avoid bunkers.  perhaps just because they could do it.  I heard that the total investment for the course and development was USD$45 million.  Great experience and enjoyed it immensely but not really an overly welcoming club and probably wouldn't be a destination play at this point.  All that being said, Monty Links is one of the best courses in Vietnam.

Dalat Palace tomorrow!
 

[J Sadowsky]

Hate to be the first, but that is some awful bunkering.  What is even the point of that first bunker on the 1st hole?  There seems to little strategic merit to the bunkers, too - they're just everywhere, rather than forcing you to make a decision.

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

Rob,
With the beach resort nearby and the name, I had assumed it would get to the water, too bad it did not.

These are the first pictures I have seen of this, so thank you.

Look forward to your update from Dalat.

[Paul Nash]

Let's hope it is better than its namesake in Wales!

[Cliff Hamm]

13 - "minefield of bunkers".  In Vietnam this gives new meaning to the word "hazard".

[Brian_Ewen]

Thanks for posting Rob.

Keep them coming .

[Derek Dirksen]

Great photos Rob.  I agree they went all out with the number of bunkers.

[Philip Gawith]

I drove past this course - and the Norman site - in December. The development, golf and tourist in general, around Danang, is phenomenal. Indeed, you have to wonder where all the demand will come from - I suspect the answer is China. I would be long Vietnamese real estate - maybe there will be bubble along the way but feels like a country that has the future on its side.

The Montgomerie course did not look too compelling from the road - close to the sea, but wrong side of the road and basically on a flat piece of land. The pictures do not make me feel too different!

[Rob Miller]

Philip,

There is an amazing amount of development in the area.  Most of the oceanfront property that sits empty or under construction was bought a decade ago for speculation.  It seems that based on traffic from spending a few days at the course, most of the golf demand will come from greater Asia; Korea, Japan, Taiwan and yes most certainly mainland Chinese.

There is a casino nearby that brings groups of mainland Chinese tourists to the golf course.  It was pretty chaotic.  I had to politely ask a spouse (well...as polite as you can ask in Mandarin Chinese) to please not make phone calls on her computer with the speaker volume turned WAY up in the clubhouse.