Hoiana Shores Golf Club (Photo by Gary Lisbon)
Hoiana Shores Golf Club — Vietnam
Part of the $4 billion Hoiana Resort on Vietnam’s central coast, Hoiana Shores Golf Club will open for “sneak preview” play on September 23, 2019. Located 45 minutes south of Da Nang International Airport, The Robert Trent Jones II designed course is an absolute stunner. Jones II has done a marvelous job of preserving and enhancing the existing dune and sand pine terrain. Six of the 18 holes come in direct contact with the beach. What really makes this course fun-to-play is the unique Zeon Zoysia grass fairways, which deliver the requisite bounce and roll that a links design requires. Hoiana Resort will eventually integrate more than 1,000 rooms, suites and villas (managed by Rosewood Hotel Group), 2.5 miles of pristine beach, beachside pools and restaurants, a stand-alone beach club, an entertainment facility managed by Suncity Group, and a wide array of retail partners.
Dumbarnie Links–Scotland
Scheduled to debut in spring 2020 near St Andrews in Scotland, this upscale daily-fee course will be similar to Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart in that the land will be enhanced by innovative earth moving techniques. Located between Edinburgh and St Andrews, it will be accessible to both areas. Designed by Clive Clark, the Dumbarnie has a mile and half of sea frontage with views of the Firth of Forth. Fourteen of the holes will have views of the Bay and the Firth of Forth. The design incorporates three potentially driveable Par-4s and will range in yardage from 5,300 to 6,900 with a special set of professional tees that can stretch the course to 7,600 yards.
Education City Golf Club — Qatar
Opened earlier this year, this expansive complex encompasses 33 holes of golf designed by Jose Maria Olazabal, the Masters Champion in 1994 and 1999. In addition to an 18-hole championship course, there’s a floodlit 6-hole regulation length course, a floodlit 9-hole par three course and TrackMan range. Its impressive Centre of Excellence with six studios and 32 screens is an exceptional learning facility for all skill levels. The 18-hole golf experience is a wonderland of lush green turf, white stand bunkers and beautiful rock walls. It measures 7,306 yards from the back tees.
NewGiza Golf Club — Egypt
For those who enjoy scenic golf courses, have I got one for you. The recently opened NewGiza Golf Club, designed by Thomson, Perret and Lobb is situated just five miles from the Great Pyramids of Giza and these amazing structures are clearly visible from the golf course. Roller coaster-like elevation changes, several water hazards and sprawling, undulating greens are an integral part of the design. The fairways aren’t framed by rough, rather, you must navigate landscaped sandy waste areas. The par-3, No. 4 hole is a photo-taking golfer’s dream with the Pyramids directly in the background. A unique feature is the 2.5 mile walkway surrounding the course, which is utilized by joggers and runners.
Cabot Saint Lucia –The Caribbean
The visionary behind Bandon Dunes, Cabot Links and Sand Valley is at it again. This time golf course developer icon Mike Keiser and his Canadian business partner Ben Cowan-Dewar plan to bring their highly successful golf course philosophy to the island of Saint Lucia in the eastern Caribbean Sea. They’ve recruited Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore to design the course. A tentative course opening is set for November 15, 2021. This is bound to be another Keiser photogenic beauty with nine green sites on the ocean. The golf course will be the focal point of a community, Cabot Saint Lucia, on the northern tip of the island, which will encompass a 50-suite boutique hotel, 3 restaurants, retail shops and the Cabot Spa and Clubhouse.
Vattanac Golf Resort — Cambodia
Cambodia doesn’t immediately come to mind when most people consider golf vacation possibilities, but Sir Nick Faldo is giving us a very good reason to visit. Faldo designed the recently opened East Course At Vattanac Golf Resort, a high-end resort located about 15 miles from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. A West Course is scheduled to be completed later this year. Stretching over 7,500 yards, the golf course has unique design features taking inspiration from the Bayon temple at Siem Reap, as well as actual on-course replicas of other pre-Angkorian structures, including the Preah Vihear and Angkor Wat, one of the largest religious monuments in the world. The Vattanac Golf Resort development master plan calls for the addition of residential villas, a resort hotel, retail shops, an international school, and other sports and recreation facilities in order to attract international visitors.
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