Heritage of the Jungle
While golf in destinations such as Vietnam and Cambodia is becoming as hot as the tropical temperatures, not even the most obsessive player (yes, Bob, I mean you) is likely to travel that far without taking in at least a little culture. For every new golf layout there are scores of ancient sites far more interesting even than your story about scrambling for par on the No. 4 hole after missing the fairway. In both Vietnam and Cambodia, travelers can now combine visits to dazzling World Heritage sites with rounds of great golf nearby. A couple of hours from the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi lies Halong Bay. Some of the 3,000 limestone islands floating in the Gulf of Tonkin may look familiar from screen prints you’ve seen hanging in countless Asian restaurants in your neighborhood. This World Heritage Site is best visited aboard an overnight boat such as the classy Emeraude, a replica French paddle-wheel steamer from the 19th century. During the day, the Emeraude motors past floating villages and rocky islands with pagodas clinging to the summits, and stops long enough for passengers to explore massive caves. In the evening, the boat docks in time for a sunset kayak trip before dinner. Halfway between Halong Bay and Hanoi, the Chi Linh Star Golf and Country Club nestles in a luxuriant valley between a large lake and forested hills. Designed by the Australian firm of Independent Golf Course Services, the original course — opened in 2003 — plays to 7,038 fine yards. Wintergreen Bermuda fairways give way to TifEagle greens, all surrounded by lovely landscaping that is still weeded by hand by smiling villagers. The all-girl caddy squad adds another dimension of service at a property that will soon have a second golf course, five-star hotel and 300 villas to accompany the space-ship of a clubhouse hovering above the course, offering great views of well-crafted golf holes carved through tropical jungle. Elevation changes, water on 17 holes, tiered greens, and smart bunkering provide plenty of challenge. Chi Linh Star’s best holes include No. 5, a 578-yard par 5 with a large lake along the entire left side and a sloping fairway that kicks balls toward the water; No. 11, rated the toughest, which plays 434 yards from an elevated tee to a tight fairway and then requires a water crossing to a bunkered, slopey green; and No. 18, 660 yards of sandy, watery mayhem. If you think the castle ruins visible near many British golf courses are impressive, consider the ancient Temples of Angkor, a sprawling, inspiring World Heritage Site in Cambodia. More than 100 ancient stone edifices from the Khmer Dynasty, built between the 8th and 13th centuries, dot the jungled landscape for more than 40 miles around the small town of Siem Reap. Angkor Wat is considered the masterpiece of all these impressive monuments; built in the 12th century, it consists of five main towers and a 570-yard-wide moat that stretches for four miles and cannot be carried off the tee. It is the world’s largest religious building. Inside, what seems like miles of carved bas reliefs depicting epic events wrap around the walls. Other nearby temples are equally astonishing in different ways. Don’t miss Ta Prahm, where the jungle has reasserted itself for hundreds of years and in many cases grows right on top of or through the ruins. You may recognize the setting from Angelina Jolie’s movie, Tomb Raider. he advent of world-class hotels and the new Phokeethra Country Club, Cambodia’s first championship golf course, now give visitors to Siem Reap reason to stay longer. Located 20 minutes from town and associated with the elegant Sofitel Royal Angkor Hotel, Phokeethra was designed by Weerayudt Phetbuasak, opened in 2006, and stretches to 7,145 yards. The breezily walkable layout features an interconnected system of lagoons that come into play on all but one hole, and No. 18 boasts double water carries and an island green. Undulating, tree-lined fairways, elevated tees, sly fairway bunkering, and mounds, hollows, and grassy swales provide both challenge and aesthetics. The course develops a nice rhythm early — the 427-yard opener is followed by a 314-yarder. Three-pars, which all demand water carries, stretch as long as 231 yards. Between No. 9 and 10 lies the Roluh Bridge, dating back to the 11th century. No. 12, a mere 217 yards, plays into the teeth of the wind. The signature final hole stretches 582 yards toward the charming clubhouse with bunkers left and a lake right on the first shot, a creek dividing the fairway on the second shot, and a challenging approach to a well-protected green. The course name was inspired by the legend of Phya Haga Phokee, a spirit who resides in the most serene and prosperous areas of heaven — the perfect 19th hole. FG Vietnam and Cambodia reader comments
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