34 The new PGA Garden course, designed by Greg Norman Golf Course Design, at PGA NovaWorld Phan Thiet in Vietnam, has opened for its first full season of play. Construction of the 7,100-yard layout was completed in August 2021 and opened earlier this year. It joined the resort’s other 18-hole course, PGA Ocean, also designed by Greg Norman’s design firm, which opened in April 2021. The two-course project is part of a huge development – led by Novaland Group – of a coastal area in the southeast of the country named PGA NovaWorld Phan Thiet. When complete it will include luxury golf villas, sports and wellness complex, an amusement park, hotels and more. On both layouts, Greg Norman Golf Course Design has worked alongside the resort, Flagstick Golf Course Construction Management, water feature designer WR RockGroup Construction and Sports Turf Solutions, who supplied, planted and grew in Primo Zoysia on tees and greens, and Zeon Zoysia on fairways and rough. The Garden course will provide a base for PGA students in Vietnam to play and practice. “Greg and I both commented on how much the property reminded us of Australia the first time we walked the site, so we knew right away that the sandbelt courses would be the inspiration for our design,” said Chris Campbell, senior vice president of Greg Norman’s design firm. “We put a lot of emphasis on creating a continuous f low of contours not just on individual golf holes, but throughout the entire property, and making a similar transition from maintained turf to natural areas. All this factors into the playability and gives golfers a ton of options, especially as you get closer to the greens.” One of the course’s standout features is a winding stream that crosses many of the first nine holes, working on both an aesthetic and strategic level. Construction wrapped up on the Garden course in August 2021, with RockGroup completing work on a stream project for the fifth hole, a 173yard par three that has a 78-yard carry over a lake. The Ocean course offers panoramic views over the East Sea, with all 18 holes winding between a mix of parkland- and links-style land, with rugged bunkers lined with native grass and undulating fairways. One of the holes that offers a sea view is the TEE BOX New Norman layout in Vietnam opens for first full season
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=