Ocean Dunes Golf Club has become the first and only facility in Vietnam to forge a reciprocal arrangement with the world’s biggest golf resort.
The Phan Thiet club (
www.oceandunesgolf.vn) marks its 15th birthday this year, and its new partnership with the globally renowned Mission Hills resort in Shenzhen, China, represents a choice gift for its members, who now have access to 7 of the 12 courses at Mission Hills at the same price as members of the Chinese club. The arrangement will, of course, allow visiting Mission Hills members the same deal at Ocean Dunes.
“What with it being our 15th anniversary this year, we thought it would be fitting to give our members a meaningful present,” says Glenn Cassells, Ocean Dunes general manager, himself an expert on the Chinese golf scene after spending 5 years in the Middle Kingdom at Jinji Lake Golf Club in Suzhou and Dragon Lake in Guanghzhou. “I’d like to think we have provided exactly that by arranging this partnership with Mission Hills.”
The Shenzhen complex has become one of the brightest lights in the world golf course firmament since its establishment back in 1994. Its layouts include designs by luminaries such as Vijay Singh, Nick Faldo and Ernie Els; dignitaries, celebrities and the most famous names in golf regularly visit here; and Guinness World Records accredited it as the globe’s largest golfing facility, in 2004.
The calibre of the resort can also be gauged by the tournaments it has staged. It has hosted golf’s long-running World Cup, where two-man international teams fight it out for supremacy, on three occasions. Other prestigious events currently on its roster include the Grand Final of the Faldo Series Asia – Asia’s premier junior golf circuit, backed by major winner and Ocean Dunes architect Nick Faldo – and the ANNIKA Invitational, a competition for junior girls under the auspices of Annika Sorenstam, one of the most dominant female golfers of all time.
The courses Ocean Dunes members will have reciprocal access to be as follows:
Faldo – A stadium course· designed by Sir Nick Faldo featuring Asia’s only island green on its 16th hole
Ozaki – Designed by Japanese· legend Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki, this is a tight course played over dramatic terrain
Vijay – A visually· intimidating but ultimately forgiving layout created by former Masters winner Vijay Singh
Els – A lush course with· several stunning vistas designed by South African great Ernie Els
Leadbetter – Master· instructor David Leadbetter’s first foray into golf course design
Annika – Numerous panoramic· tee-shots characterise this design by LPGA Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam
Duval – A testing course with· multiple water hazards designed by major winner David Duval
The benefits of this reciprocal arrangement don’t work just one way. Ocean Dunes has established itself as one of the ‘must-play’ destinations in Asia since opening in 1996, and the challenge presented by the Nick Faldo-designed course remains as fresh and visceral as ever.
Faldo’s course design plays differently each day depending on the regularly changing conditions, especially the wind here hard by the East Sea. It requires a variety of shots but offers multiple options for achieving the desired results on a given shot — a bump-and-run versus a high lob around the inventively protected greens, for example.
“Our friends at Mission Hills are as excited by this partnership as we are,” confirms Cassells. “They recognize the value for their members of having an association with a top quality, Nick Faldo-designed course, in one of the most beautiful resort areas in Southeast Asia.
“This is a place you can truly kick back and relax after a day on the golf course – something that can’t always be said about China.”
The tie-up with Mission Hills comes hot on the heels of similar agreements Ocean Dunes has forged with Jurong Country Club in Singapore and Southlinks Country Club on Batam Island, Indonesia – a mere hour away from Singapore by ferry.
“These arrangements are a win-win situation for everyone,” concludes Cassells. “Not only do they give our members the opportunity to play great golf courses at low prices when they travel, either for business or pleasure, they allow us to showcase what we have here to a wide regional audience.”
P.V
Vietnamese
