Chinh is among the thousands of golfers who take great pleasure in teeing off the golf ball and finding the opportunity for his work at the end of the game through their playmates. He says golf is a good sport for businesspeople and those wanting to improve the ability of concentration, manage to overcome barriers, and explore the chance for business start-up and expansion in a time when Vietnam has further integrated into the world. This is one of the reasons why the number of golf courses and golfers has increased significantly, and professionals say now is just the right time for golf to tee off in Vietnam.

More golfers, courses

Nguyen Ngoc Chu, general secretary of the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA), says the newly-opened golf course in Mong Cai near the border with China has brought the total number of operational courses in Vietnam to 16, mostly in and near HCMC and Hanoi. Chu is upbeat about the faster growth in the number as over 30 more golf courses will be up and running soon to cater to the demand of more locals and foreigners.

Chu says the total number of around 50 golf courses to be available countrywide still poorly compares to the more than 200 courses in Thailand, where golfing and tourism based on this sport have developed well.

Scott Resch, a golfer and public relations specialist of Mandarin Media, which together with its partners founded the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail in Vietnam last year, said in support of Chu. Vietnam, with the operational courses, will seem to come up short by comparison with regional countries, he says.

“The number of current golf courses open for play in Vietnam is about the same number as Singapore, which is obviously a much smaller country,” Resch says.

Resch and Chu voice their support for the opening of more golf courses in Vietnam to meet the demand of more golfers, especially Vietnamese nationals, although dozens more are in some stage of development.

“I think the demand for golf is growing among the local population,” Resch says. He quotes Blair Cornthwaite, general manager of Vietnam Golf and Country Club in HCMC, as saying that half of the club’s membership sales for 2007 were to locals, a major change over previous years when its membership was primarily Koreans.

Chu puts the number of local and foreign golfers in Vietnam at over 5,000 and says the VGA targets 10,000 given improved standards of living.

“Some 100,000 Vietnamese people can play and pay for golf at the moment,” he says, noting that the current number of golfers in Vietnam is too small to the population of Vietnam.

Chu says there are more than 200,000 golfers in Thailand, and Vietnam should reach this number as Vietnam has a population of 85mil compared to Thailand’s 65mil.

Resch says more and more global businesses are establishing a presence in Vietnam, and VGA plans to set up junior academies and organize tournaments, that means more golfers as well.

Jeff Puchalski, director of golf at Dalat Palace Golf Club and Ocean Dunes Golf Club, says Vietnam is in the start-up stage for the game of golf, both for pleasure and tourism, and it has yet to be recognized as the true sport that it is.

“Once it (golf) sheds the status as an ‘elite sport’ it will start to take off much faster. This will also push the tourism side,” he says.

Catalyst for tourism

Resch emphasizes the important role of golf in promoting tourism in Vietnam, and this is shared by Deane Beman, who served as commissioner of the PGA Tour in America for 20-plus years and made that circuit the financial powerhouses it is today. Resch says Beman touched on how important golf was to tourism when he was playing golf with Resch in Dalat recently.

“Tournaments can play a big role in that. If Vietnam can begin hosting tournaments - as it did recently in Hanoi with the Vietnam Masters - it will begin to attract the attention of more big-named players and corporations, and in return get on TV and the radar of golfers everywhere,” Resch he suggests.

Chu also thinks so, announcing the good news that the International Association of Golf Travel Operators late last year named Vietnam its “Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year” award. This accolade proves the international-standard quality of golf courses in Vietnam and the country is emerging as a destination of choice for international golfers.

Golfers say the award was a crowning moment in a pivotal golf year for Vietnam that marked the launch of the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail comprising of top courses, and the establishment of VGA, the country’s first such governing body.

“Vietnam is ready for the big time,” Chu says when commenting on the award.

There have not been exact figures about the number of travelers participating in golf tours in Vietnam but golfers say tour operators worldwide have recognized the world-class standards of golf courses and accommodations in Vietnam. This international recognition will boost the tourism industry of Vietnam, a country that has become a destination of choice for many tourists and businesspeople as well.

Chinh of Binh Thuan Province’s Department of Tourism says the province targets more travelers of high income and expects golf courses will help realize this aim. He says the province has Ocean Dunes Golf Club, and one more course will be open for play in April. Other three courses will be put into operation by 2010 for local and foreign golfers to play one or two rounds during their vacations there.

Both local and expatriate golfers are optimistic about the bright future of golf in Vietnam. Puchalski of Ocean Dunes Golf Club says there are many telling signs for this.

“I think Vietnam has a great golf product on offer… I do think now is the time for Vietnam to make its mark in the international golf community and we need to keep the momentum moving forward while it is a hot destination,” Puchalski says.