Golf Course Industry: Cambodia’s Vattanac Golf Resort opens second Faldo course

Sun 22 November 2020

The second championship course at Vattanac Golf Resort designed by Sir Nick Faldo opened for local play October 17 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The West Course will be managed by Troon International, the international operating division of Troon.

The opening of the West Course aligns with the East Course being recognized as “Cambodia’s Best Golf Course” at the recent World Golf Awards, which celebrate and reward excellence in golf.

Faldo designed both championship courses, which provide a spectacular setting around famous cultural expressions that include scale models of Khmer historical architectural sites including Angkor Wat, Preah Vihear and Bayon. One statue pays heritage to King Jayavarman VII, from the Angkor period, who represents one of the more energetic reigns in Cambodian history.

The West Course will certainly contend with the East Course as one of the top courses in Cambodia and all of Asia. It features narrower and more undulating fairways, a variety of unique water features and testing Paspalum greens. Cultural sculptures and stunning landscaping attribute to the striking scenery of Cambodia’s newest golf course. The West is a rewarding test of skill for players of all levels, featuring five sets of tees from 4,935 yards to 7,249 yards.

“It’s a great moment to see the West Course now open and ready to play,” Faldo said. “Much like the East, the West Course project focused heavily on celebrating the amazing culture in Cambodia and Vattanac Golf Resort’s surrounding environment to create the course’s truly unique character. By integrating cultural inspiration into the landscape, like the Terrace of Elephants replica statue or the Dragon Lake for example, the course has a real sense of place and its local features help to create an unforgettable experience.

“The West Course offers a slightly more intimate look and feel to the resort’s East, but just like the East it offers different strategic challenges with fairway positioning and shot choice crucial for players looking to find reward and an inviting line to the green. It certainly asks questions of golfers’ game-management, long, short, left or right from the tee can find difficulty and create a complicated hole. However, with five tee sets, the course is accessible to all with something for every golfer, from the very best to the very beginner, so, importantly, enjoyment out on the course will not be hard to come by.”

The resort now moves into the next phase of development that will soon include night golf and a golf academy.

“We are extremely excited at what we are creating here, following Mr. Vattanac’s vision, and look forward to delivering a new standard of golf resort in South East Asia that will be compared to the world’s best,” Vattanac general manager Karl Whitehead said. “The Golf Academy is a key component of this project as Mr. Vattanac is extremely passionate about Growing the Game of golf in Cambodia.”