Asian Tour brings Vietnam, Japan courses under its ambiit

Over the years, the Asian Tour has been bringing golf courses across the continent under the umbrella of its “Destinations” programme, signifying that these venues are fit and able to host tournaments of international standards, with attendant facilities and maintenance.

It gives the tour a set of match-ready venues with uniform and works to the benefit of the courses as who can advertise the fact that they are part of the Asian Tour Destinations network and being of international tournament level. The Classic Golf and Country Club near Gurgaon has been an ATD course for the last couple of years.

Recently, the BRG Da Nang Golf Resort, which hosted an Asian Development Tour event in Vietnam for the first time, has been made an ADT member. The venue has two 18-hole courses, one each designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, and is the in Vietnam to join ATD, which now has a total of 13 courses on its rolls.

“This is an important step in our evolving relationship with the BRG Da Nang Golf Resort,” said Ken Kudo, Associate Director, Partnerships, Asian Tour. “It is an outstanding resort, one of the finest in Vietnam, and is truly a valued partner for the Asian Tour in everything we do in Vietnam, and we are delighted to be able to help them achieve their goals through their association with our brand.

The association with ATD gives golf clubs the ability to enjoy a range of branding and marketing benefits, as well as benefit from greater dialogue and networking with fellow members, each of whom is certified to be of Tour calibre and able to operate a comprehensive range of facilities and services under tournament-ready conditions through the year.

Asian Tour golfers are also able to play and practice at each venue allowing for members at each club to enjoy direct engagement with the region’s best golfers, a statement said.

“It’s a great honour to be selected as an Asian Tour Destination. We are proud to join a list of outstanding international venues that have successfully hosted professional golf tournaments and been voted by players and Tour officials as top golfing destinations,” said Nguyen Thi Nga of the BRG Group and owner of BRG Da Nang Golf Resort.

“BRG Da Nang Golf Resort is a world class facility with 36 holes designed by Nicklaus Design and Greg Norman. This is the venue where we play host and title sponsor to the BRG Open Golf Championship, an Asian Development Tour event, and we are now committed to working closely Asian Tour Destinations.”

Chinese teenager Chen Guxin won the BRG Open Golf Championship last September, after beating Lloyd Jefferson Go of the Philippines in a sudden-death play-off, while the Asian Tour made its first visit to Vietnam in seven years last month when it staged the International Series Vietnam, won by Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe.

Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore was the first to join ATD and was later joined by Black Mountain Golf Club, Laguna Golf Phuket, and Aquella Golf & Country Club, all in Thailand; Classic Golf & Country Club in New Delhi, India; Kota Permai Golf & Country Club and Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club, both in Malaysia; Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, Vietnam; Parahyangan Golf, in Indonesia; and Angkor Golf Resort, Cambodia.

Meanwhile, having bounced back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sapporo Country Club and The North Country Golf Club in Japan too have been looking to make the most of their tie-up with the ATD list.

Besides looking at growth in the number of overseas visitors, the two venues are gearing up to host significant professional tournaments in the coming months. From June 29 to July 2, the North Country Golf Club will stage the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Saga Sammy Cup on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation.

The Makomani Country Club, part of the Sapporo Country Club, will welcome the Japan LPGA Tour for the MinebeaMitsumi Ladies Hokkaido Shimbun Cup from July 6 to 9. Both clubs believe their association with the ATD will help in increasing their profile around the region and, in turn, attract more international visitors.

“We are pleased to be part of the ADT network,” said a spokesperson for the North Country Golf Club, whose course was designed by Japan golfing legend Isao Aoki more than three decades ago. “As well as having more than 700 members we’d like to see more golfers from overseas coming to play our course,” added the spokesperson.

For its part, the Sapporo Country Club boasts a total of 81 holes split between three different locations. On the outskirts of Sapporo is the 36-hole Makomanai Country Club while the 27-hole Takino Country Club is a little further away. And just 10 kilometres from downtown Sapporo is the 18-hole Hitsujigaoka Country Club which is the most easily accessible of the three locations.

According to Sapporo Country Club’s general manager, joining ATD has been beneficial on a number of fronts. “Since joining ATD, the degree of interest in our club has gone up among travel agencies, which has resulted in a positive effect on the number of reservations. It’s also made our staff proud and motivated,” he said.

“The Asian Tour Destinations network is made up of wonderful golf courses in various countries. We’re delighted to be a part of that and through our partnership with ATD we look forward to further promoting our club around the region,” the Asian Tour statement quoted him as saying.