HOW LAGUNA GOLF LANG CO CAME BACK FROM THE BRINK
By DUNCAN FORGAN
Photos Courtesy Of LAGUNA GOLF LANG CO
When golf travel becomes possible again, you can be sure golfers will make a beeline again to one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia, Da Nang in central Vietnam.
The coastal city offers half a dozen superb courses within easy reach, all set in spectacular settings ranging from seaside to the foothills of the inland mountains.
One of the beach-fronting courses is Laguna Golf Lang Co, a Nick Faldo masterpiece that opened for play to much acclaim in 2012. In its early years, the visually-stunning course captured the imagination of the wider golfing public, sandwiched between emerald rainforest and the azure East Sea.
Hole 5, Par 3
Faldo’s impressive design ranks as one of his finest, with a links-style ‘out and back’ routing, a variety of tees for all levels and numerous stellar holes making it a hit with low- and high-handicappers alike. Measuring 7,100 yards from the championship tees and a very playable 5,263 yards off the front markers, the par-71 tract weaves its way between trees, over rice paddies and streams, and alongside the beach.
Adam Calver, Director of Golf, Laguna Golf Lang Co
While a range of factors and challenges contributed to a decline in playing conditions in 2017, the course is back at its best today having undergone a comprehensive rejuvenation exercise under director of golf Adam Calver. The likeable Canadian recalls the repair job that awaited him when he was engaged in 2017 and asked to turn around the fortunes of the course.
“Turning a golf course around once it has declined can take years. And we had a lot of pre-existing problems to contend with,” remembers Calver, who has had stints at leading golf clubs such as Cabot Links & Cabot Cliffs in Nova Scotia, Nirwana Bali Golf Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
By the time of Calver’s arrival, various oversights and maintenance shortcomings had taken their toll. Fairways had become rutted and damaged by heavy cart traffic and a lack of cart paths. A combination of failing or insufficient drainage, poor sunlight exposure and restricted airflow, meanwhile, resulted in the course becoming unplayable during and after heavy rain – a frequent occurrence in central Vietnam, which encounters cool, wet winters where temperatures can sink below 15°C in the evenings.
Matters came to a head in early 2017 following a particularly harsh winter. Low temperatures and higher than average rainfall resulted in a severe loss of turfgrass on 12 greens, while several tees were also affected.
“The product was no longer worth the fees,” says Calver. “The course was losing its reputation and cancellations were mounting. It was decision time for the owners. Carry on and manage a decline or recalibrate?”
Thankfully, the owners of the club – which is part of Laguna Lang Co, an expansive integrated resort that also encompasses the award-winning luxury resorts such as Banyan Tree Lang Co and Angsana Lang Co – made the second call.
Calver immediately set to work on his rescue mission. The first order of business, in early March 2017, was a complete replant on the 12 damaged greens. Limiting afternoon play, the maintenance team hand-planted the surfaces.
One of Laguna Golf Lang Co’s famous ‘bio-mowers’
With an aggressive grow-in programme actioned for the next 90 days, the greens were in tournament condition by late June.
Replanting the damaged greens was only part of the battle. A proactive agronomic programme was required to address challenges posed by poor green construction, constricted airflow as a result of thick foliage and surface drainage issues.
Amazingly, Calver found that eight of the greens had blocked or collapsed pipes, making severe waterlogging inevitable. The crew resurfaced greens and collars to ensure they could handle moderate rain events. A tree management programme was implemented to identify which trees were negatively impacting airflow. Vegetation around the green complexes was removed, allowing the putting surfaces to better manage disease pressure.
Not only is the course playing much better now, but it also looks a million dollars. Calver thinned out the trees at the ninth hole, which plays alongside the ocean, giving golfers a grandstand view of the beach and the water.
Other innovations, meanwhile, include the introduction of a family of water buffalo who act as ‘bio-mowers’, tending to the 10 hectares of rice fields located right in the middle of the course by eating excess weeds and crops in the area that would otherwise require machinery and manpower to maintain.
Hole 17, Par 4
The utilisation of water buffalo as ‘greenkeepers’ is part of a wider push by Laguna Golf Lang Co to be the most sustainable course in Vietnam. It has completely eradicated the use of single-use plastics, scrapping items made of plastic such as garbage bags, locker room accessories, plastic cups and straws and replacing them with ones made from materials such as bamboo, paper, steel or natural grass.
The club is also one of only three golf courses in the world to achieve Earth Check Gold certification, a status it earned at the end of 2019.
“Vietnam is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and we are fortunate enough to have one of its most visually stunning sites,” notes Calver. “As golf is a game that works in harmony with nature we have a responsibility to take a role in protecting the environment.”
It is to Calver and his team’s credit that his club is in good enough shape to help lead this commendable charge.
Note: All golf courses in Vietnam were temporarily closed in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For updates, log on to www lagunalangco.com
