Golfing highs at Lao
A recent project by Korean architect Dr Ryu Chang-Hyun is delivering a high quality golf experience for both locals and visitors to Laos. We find out more about the Lao Country Club redesign from Korean golf consultant JD Ha.
Located near capital city Vientiane, the 18-hole championship course at Lao Country Club is one of a small number of high quality golf facilities available in Laos, a landlocked country in southeast Asia that lies between Vietnam and Thailand.
Korean architect Dr Ryu Chang-Hyun completed the redesign of the former Youth Garden Golf Course in 2011, overseeing construction and supervising the entire project from start to finish, ensuring the course was prepared in accordance with his design plans.
The course lies on predominantly flat land and the region has very distinct dry and rainy seasons, meaning that weather extremes need to be considered within maintenance plans for clubs in the region. This was also factored into Dr Ryu’s redesign project, with particular attention given to planning to ensure that the construction team was carrying out activities at the most appropriate times.
From a design perspective, Dr Ryu was keen to give each hole a unique feel, and wanted players to use every club in their bag during a round at Lao Country Club.
The course’s signature hole is the par-five 541-metre fifth. The tee shot requires golfers to avoid a lake to the right of the fairway, and the hole also features an iconic dead tree. A point of contention during construction, the team had initially favoured the tree’s removal. But Dr Ryu decided to keep it, believing it added a unique and memorable aesthetic appeal. Also, the tree’s bark has whitened over time, making it stand out and giving players a reference point for their tee shot.
The course has paspalam grass fairways and zoysia rough, the distinct hues of each creating visual contrast and definition. The greens are bermuda TifEagle, providing fast green speeds that are quite rare in the region.
A key element of Dr Ryu’s design philosophy is the preservation of land and use of natural features. Dr Ryu also places particular prominence on making the course enjoyable for all types of golfer, from beginners to professionals.
Lao Country Club has seen an increasing number of visitors from nearby countries, including Thailand and Vietnam. And with interest in golf growing in the country, the redesigned course has made a positive contribution to the development of a golfing region with great potential.
JD Ha
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