86 REPORT In the mountains of the Phú Thọ province, west of Hanoi, two new 18-hole golf courses are taking shape. Toni Ortner, lead golf architect at Olazabal Design, first became involved in the Montaña Golf Course project in summer 2018 when the Trade and Urban Development Investment Joint Stock Company (TUDI) approached him to develop a masterplan. TUDI is a privatelyowned real estate development company, and Montaña is its first golf course project. Ortner made an initial visit to the 150-hectare (370 acres) site in November of that year and developed design ideas based on outline plans and rough contour diagrams. Those plans were refined to ultimately create a masterplan that includes two 7,000-plus yard courses: the West, now in the early stages of construction, and the East, which is complete and growing in ahead of its opening in spring 2026. There will also be comprehensive practice facilities, including a spacious driving range and two short-game areas. “The mission we faced was to create two formidable 18-hole courses in rugged and densely vegetated terrain with various hilltops ranging from 210 to 290 metres above sea level and valleys carving through the hills with low points ranging between 45-90 metres,” says Ortner. “It’s a beautiful canvas but rather demanding. This is arguably one of the most difficult new golf course construction sites in the world. When you get on site today, it’s immense and extraordinary with golf course contours ranging from 115-225 metres, so a total of 110 metres difference in elevation. The panoramic views are to die for. I realised that I’d probably never get another site like this to work on in my lifetime.” For the project team, the task of transforming the mountainous site into golf courses that meet exacting championship conditions and demanding design specifications has been a daunting one, but all the work over the past seven years looks to have paid off. “Course routing and grading have been extremely complex, and the massive scale of earthworks needed – moving and transforming basically every inch on site – meant that engineering of slopes, storm drainage and irrigation had to go hand-in-hand with creative design,” says Ortner. “On average, around 50,000 cubic metres of earth have been moved each day, requiring a vast fleet of 80 excavators, 20 bulldozers, 120 trucks and 20 rollers at peak times. It’s everything we’re used to dealing with as seasoned golf architects, but to the power of ten! “The client’s vision was bold: two unique courses with expansive greens, generous tees and striking features that would both challenge and delight. We crafted holes with tricky yet fair tests for golfers of all levels, plus demanding pin positions perfect for golfers who enjoy a matchplay bet. And with floodlighting for twilight Moving mountains Olazabal Design is carving two courses out of rugged and densely vegetated terrain in Vietnam’s Phú Thọ province. “ This is arguably one of the most difficult new golf course construction sites in the world”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=