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Description
The Dalat Palace
Golf Club is situated 5000 feet above
sea level in the temperate highlands of
Dalat and plays downhill to the Xuan
Huong Lake. Golfers at Dalat Palace are
reminded of the days when the pursuit of
leisure was the norm for the French
colonialists. Local Vietnamese staff
greet guests with warm, friendly smiles
and service that has made Dalat a
popular retreat for decades.
Built as a 9-hole layout in 1922, it
took support from the country's most
prominent golfer (Bao Dai, the last
emperor of Vietnam) to finish the
construction of a full 18-holes later in
the decade. The Dalat Palace golf course
was abandoned after WWII and revived in
1959. In early 1966, Dalat palace hosted
professional golfers from around the
world including Billy Casper several
months before he beat Arnold Palmer to
win the U.S. Open at San Francisco's
Olympic Club. The course was abandoned
again in 1975, after the reunification
of Vietnam, and initiated its second
comeback in 1993 with a major renovation
by a group of American investors. In
early 1994, Dalat emerged once again as
one of the up-and-coming golf
destinations in Southeast Asia with the
revival and expansion of Dalat Palace
Golf Club.
Dalat Palace crosses through stately
pine trees to oversized and delicately
manicured bent grass greens, the only
ones in Asia. Today, it's the top-rated
course in Vietnam due to the excellent
layout, many elevation changes, and for
the bent grass greens. In fact, due to
the cooler climate in the mountains of
Dalat, Vietnam, the Dalat Palace Golf
Club is the only golf course in South
East Asia with bent grass tees, fairways
and greens. Bent grass is often
considered to be the ultimate playing
surface in golf. The large, undulating
bent grass greens are maintained to
impeccable standards and present a good
challenge. Once golfers adjust to the
fast speed, they agree that the greens
at Dalat Palace are among the finest in
Asia.
Playing the Course
Dalat Palace
Golf Club is a golf course that
sends you back to a peaceful time.
The rolling hills, majestic pines
and a series of lakes that come into
play on 10 of 18 holes makes a
beautiful backdrop to a very
challenging championship caliber
golf course. The only course in
Vietnam with bent grass greens.
The Brett
Stensen redesigned course measures
7,009 yards and is an enjoyable
challenge for golfers of all levels.
Low handicap players will be tested
by a series of lakes, which meander
through ten of eighteen holes, as
well as strategically placed
bunkers, which penalize the
miscalculating risk-taker. High
handicappers will find relief with
large accommodating greens normally
left open for run-up approach shots,
as well as wide, forgiving fairways.
Dalat Palace Golf Club features par
3's ranging in length from 164 to
234 yards and par 5's up to 556
yards. These varied lengths require
that players use each club in their
bag, one of the signs of a well
designed golf course. Four different
tee boxes on each hole make the golf
course appealing to golfers of all
abilities.
On downhill tee shots, such as the
400 yard thirteenth and seventeenth
holes, longer hitters should use
irons or fairway woods to stay away
from the water. The par 3 fifth
requires a carry of nearly 230 yards
over water to reach the green. But
the 547 yard par 5 sixth is even
more difficult. Water lines the
entire left side, and OB is on the
right, requiring accurate tee and
approach shots. The 387 yard seventh
calls for a tee shot to carry two
lakes, though shorter hitters may
play to the left of the water for a
180 yard uphill approach to the
green. The deep pot-style bunkers
along the right side of the 374 yard
fifteenth fairway are unique in
themselves.
Signature
Hole: Hole #6 is our signature
hole with its intimidating tee shot
with out of bounds right and water
left to a narrow fairway. The
intimidation does not end there as
the slight dogleg left has water and
out of bounds that reach all the way
to the green, which is surrounded by
water and bunkers. If you hit the
ball straight and accurate on this
hole it is a great birdie op because
the hole is not overly long for a
par 5. But if you get crooked,
double bogey or worse is what you
will pencil on your card.
Facilities
Club House:
The original clubhouse, built in 1956,
at the Dalat Palace Golf Club is still
in use today. The clubhouse has been
fully restored with a full pro shop,
restaurant, wood burring fireplace and
outdoor patio areas. The clubhouse
restaurant offers both superb Vietnamese
and International cuisine. A full
practice facility complements the golf
course and clubhouse, with a 290-yard
grass driving range, a putting green,
and practice bunkers. Areas surrounding
the clubhouse are landscaped into
beautiful gardens with bougainvillea,
red salvia, impatiens, mimosa and
hydrangeas. Views from the clubhouse
patios include terraced rice fields and
pine forests.
Restaurant & Bar: featuring an
International menu including Vietnamese,
Asian, and Western foods and beverages
in both indoor (air-conditioned) and
outdoor (fresh air) seating areas and
with views of the mountains and the golf
course. Happy Hours.
Driving Range:
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Over 300 yards
long
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9 target
greens of various distances
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Yardage
markers from tee to flags marked on
teeing area
Practice Facilities
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All natural
grass with 2 levels
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Serviced by
DPGC staffs
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Practice
putting green
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Practice grass
pitching areas (to green)
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Practice sand
bunkers (to green)
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Food &
Beverage service with seating
indoors and outside
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Golf
Instruction Available with certified
and local pros
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Course Details
Appropriate golf attire required
