Broadening Horizons

These five destinations might not be synonymous with golf in the same vein as Bangkok, Hainan and Kunming, but they offer alternative and no less appealing landscapes in which to play, writes Alex Jenkins

Siem Reap

Temples and Tees

Sir Nick Faldo has produced a high quality and highly enjoyable track near the temples of Angkor in Cambodia
There can be few places that rival Siem Reap for combining high-quality golf with high-quality sightseeing. The incredible temples of Angkor are of course Siem Reap's main attraction – and the number one reason why foreigners visit Cambodia – but the town's two courses themselves are well worth the trip.

The first course to have been built here, the Sofitel-managed Phokeethra Country Club (phokeethragolf.com), which opened for play in 2007, has hosted the Cambodian Open, an Asian Tour event, on two occasions and is a fun place to play. As is typical with most resort courses, Phokeethra isn't a monstrously difficult test, but with water featuring on all but one of the holes there's enough trouble here to keep things interesting. Course conditioning and on and off-course service is first-rate, as are the resort's practice facilities. Phokeethra is also one of the few courses in the world that is itself home to a significant archaeological find. Within its grounds stands a magnificent 11th century Khmer Empire 'Roluh' bridge. The bridge, which was renovated by Phokeethra, has now been declared a UNESCO preservation site and its image is used as the club's logo.

A stronger challenge – and one of the finest courses to have opened in southeast Asia in recent years – awaits at the Nick Faldo-designed Angkor Golf Resort (angkor-golf.com), which is conveniently situated just five kilometres from Siem Reap's airport. Like Phokeethra, this is a low-lying site but the six-time major champion and his design team have sculpted a riveting and scenic test, one that is splendidly bunkered. Wall-to-wall paspalum grass provide fabulous playing surfaces, while the water-laced par-4 18th provides a fitting conclusion to an undeniably good golf course.


Getting there: There are no direct flights between Hong Kong and Siem Reap; the favoured option is to transit in Bangkok and connect with one of five daily Bangkok Airways (bangkokair.com) flights (Flying time: 1 hour). Another option is to fly with Vietnam Airlines (vietnamairlines.com) via either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

Where to stay: Siem Reap is not short of luxury retreats: award winners include the 107-room Hotel de la Paix (hoteldelapaixangkor.com) and La Residence d'Angkor (www.residenceangkor.com). The FCC Angkor (fcccambodia.com) is another excellent option and offers stay and play packages.

Need to know: The Khmer New Year holiday takes place between 13-16 April, 2012.

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Written by Alex Jenkins

Click here to see the published article.

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