Since we will be arriving late in the afternoon of Monday, 19th Sept 2016, it was free and easy on day 1. Elios Hotel, which we stayed; is centrally located in HCM city with walking distances to many food and drink stalls, spa and massage centers and a market square that sells everything from pots and pans to casual wears for adults and children. Few of us already had their shopping list in hand and got their bargains (yes, bargain aggressively on the price!) satisfied happily before nightfall !HCM is a bustling city with endless motor cyclists and here are some of the distinctive features of the city, which we will sure to remember:
1. Motor cyclists out numbered cars by probably 10-1. Traffic Jams are caused by hundreds of motor cyclists. When they are on the move, they would criss-cross each other in any directions, a few times right in front of our van. Not a place to ride for a new hand.
2. Nearly all old buildings are narrow with width not more than 18ft, quite amazed to see a few tall skinny structures rising above the skyline.
3. Unless new, almost all food and drink stalls provide very low tables and chairs like those found in our kindergartens. A real experience to sit on these tiny low chairs for a round of Saigon beers, which are absolutely cheap!
Long Thanh Golf Club - is a 36 holes GC, though we only played the Lake course this time. The first impression is that it is a well maintained course featuring rolling fairways and undulating greens, guarded by many high lip bunkers and water hazards on almost every hole. The rough off the fairways are planted with Bermuda grass, which could covered up the golf ball in most instances. A real challenge to hit the ball out for most of us, let alone putting it on the green! Furthermore, if the ball landed on the high side of the green, it is very easy to putt it 5ft past the hole!
Day 3 - 21th Sept 2016
The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip - is a link style golf course designed by Greg Norman, over and around sand dunes along the coastline of the sea. The fairways wind through small sand hills, off the fairways are outcrops covered with thick shrubs and vegetation typically grew well on sandy soil. Once inside, it's certainly "lost ball" in almost all cases. The wind also plays a major role in the experiences, though fortunately it was not too strong on the day we played. Absolutely worthwhile even after 2 1/2 hrs drive from the hotel!
Day 4 - 22th Sept 2016.
Tan Son Nhat GC - when we arrived, standing in front of us is a huge grand club house with tall pillars and high ceiling. Probably one of the biggest club house I have ever seen! The facilities is definitely 5 stars! This is a 36-holes course with well manicured fairways and fast and undulating greens. Today, we played course B & D which has 5 long par-4 between 420-475 yds from the blue tees. The caddies are all males and seemed not very passionate about their job, a big difference compared to those ladies at The Bluffs!
We were fortunate that the package came with a very sumptuous buffet lunch, thrown in with a free Saigon beer. A very welcome meal after struggling to get pars or missing few birdie chances.
In summary, the 3 courses are absolutely beautiful and in immaculate conditions. Unfortunately, everyone played above pars! Definitely will come back to play again because we always believed that we can play better next time! Otherwise, better luck!
In terms of food, the Vietnamese spring rolls, beef noodles and baguette sandwich (banh mi) never failed to vet our appetite. Worth mentioning was the best lunch that we had at a tiny stall by the roadside just a short drive after The Bluffs.
Lastly, Elios Hotel is value for money especially when it comes with free buffet breakfast that is served in a rooftop restaurant on the 12th floor. The buffet had a wide spread of food items in addition to a egg frying station. I am sure all of us over ate every morning!
Overall, song-si!
More Photos...
Summary of scores...
| Ho Chi Min golf 19-23 Sep 2016 | ||||||||||
| Stableford points | Total points | Overall position | ||||||||
| Name | Handicap* | Long Thanh GC | The Bluffs | Tan Son Nhat GC | Tot Birdies | Tot Pars | ||||
| Dennes | 10 | 34 | 31 | 18 | 83 | 5 | 3 | 16 | ||
| David | 18 | 36 | 31 | 29 | 96 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| Lim KS | 12 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 78 | 6 | 11 | |||
| Lee | 13 | 33 | 26 | 30 | 89 | 3 | 1 | 19 | ||
| Alex | 18 | 34 | 20 | 36 | 90 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Simon | 13 | 17 | 34 | 21 | 72 | 7 | 9 | |||
| Liaw | 25 | 29 | 23 | 32 | 84 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Khoo | 32 | 26 | 8 | 17 | 51 | 8 | 2 | |||
| Handicap* adjustment > | ||||||||||
| 1. Winner, -1 for next day | ||||||||||
| 2. Regardless of position, if Points scored is -1 to -3, cut 1 stroke for next game | ||||||||||
| 3. Regardless of position, if Points scored is better than -3, cut additional 1 stroke for next game | ||||||||||
| 4. Regardless of position, if Points scored is +3 and above; add 1 stroke for next game | ||||||||||
Approx expenses for the trip...
| Ho Chi Min golf tour expenses 19-23 Sep 2016 | |||||
| VD=Vietnamese Dong | |||||
| Total expenses approx/head: | |||||
| RM | avg Exc Rate | ||||
| Malinda Air+Hotel | 917 | ||||
| Golf Package: | 1558 | US$ 380 | 4.1 | ||
| Caddy tips x 3 | 112 | VD600,000 | 0.000187 | ||
| Meals +Misc | 280 | VD1,500,000 | (incl tips to driver) | ||
| Total | 2867 | ||||
| Golf package includes ( transport + golf packages) | |||||
