Stone Valley Golf Resort

Stone Valley Golf Resort is a 27-hole golf course designed by Brian Curley of Schmidt-Curley Design. The location is 65 kilometers from Hanoi, and it takes around 1.5 hours to reach the golf course from the center of town. Truong An Golf Company is the developer, and it's their first golf course in Vietnam. The par 72/36 course plays 7,280/3,550 yards and features Celebration Bermuda grass fairways, tees, and TifEagle greens.

The near-200 hectare site lies in a region known for river tours that weave through valleys between massive, vegetated mountains and has served as the location for feature films, including King Kong. The site offers beautiful views from every hole. Stunning views over inland lakes that resemble Ha Long Bay are visible from the closing holes.

The greens feature dramatic shaping, including slopes and ridges as well as bowls and backstops, but always with relatively flat pinnable areas. The contours generally help balls get to the flag and are more intimidating than real. Fairways often have kick areas that shoot balls forward towards the greens, making longer holes play shorter than their yardages.

The first nine feature extensive low-flow networks of streams and vast lakes with holes exposing sharp-edged rocks resembling lava fields. These rocky areas come into play on holes six, seven, and eight. The driveable par-four seventh hole requires carrying a vast field of rocks to hit a speed slot fairway that directs the ball to the green. The latter has a dramatic 1.5-meter drop to a back, bowled-out lobe.

The second nine comprises some of the best and most dramatic holes. They include the short par-four fourteenth hole that requires carrying not one but two significant ridges to reach a landing area and green. The course builds to a crescendo, with its four final holes playing from the highest elevations, with views across the valleys and mountains.

The fifteenth par-three features dramatic green contouring and a friendly kick-slope at the back, sending balls to the pin. Hole sixteen begins with a spectacular drop shot with the clubhouse near the distance and turns right to a fall-away green with a solid backslope for containing shots. The par-three seventeenth and extended par-four eighteenth are around the original quarry site and offer stunning views of contrasted turf, sand, rock, water, marsh, and natural outcrop backdrops, all with the high mountain vistas.

The newest nine at Sone Valley play within a landscape that includes towering Karst rock formations that rise vertically above the valley floor. Whereas the first 18 holes play primarily within a broad, sweeping valley, the new nine mostly play as single corridor holes framed on most sides by densely vegetated jungle with rock formations serving as massive backdrops.

In addition to the landscape that evokes a King Kong-themed movie scene, the holes also feature significant elevation change, especially the tee shot on the ninth hole, which descends some 40 meters to the green, and offers views of the valley and mountains well beyond.

The third is a mid-length par four with a wide landing area and a narrow fairway as players get closer to the green. Behind the green are a towering jungle and rock formations. The fourth, a par-five, wraps around a creek to a reachable green fronted by the creek and rock outcrops. And the extended par-four fifth offers the most stunning backdrop of all. It has a slightly elevated green with a creek to the front and is backdropped by the tallest rock-faced mountain found on the site.

Stone Valley facilities are first class, with a large clubhouse overlooking the front nine serving as staging and main center of attention. Locker rooms are as expected from a private members club. The restaurant could have a better food selection but is more than adequately stocked with cold beers and Vietnamese delicacies. The caddie service is excellent, though there is hardly any English spoken.

Stone Valley is unlike any other Hanoi golf course. The views alone are worth the drive, but with a fun round of golf and a top clubhouse added in, Stone Valley is a no-brainer to include for every golfer visiting Hanoi looking for that one-of-a-kind golf experience.