SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Club

SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Club is 15 kilometers from Dalat City, and it takes only 20 minutes from town and 20 minutes from the airport to reach SAM Golf Club by the principal or back entrances. The Dalat golf course is of Canadian design and plays in a deep valley. The course is located on the eastern shores of Tuyen Lam Lake, surrounded by massive mountains and towering pine trees, which makes for excellent scenery and year-round cool golf weather.  However, morning fog covers the golf course; on most days, golf is impossible until 9:00 or 10:00 AM.

Many of the holes play from elevated tees to tight fairways. Drivers can be kept in the bag in most cases as accuracy over distance is favored at SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Club. Greens are well guarded with gentle slopes and feature all Bent grass, and fairways are natural Bermuda grass.

Hole #3 is an uphill, tight right-bending dogleg. Out-of-bounds flanks the right side, a large bunker fronts the green, and a small creek bisects the fairway.  The second shot is among the most challenging at SAM Golf Club, and most golfers go for it but end up in the stream short or OB right of the green. Take 1-2 more clubs as there is ample room over the green to get down for par.

Another memorable hole is the par-4 hole 12.  Playing as a dogleg right and severely uphill, a high bunker crosses the fairway 200 yards from the teeing area.  A monster drive that carries 240 yards or more is required to clear the hazard; otherwise, a layup to around 180 yards is a much safer play. Also, the whole right side is framed by a vertical rock wall cut out of the mountain to build the hole. Hit this side, and the ball will rebound off the hill and back into the fairway. The green is double-level and guarded by bunkers on both sides. Putting follows the slope of the surrounding mountains. It is such a difficult hole that bogey is a good score.

SAM Tuyen Lake Golf facilities include a beautiful clubhouse, driving range, and practice areas. The onsite restaurant, pro shop, and locker rooms are OK, as are the 12 guest rooms at the golf resort. Nearby large luxurious villas and 5-star hotels are also stay-and-play options onsite. Service is fair, and it is advisable to bring a Vietnamese translator to assist with all of the formalities. Although SAM Tuyen Lake Golf is hilly, the course can be walked, or golf carts are available for hire.