Chi Linh Star Golf and Country Club is located about halfway between Hanoi and Halong Bay (one of the natural wonders of the world..)
We were a group of 20 on a golf and sightseeing trip, and Halong Bay was the main reason for our visit to the region.
It was worth it, too!
I cannot recommend a night on a junk in Halong Bay highly enough...
The road back to Hanoi is not overly long in distance, but takes over 3 hours to traverse given the condition of the road, and the traffic (a new freeway now speeds this up).
So it was a welcome relief to stopover for some golf on our way back.
Chi Linh Star was established in 2003 and was designed by Australian Independant Golf Course Services.
It was at once stage reputed to be the best course in North Vietnam.
The course has 3 loops of nine holes: A- Hill Side, B- Valley, C- Lake
The natural terrain consists of rolling hills, with a number of creeks and lakes being the main hazards.
There is plenty of elevation change throughout the course which is very nicely maintained.
Chi Linh Star has hosted professional tournaments including the 2004 Carlsberg Masters.
Our group had some difficulty on arrival as there appeared to be no real pro shop, or manager or golf pro to report to.
It was pure chaos as the caddies grabbed our golf bags and whisked them away...
We were playing in our own tour tournament and had a draw set for the day, and it took quite some time to reclaim the golf bags and reposition them with the appropriate golfing partners.
Then we headed of to the first tee, where the marshall advised that we could play a mini shot gun on courses A & B.
So off we went with different groups getting different instructions...
We ended up all playing 18 holes- but some played courses A & B, others A & C- what a schmozzle!!
After golf again there was no one who we could actually identify as in charge, so after a few drinks we headed off to Hanoi none the wiser...
The course was a pleasure to play with plenty of variety.
I like strategic short par 4's and immediately took a liking to the short dogleg par 4 second hole on the Hillside course with it's attractive bunkering.
Holes 3, 4 5, and 8 were also nice holes.
The Valley Course- Course B- introduced water hazards a little more, and was prettier.
Hole 10 over the ridge was a strong opener, but 12 and 15 were also memorable with water in play, and elevated greens.
In my opinion Chi Linh Star is a quality golf complex, and worth playing en route to Halong Bay.
However it is relatively remote from other quality golf options, and not somewhere I would not necessarily recommend Travelling Golfers go out of their way to play.
Whilst the course is good, and is well maintained- it is not memorable enough on its own merits to warrant going out of one's way.
However as part of an itinerary that already takes you to the area, it does make for a very pleasant day.
And maybe we just picked the wrong day to arrive, but we did book well ahead, and the apparent lack of organisation and authority at Chi Linh Star did diminish the client experience on the day somewhat...
Other Golf in the Area
- FLC Samson
Sightseeing options
- Halong Bay & Hanoi
Golf Tours
The Travelling Golfer can tailor a golf tour to Vietnam to suit your group.
For itinerary suggestions see Great Golf Destination: Vietnam- Hanoi, Halong Bay & The North
Enquiries
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