Laguna Golf with Darren Robson

Darren Robson, Area Director of Laguna Golf, shares insights into some of Asia’s top resort golf courses including Laguna Golf Phuket, Laguna Golf Bintan, and Laguna Golf Lang Co in Vietnam. He discusses the unique course designs, memorable tournaments like the Laguna Phuket Championship and Faldo Junior Series, and what makes each golf course a must-play destination. Whether you're an experienced golf traveler or planning your first golf holiday in Asia, this episode highlights why Laguna Golf and Golfasian offer the ultimate golf travel experience.

Transcript

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 0:00:52

Well, we're here in Vietnam with Darren from the Laguna Group. You're a very well-established general manager. Now, you look after Laguna Golf Phuket. Perhaps you could describe what the golf course is all about. 

Darren Robson: 0:14:49

So, Laguna Golf Phuket is an 18-holes resort golf course right in the heart of Laguna Phuket Resort, which has seven hotels. We're basically 20 meters from the banyan tree, two minutes from Ang Sena, a few minutes more from hom Suites, which has just recently been rebranded from holiday Club. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 0:38:00

So there's a lot of hotels around. Just describe what do you mean as a resort course? 

Darren Robson: 0:44:00

I would like to say, accurately, it's quite fiddly golf course. You cannot just blast your driver everywhere. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 0:50:00

But you've upgraded the course recently. Who originally designed it? 

Darren Robson: 0:54:00

So it was originally designed from the old pro did the back nine from 25 years ago. Then in 2013, Paul Jansen from Faldo Design redesigned it in conjunction with kind of Laguna Group. They switched the nine around and there was previously hole nine was an island hole. So they filled that in, switched the nines round and now more undulation, more tricky. But it's still a good test.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 1:24:50

I mean, it's one of our favorites for our clients, but also the course has had a lot of tournaments, haven't you? Have the Asian tours been there? 

Darren Robson: 1:32:00

Yeah, we had the uh just Coming through Covid. we had the Laguna Phuket Championship and we also have the normal Laguna Phuket Singha Open every year for the last seven years. Yeah, quite a few years ago we used to have a Faldo Junior Series as well. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 1:49:00

Have you met Nick Faldo recently? 

Darren Robson: 1:51:00

I haven't met him recently, I've met him many times in Lang Co before but not for a couple of years.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 1:56:50

Now just finishing off, obviously you're the GM at Laguna in Phuket but tell us about the other two courses.

Darren Robson: 2:04:09

I'm the Area Director in Phuket. I take care of Phuket and Bintan, Indonesia. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 2:10:50

Which is really almost Singapore, isn't it? 

Darren Robson: 2:13:15

Yeah, so it's just under an hour's ferry from Singapore. And pretty much 95% of our traffic is Singaporeans and Singapore expats. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 2:22:29

And who designed Bintan? 

Darren Robson: 2:24:40

Bintan was originally designed by Greg Norman. Then in 2015 it was redesigned by in conjunction with Laguna Group by an Australian. His name stiff on my tongue. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 2:40:30

Now finishing off the other star attraction is Laguna Lang Co which is way up in north of Da Nang. I've played there. Have you played there? 

Darren Robson: 2:51:30

Of course I've pre-opened Lang Co. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 2:54:00

That was quite a task. I remember interviewing Nick Faldo and he said it was like sort of Raiders of the Lost Ark trying to get through the jungle. 

Darren Robson: 3:01:25

Yeah I mean Lang Co has changed a lot since we first opened. It was very much a jungle test before. I mean, obviously the same layout, but they've taken away a lot of the landscape and made it a lot more friendly to play. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 3:18:05

A lot of people are very fond of going there. 

Darren Robson: 3:20:17

Excellent layout. All the holes are very different from one another. And it's one of my favorite courses. 

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 3:27:14

Well, you're one of our favorite courses as well. So thank you for joining us. 

Darren Robson: 3:30:45

Thank you.