Vattanac Golf Course with Damian McHugh

Damian McHugh, General Manager of Vattanac Golf Resort, shares his journey from Abu Dhabi to China and now Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Vattanac features two 18-hole golf courses designed by Sir Nick Faldo, blending championship golf with Khmer architecture and cultural landmarks. Damian talks about Phnom Penh’s rise as a golf destination and why Vattanac is a must-play for golf travelers seeking world-class courses and luxury experiences in Southeast Asia.

Transcript

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 00:14:08
Right, I'm with Damian from Vattanac Golf Course in Phnom Penh. Welcome to the show!

Damian McHugh: 00:20:05
Thank you very much!

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 00:20:26
Vattanac, the most unusual course, probably the Kodak equivalent to the must-take-pictures course in the world. I should think …

Damian McHugh: 00:29:18
Sure! We got 36 holes there, East and West courses which complement each other. The East course has many small historic kinds of sites around there so it's very interesting, very photogenic.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 00:43:29
The sites aren't hidden away. They're actually part of the golf course.

Damian McHugh: 00:47:09
Yeah, integrated into the golf course itself.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 00:49:09
and they're all Khmer or Angkor Wat style, so this must be pretty unique. Can you think of any other golf course in the world?

Damian McHugh: 00:57:04
I can't, I mean I've been all over China. I spent a lot of time in China and Asia throughout my career and I've never seen anything like it. so it's very unique and special for the guests. And certainly, we've had some fantastic feedback.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 01:08:07
Now you Damian, you have only recently joined as the general manager. What's your history?

Damian McHugh: 01:13:20
So I started my career in Abu Dhabi. I spent 2 years there and then spent 10 years in China.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 01:20:01
Where were you working in Abu Dhabi? With the Falcon ...

Damian McHugh: 01:24:10
Correct!

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 01:24:20
Oh! Amazing course. And then, where were you in China?

Damian McHugh: 01:27:28
and then I was in Gary Player Design. funny enough in remote China. and then went to Shanghai with a 36-holes designed, Jack Nicklaus course. down south to another Gary Player designed golf course. So, I bounced around quite a few properties within 10 years. so it was good a good experience

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 01:45:11
To our listeners and many of them are golf vacationers, just describe what it's like playing and staying in Phnom Penh? Because Phnom Penh is really getting its act together.

Damian McHugh: 01:55:20
Yeah, I spent a brief time there 10 years ago. And I was surprised when I came back 4 months ago. You know, the city has just enhanced so much over the last 10 years. There's us. There's the Garden City golf course. Chhun On golf course comes on board. There's a lot more experience for the golfers coming in for 4-5 nights. they've got more to do more places to stay.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 02:18:27
but these are five star courses. your courses … who designed your course?

Damian McHugh: 02:22:27
Nick Faldo. Both courses are by Nick Faldo.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 02:24:12
well he's reasonably well known.

Damian McHugh: 02:25:23
He is yeah. yeah Masters Winner which is next week.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 02:28:05
Has he been back to see the course?

Damian McHugh: 02:30:17
He hasn't been there since I've been there, but he was here last year for the final visit.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 02:36:28
He does come over to Asia. Nick Faldo does come over a lot. We're in Vietnam now. He built Lăng Cô here. That's one of his favorites. Now when you come to play golf and stay in Phnom Penh, what else can we entertain our guests? What else can we do?

Damian McHugh: 02:53:16
We've got a huge amount of restaurants and good nightlife there. You've got to see the scenic spots, the Royal Palace. And we own our own shopping mall as well.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 03:02:22
And you're in a hotel?

Damian McHugh: 03:04:07
Rosewood hotel, the KVL hotel, and a great shopping mall too

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 03:09:19
and finally what about the Mekong? Tell us about that.

Damian McHugh: 03:13:05
I haven't had the experience, but you were telling me, Mike has some nice experiences down the Mekong.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 03:21:01
If you haven't been to Phnom Penh, the Mekong River trips which I believe go from Saigon to Phnom Penh, and then you can go up to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. We're talking 5-stars floating hotels with luxury.

Damian McHugh: 03:34:05
I need to do that.

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 03:35:15
Yeah, well maybe next week.

Damian McHugh: 03:37:23
Next week sounds good!

Mike Bridge (Golfasian): 03:39:08
Well, thanks for talking to you.

Damian McHugh: 03:40:10
Thank you very much!