Situated on a sandy peninsula at the southern end of Binh Dinh Province, the FLC Golf and Beach Resort at Quy Nhon is an enormous resort and residential development built adjacent a pristine beach. There are two courses here, along with a towering seaside hotel shaped to resemble a dragon or a series of boats rocking on the sea, depending on whom you ask. Residential hotel blocks and beachside condominiums complete what feels an ambitious project for this relatively remote locale.

The first golf course completed at Quy Nhon was the Ocean Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus II for the Nicklaus Design company. The two nines here are quite the contrast, with the early holes built through a scrubby elevated pine forest and the back nine set adjacent the beach and with holes lined by both condominiums and floodlights. There remains a nice seaside feel to the gentler back nine, but the longer views are certainly compromised by the many physical structures.

Across both nines the playing corridors are tight, and the overall difficulty factor high. Few local golfers are likely to play to their handicap here, but interestingly the majority seem to prefer these penal holes to the more open, strategic arrangement of the Mountain course.

Despite the difficulty, the bunkering is attractive across the course and the greens provide a number of excellent and varied coastal outlooks. Standout holes on the front nine include the 2^nd, with its long views and elevated green, the ‘hit or go home’ par three 4^th and the purposefully bunkered par four 7^th. The narrow dune pass on the par five 3^rd and the super skinny tee shot through pines on the 6^th also stick in the memory.

The back nine features the more glamorous land and, mercifully, broader green complexes and playing areas. The exception is the long par four 12^th, which is crazy tight from the tee and about as tough a hole to par as any at the resort. Better are the likes of the right sweeping par five 11^th and the straight toward the ocean 13^th.

The closing sequence is also fun. The par three 16^th plays toward the sea and a charming green set in a dune saddle, while the 17^th is notable for a blind green down in a hollow and the traffic lights back in the fairway that direct approaching golfers when safe to hit.

Though the Ocean Course at FLC Quy Nhon is likely to appeal more to skilled western golfers capable of hitting the skinny target areas, than to locals, the ground conditions and pleasant views are enough of an attraction to ensure that most will enjoy the experience. The resort itself, which dominates the skyline here, is certainly memorable, though seemingly difficult to maintain in tiptop condition. Thankfully the golf sparkles and for groups visiting Vietnam this is a pretty interesting destination, and one that we can recommend for both the local area and the quality of its two courses.