Grand Phnom Penh

The course at Grand Phnom Penh Golf Club forms the sporting centerpiece of a large residential and commercial development on the northern outskirts of Cambodia’s busy capital city. As with many large south east Asian centres of population, economic growth appears closely tied to the construction of satellite cites such as this one.

Opened in 2012, the course is a Nicklaus Design layout, where significant earth moving took place to shape the fairways and greensites on terrain that’s essentially pancake flat. The course can play exceptionally long – an eye watering 7,914 from the tips – but there’s plenty of fairway width by way of lateral compensation.

A round here builds to a crescendo: the 231-yard 16th requires a slight cut over water to find the green from the tee, the par five 17th plays to every inch of its monstrous 661 yards, and the 440-yard 18th brings a lake into play down the left so tee shots that don’t find the right half of the fairway result in an approach to the home green over water.