IT'S AN ALLURING COMBINATION - spending relaxed mornings on the golf course ensconced in your favourite sport, then afternoons and nights immersed in the culture and cuisine of the region.
Blending golf, local cultures, culinary experiences and incredible locations, Australian travel brand LUXE Golf Tours has created two memorable trips for launch this week engaging the golfer and non-golfer alike.
"With these bespoke 'white glove' tours you don't have the bother of searching for the best golf courses and then coupling that with the right hotels, restaurants and cultural fixes yourself - it's all done for you," said Oscar van Elten, founder of Luxury Tours by Revelry (LTR), "and we're announcing our first two golf tours in September – one to Vietnam and another to New Zealand.
"Our Luxury Golf Tours blend golf, unique customs, culinary experiences and incredible locations."
Golf in Vietnam is enjoying a rapid rise with more golf courses under construction and in planning than plenty of other countries, including the UK. This is fuelled by local and foreign investment in courses and associated infrastructure, with investors recognising the potential for its contribution to Vietnamese economic growth and job creation.
The country's weather makes it ideal for year-round games while the 3,260 km coastline offers stunning beaches, dramatic mountains and tropics in the south all creating a diverse range of settings to play in.
LUXE Vietnam Golf Tour (1-6 September 2025)
The tour features three of Vietnam's most dazzling courses, teeing off with the Hoiana Shores Golf Club, a challenging links-style experience with 18 holes and luxurious clubhouse in a seaside setting with majestic views of the Eastern Sea.
Then golfers' prowess gets tested at Laguna Lang Co Golf Course designed by Sir Nick Faldo, which offers a visually arresting round amidst breathtaking landscapes and a 7,100-yard course presenting variety for players of all levels from the championship tees, and a beginner friendly 5,263 yards from the front tees.
The third course, the world-class Ba Na Hills Golf Course near Danang, has won a slew of design awards and was voted World's Best New Course in 2016. It has a golf academy with onsite PGA Professional to get golfing rookies underway and help polish the swing of more experienced players. It plays away from the coastline at elevation in a cooler setting typically void of wind and constant panoramic mountain views. Stretching over 7,858 yards from the championship tees, every hole and vantage point is framed by a beautiful forest backdrop.
After experiencing these three world-class courses, there are a range of organised and free-wheeling experiences once players step off the green - like a tour of the Marble and Monkey Mountains by vintage Jeep where the Linh Ung pagoda and caves are waiting to be explored and you may spot the distinctive and unique red-shanked douc monkey hiding in the foliage. There's also an optional Vespa tour which provides a fun way of exploring Hoi An's renowned street food.
Home for the five days is the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai Hoi An on Vietnam's culturally-rich central coast, and the only resort in Vietnam consistently lauded by Forbes Travel. This year it has undergone significant enhancements with upgrades aimed at connecting guests with nature.
The tour's itinerary includes welcome dinner, experiential meals and plenty of leisure time to ensure golfers and accompanying non-golfers get a taste of the hospitality and cultural charms the Vietnamese have become renowned for, including side tours for non-golfers.
LUXE New Zealand Golf Tour (14-18 September 2025)
Golf at Kauri Cliffs is golf like no other - a course perched vertiginously on the edge of a cliff at the northern-most tip of New Zealand's (Aotearoa's) North Island, marked by jaw-dropping vistas overlooking the Cavalli Islands in the Bay of Plenty. Little wonder that it's ranked 55 out of the World's 100 Greatest Courses by Golf Digest.
The par 72 championship Kauri Cliffs Golf Course offers a world-class experience for golfers of every calibre. The 7,139-yard course features a mesmerising panorama of the Pacific Ocean on 15 of its holes, six of which are played alongside cliffs - so golfers will have to work hard to tear their eyes away from the views and back to the little white ball on the ground. Meanwhile inland holes traverse verdant marshland, dense forest and rolling farmland.
And while this is a resort course, don't imagine it's one of those flattering places where you'll make a good score regardless of how you're playing. You'll really need to be on your game with the driver - or the thick rough will take your ball, presenting healthy challenges for game golfers.
Thrown into this heady package is Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, a luxury cliffside hotel retreat which has a dreamy Cape Cod vibe. It delivers incredible views of the Pacific Ocean, three private beaches, and a spa sanctuary set amidst lush native bush, as well as a heated lap pool for year-round fitness and relaxation. There's also a 24-hour fitness centre and nature trails on the vast 6,000-acre property, providing plentiful opportunities for unwinding after a day on the green or working up a sweat.
Nearby historic towns of Kerikeri, Paihia and Russell invite visitors to step back in time with carefully-preserved heritage sites and captivating stories. Nearby Waitangi, the birthplace of New Zealand, holds profound cultural significance as the site of the Treaty of Waitangi.
In the resort restaurant the culinary team has forged close ties with local growers to serve up dishes featuring the finest regional produce and which are as big on taste as the views are outside.
LUXE Vietnam Golf Tour 1-6 September, 2025. Prices range from AUD$6995 per person twin share non-golfer to AUD$8825 per person twin share golfer.
LUXE New Zealand Golf Tour 14-18 September, 2025. Price is AUD$5700 twin share per person.
Prices are for land only and based on a tour minimum of 8 paying guests.
