As Ambassador for the Banyan Tree Laguna Lăng Cô Golf Club in Vietnam, it will come as no surprise to say that he was staying at the Banyan Tree Phuket, one of five resorts located in the Laguna Phuket resort complex.
Sir Nick took up competitive golf at the age of 13, and by the age of 17 he had won the English Amateur and British Youths Championship. He turned professional late in 1976.
In a career that spanned four decades, Sir Nick has 40 professional wins to his name, including 30 on the European Tour; six major championships; three Open Championships and three Masters.
His final Open Championship came in the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews and following this he became a television pundit for a number of broadcasters including ABC Sports’, CBS, Golf Channel, and most recently UK’s BBC Sport.
In addition, through the creation of Faldo Enterprises, Sir Nick has also become successful in other aspects of golf. Companies and initiatives already under the Faldo golf umbrella include his course design company, Faldo Design which has been involved with over 50 projects on six continents; the previously mentioned Faldo Series, one of the premier programmes for aspiring young golfers; and a number of other projects in which Sir Nick plays an active role.
The Phuket News was recently privileged to be able to interview Sir Nick, firstly about his Ambassadorship with Banyan Tree’s Laguna Lăng Cô Golf Club, his vision of Phuket as a golfing destination, and also something which we believed would be close to his heart because of his ‘Faldo Series’, Phuket’s rising golfing stars.
The Banyan Tree Lang Co is located in Central Vietnam and among its vast range of facilities is the Laguna Lăng Cô Golf Course, which Sir Nick designed. In July of this year, Laguna Lăng Cô resort announced the appointment of Nick Faldo as its Brand Ambassador.
Sir Nick represented the brand at his final Open Championship in July, and he will also partner the group in upcoming events including the inaugural Laguna Golf Classic which starts today (Nov 13) and rounds-off tomorrow, and also the 11th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final for young golfers to be held in March 2017 at the Laguna Lăng Cô Golf Club.
“I’ve known the Banyan Tree brand for close to 30 years,” said Sir Nick. “We started working together when Faldo Design was chosen to design the golf course at Laguna Lăng Cô, Central Vietnam.
“Since then I have developed a very good working relationship with the Banyan Tree team. The Banyan Tree and Laguna brands have much to offer in luxury accommodation, spa, restaurants and of course, golf – I always truly enjoy my visits,” he added.
Speaking at the time of his appointment, Ravi Chandran, senior vice president and managing director of Laguna Lăng Cô, said: “As the master designer of Laguna Lăng Cô Golf Club, we are truly excited to have Sir Nick Faldo as our Brand Ambassador and fortify our partnership established since 2009.
“The Laguna brand with its mission in Corporate Social Responsibility is complemented by Sir Nick’s vision and goals as a renowned golf professional.
“I am confident that together with Sir Nick, we can elevate the travel and golf experience to new heights while strengthening our continual efforts of giving back to the game and community.”
When asked how golf options in Phuket compared with those in other Asian countries, Sir Nick said, “Thailand is an already very established market for golf in Southeast Asia. The key with golf in Phuket is the golf courses must continue to improve themselves in terms of conditioning and design evolution.
“I fully support what Laguna Phuket did over the last two years by investing back into their existing facilities, to re-energise the golf course back to top international standards.”
However, he did add: “All golf clubs regardless of location must constantly look at ways to improve the overall golfing experience and add value.
“The small touches you receive at Laguna Phuket give you a great feeling and encourage golfers to come back again and again. It is a special destination for tourism. Golf adds to the experience and memories for many visitors,” he said.
With the Laguna Phuket golf course recently undergoing complete renovations, The Phuket News asked Sir Nick if he had the chance to play on the renovated course during his stay, and if he had what did thought of it.
“Yes, I’ve played the full 18 holes during this short trip,” he said.“I’m impressed with the strategic layout and believe Laguna Golf have a great product here. The course is adaptable and golfers of all abilities can enjoy the game.
“People are enjoying the course. They have visitors from around the globe and people are happy to be visiting this resort and playing this course,” he added.
Finally, what with Sir Nick’s ‘Faldo Series’ focusing on nurturing young people to become the next generation of golfing champions, and with the likes of Phuket’s Louise Landgraf and Wanchai Luangnitikul both being recognised for their own individual talent on the course, The Phuket News asked him if he had heard anything of Phuket’s upcoming young golfers.
His reply, “Yes, I’ve learnt about the good things both Laguna Phuket and other organisations are doing for junior golf in Phuket.
“Growing the game has always been very important to me. After setting up my Faldo Series in 1996, we now have 40 tournaments in 30 countries worldwide.
“And I’m excited to announce we will bring a Faldo Series event to Laguna Phuket early next year. The lucky winners then qualify for the Asia Grand Finals held at Mission Hills, China.
“We appreciate the commitment of the team here to support our efforts and trust together we will build a foundation for development of young Thai golfers.”