When it comes to new golf course development, there’s a lot more going on outside the U.S. than inside—from just north of the border in Canada and traditional golf spots in the UK to growing golf markets like Vietnam, and far-flung destinations like New Zealand and Mauritius.
Here’s a sampling of 10 noteworthy projects scheduled to open in 2023.
Cabot Saint Lucia (Saint Lucia)
The first Caribbean course from the renowned design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw is opening on a jaw-dropping piece of property—a 375-acre peninsula at the northern tip of the island of Saint Lucia. The Point Hardy Golf Club is the centerpiece of a luxury residential community, situated on a site comprised of craggy cliffs and promontories that jut into the Atlantic Ocean. With 1.5 miles of coastline, Coore & Crenshaw have created a dramatic 18-hole routing that plays over rocky outcroppings and along tropical bays and sandy beaches—a worthy complement to Cabot’s two spectacular Nova Scotia courses.
Te Arai, North Course (Te Arai, New Zealand)
Following in the footsteps of Kauri Cliffs, Cape Kidnappers, and nearby Tara Iti comes New Zealand’s latest great golf course—and the second at Te Arai. Tom Doak designed the linksy, firm-and-fast North layout, which sits along a white sand beach with stunning coastal views, to compliment the Coore & Crenshaw designed South course. Surrounded by trees and sand dunes, the North course begins and finishes on the ocean, but also boasts a unique inland stretch and incorporates landforms like large cliffs and ridges, cavernous natural bunkers, and large swaths of exposed sand.
London Airlinks (London, England)
Just a few miles from the center of London, a new course is set to open in early summer of 2023 that takes inspiration from the bunkers and dunes of Scotland’s coastal links. The newest facility from operator Glendale Golf, which was eight years in the making, features views of the London skyline and will also have a family-friendly clubhouse and a driving range that has 25 bays with Toptracer technology.
Van Lang Empire Golf Club (Pho Tho, Vietnam)
Greg Norman is a tourism ambassador for Vietnam, working in part to create and promote sustainable golf tourism and development practices in the country. He’s already designed several courses in the country and in September is set to open two more (along with a golf academy) at this destination property in the Phu Tho province in northern Vietnam.
Thank you @gcamagazine for the feature of our #GNGCD Prime and Legend courses underway at Văn Lang Empire Golf Club in #Vietnam.https://t.co/NMa9Axea4M
— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) October 21, 2022
Rose Canyon Resort, South Course (Ha Nam, Vietnam)
An old quarry site with monolithic rock formations, near-vertical mountains, and water filled excavations is the site of the first of two Nicklaus Design layouts (the South course) at the Rose Canyon Resort in Ha Nam, Vietnam, about an hour south of Hanoi. The opening of the first course is scheduled for mid-2023, with sheer rock faces and formations giving many of the holes an intimate and secluded feel.
“The dramatic mountains relate to every part of the golf course,” says Sean Quinn on @NicklausCo’s Rose Canyon project https://t.co/TEmIhMadon
— Golf Course Architecture (@gcamagazine) March 21, 2022
Dunas Course at Terras da Comporta (Lisbon, Portugal)
Known to many as Comporta Dunes, this project started more than a decade ago, but was halted after the financial collapse of its previous owner. Now, backed by a new ownership consortium, golf architect David McLay Kidd’s first European course design is set to debut in July: A par-71 course on the Alentejo coast, about an hour south of Lisbon, that’s designed to be both challenging and fun. The property will also include a small luxury hotel and real estate plots, as well as a future 18-hole course designed by Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.
I first visited Dunas at Terras da Comporta, Portugal in 2008, in 2023 the course we have seen stop and start over 15 years will finally open for public play. White sugar sand dunes through scrub pine with a constant Atlantic breeze, great ingredients for golf! #ComportaDunes pic.twitter.com/icUI618KQT
— David McLay-Kidd (@DavidMcLayKidd) January 11, 2023
Ombria Resort (Algarve, Portugal)
In southern Portugal, inland from the coast and in a year-round climate, a new 18-hole course is scheduled for a spring 2023 opening at a premier sustainable resort with low-density, luxury real estate offerings. The design from Jorge Santana da Silva complements the existing landscape, weaving around ancient rivers and trees, while the clubhouse is built into the castle-like walls of an existing ruin.
La Reserve Golf Links (Mauritius)
On track for a late 2023 opening, La Reserve will become the first and only contemporary links course in the Indian Ocean, set on the island of Mauritius east of Madagascar off the African coast. Co-designed by South African Louis Oosthuizen and featuring panoramic ocean views from every hole, La Reserve joins the lushly landscaped Le Chateau as the second course at Heritage Resorts and is set to be a new host venue for the DP World Tour’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open from 2023.
La Tempete Golf Club (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada)
In addition to its terrific dragon logo, this private club outside Quebec City will open a second full 18-hole layout (the South course) in 2023 with an eye on the venue hosting the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open in the future. The Huxham Golf-designed course incorporates a large pond to create stadium-style seating around six holes, allowing for tens of thousands of spectators during tournament play, and the par-three 12th is an island green inspired by the 17th at TPC Sawgrass.
Golf It! (Glasgow, Scotland)
Tradition meets innovation at this new community-based golf and entertainment facility in Glasgow, which is being spearheaded by the R&A in an effort to make golf more accessible and inclusive. A former golf course, Lethamhill, has been redeveloped into a 9-hole course that has multiple teeing areas, including a par-three tee on each hole. There’s also adventure golf, community putting greens, a 55-bay floodlit Toptracer driving range, plus nature trails that connect to Scotland’s largest urban nature park as well as paddle tennis courts and street food-style dining options.
