Hoi An, Vietnam: Hoiana Shores Golf Club (HSGC) has been named the Best New Course to open worldwide for the year 2020.

The Robert Trent Jones II design, opened this year in the stunning dunescape of Central Vietnam, was singled out for this honour as part of the seventh annual World Golf Awards.

Votes were cast by the golfing public and industry professionals during a ballot period that, this year, extended from February 23 to September 1.

Part of the US$4 billion Hoiana Integrated Resort, located on the beach southeast of Hoi An, HSGC earned World’s Best New Course honours for 2020 from a strong field of nominees, among them Old Toccoa Farm and the Tiger Woods-designed Payne’s Valley Golf Club at Big Cedar Lodge; the Dumbarnie Links in Scotland, PGA National in the Czech Republic; Education City Golf Club in Qatar and the Dubai Hills Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates.

Hoiana Shores is a modern links design, laid out on a treeless expanse of pure sand, with no fewer than five holes coming into direct contact with the East Sea.

“The success of Hoiana Shores makes it a game-changer. From a pure golfing perspective, this is some of our very best work. We really opened up the sand dunes and allowed the greens to settle into them. I wanted greens nestled into the dunes early in the round. When players get closer to the water, we wanted to open up vistas to the sea,” said course architect, Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Ben Styles, General Manager of HSGC, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, said: “This is the only award that combines the votes of both golfers and industry professionals globally. We’ve not been open a full year, but we do feel we’ve created something very special here, something that will stand as a landmark course in Asia-Pacific for decades to come. It’s gratifying to see that others agree.”