Vietnamese Golf: From Practice Grounds to International Stage

Long Bien Golf Course, Hanoi, early Saturday morning in August. A 14-year-old boy named Minh Duc makes a 3-meter putt to finish his round at -2. No spectators, only a few coaches and parents standing in the distance. But as the ball rolled into the hole, I saw the light in his eyes – the kind of light I have been chasing for 49 years of observing sports. It was not a big victory, but it was a signal. Vietnamese golf is at a turning point. In the past 5 years, the number of young golfers under 18 has increased by 240%, according to the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA). Golf academies are springing up in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. But that number is just the tip of the iceberg. What I care about more is the quality of training and how we define success. I followed the 2026 National Junior Golf Championship at Vinpearl Golf Hai Phong. 120 young golfers competed, and I noticed a name: Nguyen Anh Khoa, 16 years old, from Da Nang. Khoa is not the longest hitter, but he has a rare skill at this age: excellent green reading. In the final round, he made 27 putts, averaging 1.5 putts per green – numbers that even professional golfers would dream of. But what impressed me more was how he handled pressure. On the 18th hole, needing a birdie to win, he chose not to take a risky shot but played safely to the middle of the green, then two-putted for par. He finished second, but the way he played showed maturity beyond his years. Data from VGA shows that in the past 3 years, young Vietnamese golfers have significantly improved in SG: Approach. In 2026, the average was -0.8 compared to the standard, but by 2026 it had risen to -0.2. This reflects investment in swing technique and club selection. However, the weakness remains in SG: Putting – especially putts under 5 meters. The success rate is only 68%, 12% lower than young Korean golfers of the same age. I remember my meeting with Rohan Browning in 2026, when he said: "Running is feeling the track." With golf, I want to say: "Golf is feeling the distance." Young Vietnamese golfers often focus too much on power and forget the delicate touch. I watched a training session of the national youth team at Tan Son Nhat course. The kids hit the ball very far, but when it came to putting, many looked confused. The Australian coach of the team, David Wilson, told me: "They can hit a driver 280 yards, but if they can't putt well, they will never win." The counter-intuitive point here is: the rapid development of Vietnamese junior golf may create a generation of golfers strong in distance but weak in short game skills. We are running too fast and forgetting the foundation. I have seen many countries make this mistake – they invest in long shots, in power, but neglect the delicate technical part. The result is they create golfers who can hit beautiful shots but cannot win. But there is a positive signal. At a recent tournament in Da Lat, I met a 15-year-old female golfer named Tran Huyen Trang. She doesn't hit far, only about 220 yards with her driver, but she has a special ability: controlling the ball within 100 yards. She executes chip and pitch shots with incredible accuracy. In one round, she only took 24 putts and made 5 birdies. This shows that if we invest correctly, we can create smart golfers, not just strong ones. I remember the 2026 World Cup final, when Croatia had only 39% possession but still won. They didn't dominate; they were patient. Golf is the same. You don't always need to hit the longest, but the smartest. Young Vietnamese golfers need to learn to play tactically, not just emotionally. The stadium is empty, but the applause still echoes in my heart. When I look at Minh Duc, Anh Khoa, Huyen Trang, I see a generation searching for their own applause. They don't need a crowded stadium; they need patience and proper direction. Exhaustion is not a stop, but a crossroads where we choose the next path. For Vietnamese junior golf, we are at that crossroads. We can choose the path of chasing short-term results, or the path of building a sustainable foundation. I believe that if we invest in short game skills, in tactical thinking, in patience, we will not only create good golfers, but also create people who know how to win. Modern football runs so fast it forgets how to breathe. Vietnamese junior golf is running fast, but we need to learn to breathe. Let's slow down, focus on the small details, and trust that patience will be rewarded. That is the lesson I learned from Croatia 2026, from Peter Bol, and from the young golfers practicing every day on Vietnam's golf courses.