Stephen Banks: "The future is bright!" 02:46, 14/12/2023

Your feeling returning to Vietnam after 15 years?

The first time we met was in 2006 at Tam Dao where I was the pre opening GM and I used to be a regular columnist for your magazine. I've always had a connection to both the Vietnamese people & culture so it's great to return back. I've seen a huge development in the people who worked for me previously and now they're operational managers, golf directors, professional golfers alike… I feel so proud to have been a part of that journey!

The feeling with Laguna Lang Co is great and extremely positive. The team here is simply fantastic, making my job a lot easier and most enjoyable as well. Really, I joined the company for two main reasons: one is to stay in the luxury collection of Banyan Tree, previously I worked for The Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont Hotels, & Privates Castle Estates, so that is very important to me and my career progression. I’ve known Adam Calver for some years in the industry, whom has a great industry reputation & I’m happy to continue the great work he’s already completed. The second reason, Sir Nick Faldo, a hero of mine as a child. In 1990, I watched him win The Open at St. Andrews. Thus, the Faldo signature golf course is a perfect partner to our luxury collection of hotels.

How is golf in Vietnam, compare to other countries?

I think this destination is truly unique! Especially Hue and Da Nang. Vietnam has built a lot of signature golf courses already with first class hotels, and has a very special ‘people culture’, both in hospitality and afar. All together it simply makes great sense for the destination, especially at Laguna Lang Co, what we believe is Vietnam’s No1 Golf Resort destination, & more recently categorized as a Top 100 Golf Resort of the World. Banyan Tree is a truly special international hospitality brand, which is somewhat under-discovered in Vietnam, the countries Best Kept Secret! Our signature golf course pairs well with our truly unique hospitality, a perfect combination at Laguna Lang Co! For me, Vietnam is still kind of an undiscovered destination, therefore its highly potential to attract more long haul travellers, not just from Asia but also Europe & the US.

Laguna Lang Co was awarded “Vietnam'sBest Golf Course" in 2019, what is your plan to add more value to it?

Well, we would love to win the accolade again!. We have recently signed an agreement with Simon Wordsworth at The 59 Club, which is a leading service excellence hospitality audit company already firmly established in the Middle East & UK. We're the first golf course in Vietnam to sign up with The 59 Club, which is a year long process of audit, training and people development. You will see how we are a year from now. For me, People & Service are key factors that drive a businesses’ profit leadership.

In terms of people, we have truly unique associates from both Hue & Lang Co, sustainability is engraved in the Banyan Tree Group’s rich culture. We provide coaching and development in all sectors of hospitality, to include sales & marketing, service excellence, operations, turf maintenance & much more...Personally, I’m continuing my PDP with the PGA & CMAE, and still taking the opportunity to learn and grow within the industry as well as mentoring certain individuals. 

The Faldo Asia Final Series next April is an exclusive event that we are proud to host annually. My long-term vision is to attract new market segments to the resort & to potentially stage a professional tournament with “Laguna Golf Lang Co” being an approved “Asian Tour Destination”.  As a full British PGA member for 20 years and proud brand ambassador, I see a lot of potential here that many other courses cannot match.

Your challenges vs opportunities as GM at Laguna Lang Co?

Yes, the language barrier and the remote location are enjoyably challenging, however the opportunity is somewhat plentful! The vision of Laguna Lang Co is one of a quality luxury collection fully integrated golf resort. With a wide range of hotel choices from Banyan Tree, Angsana and Laguna Park, stay & play packages combined with fine F&B offerings will provide an unprecedented experience for golfers alike. Faldo’s signature luxury & private lounge Bar 67, our spacious & welcoming alfresco open aired club-house, combined with our finest personal  service & playing surface is what differeintaites us from the rest. 

Can you share your guests profile?

I would say Vietnam’s weather is an ideal winter destination for Korean golfers – our major segment. We’re looking at Australian and Taiwanese markets and also India since we have direct flights to Danang. We also note other key markets of Europe and the Americas… all together it drives rounds and revenue. Annually we continue to break records, and we know this trend will continue into 2024/25. The domestic and local market is very important to us, as is giving back to the surrounding community & diversity.

But still, we don't want to overload the golf course as we pride ourselves on service excellence, which is why we offer 10 minutes tee-time intervals. The average stay is about 3 nights, and long haul stay 7-10 nights so they can comfortably play 3-5 rounds. Genuinely, when guests play the course, they love it and immediately re book! Our course is an addiction for golfer lovers! And The View… we need you to come see this for yourselves!

How to attract more children to the game?

Asian Faldo Series winner Ace -  Anh Minh is a very encouraging talent for Vietnam. Therefore, we want to open the gate to local children and families to come and see how golf is globally played around the world. I'm 49, and I have played golf since I was 8. I started on the local school field in Manchester with an old beat up 3 iron both me and my brother used to share, then joined my local golf club in 1983 “Bury GC” where I then quickly became the Junior Captain in 1990, and Men’s Club Champion in 1992 – my career path was then set!

To get kids on the ranges, you need inexpensive local facilities, short putt-putt golf courses similar to the golf development that’s fast booming with GolfSaudi. Here at Laguna Lang Co, we have short game courses on the range & our recent ‘Laguna Golf Academy’ facelift, @The Laguna Game Changers headed by local Hue teaching professional Dang Anh is something to watch out for! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to find out more! It's critical to develop the youngsters from the grassroots, simply making golf more accessible to them is key!

How about the potential of golf in Vietnam?

The future is bright! If you look, we have a surplus of  80+ golf courses, mind you I think we have to be careful not to over-develop and saturate. I heard there would be about 300 golf courses in the near future – which is somewhat adventurous. Beside the top quality golf courses like The Bluffs Ho Tram by Greg Norman, Hoiana Shores by Robert Trent Jones, and Laguna Lang Co by Nick Faldo, we need to build short courses & Top Golf driving ranges. That would be a measurable stepping stone that only needs a fraction of the land size and investment.

Profile

Full name: Stephen Banks
Position: Director of golf
Career: British PGA Member
Hobbies: Travel, Wine, Opera & Golf
Famous quote: “Seek first to understand & then to be understood.” - Stephen Covey, 7 Habits.
Vietnam’s favorite food: Cơm Chiên Cua