A "green" future for Vietnamese golf courses 04:00, 10/08/2022

Sustainable development is an inevitable trend that everyone is interested in. As for golf courses in Asia, for sustainable development, the course needs grass varieties suitable for harsh weather conditions as well as using less input costs to create a quality course surface. In fact, in the past 7 years, most of the best new golf courses in Vietnam have prioritized Zeon Zoysia grass to ensure the best playing conditions for members and guests, as well as save maintenance costs and protect the environment.

Golf courses such as KN Golf Links, Hoiana Shores Golf Club, PGA NovaWorld, Thanh Lanh Golf & Resort, West Lakes Golf Club, Royal Golf Club or EPGA academy all rely on Zeon Zoysia to provide the most original playing conditions based on standards and approvals from renowned yard designers such as Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Robert Trent Jones Jr and Thompson Perrett. Zoysia grass also "dominated" renovation works and appeared in a series of new golf courses in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Zeon Zoysia was chosen for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When golf returned to the Olympics, Zeon turfgrass was used on the tees, rough areas and fairways of the hosting golf course. More importantly, Zeon's drought tolerance and low use of fertilizers also align well with the Olympic Committee's desire to build a sustainable golf course.

As a grass of the Zoysia family, Zeon grass has a beautiful dark green color with a fine leaf texture. The extensive root system allows Zeon to quickly recover from long periods of drought and damage. Zeon Zoysia can also adapt to sunny areas, areas of shade in or around perennials.

Zeon is virtually pest-free - meaning you'll reduce your need for pesticides by up to 90%. It is this that makes Zeon the most environmentally friendly grass in the turfgrass industry. Moreover, it provides additional savings on mowing costs (which extend the life of the lawn mower), less fertilizer and up to 50% less water than other grass varieties. Zeon has also proven to be the most suitable Turf grass during the long cold, wet and cloudy winters of the Hanoi area.

As a pioneer in the golf industry with headquarters in many Asian countries, Sports Turf Solutions Co., Ltd has established “Sustainable Grass Farm” (Turf Farm)and achieved ITGAP certification located north of Hoi An. The farm was formed at the same time as the construction of Hoiana Shores golf course, where Zeon grass was planted, cared for and contributed to the maintenance process for the golf course.

In the past 5 years, Turf Farm has rapidly expanded its scale, becoming a large production base, now growing more than 6 varieties of turfgrass and exporting to Japan, Korea, Philippines, Cambodia and many other countries.

Turf Farm also has production facilities in Thailand, focusing on growing Zeon Zoysia, Primo Zoysia, Trinity Zoysia, Tif Eagle Bermuda, Tif Tuf Bermuda and new Stadium Zoysia grass varieties specifically for football fields. All of these varieties are certified by the International Grass Insurance Program (ITGAP), where the grass requires strict procedures such as being certified not to be planted in floodplains, fenced off separating different grass varieties, specialized machinery for each grass variety, as well as regularly checking and submitting grass condition reports.

Vietnamese golf courses use Zeon Zoysia grass

KN Golf Links

• KN Golf Links
• Hoiana Shores Golf Club
• Novaland PGA
• Thanh Lanh Golf & Resort
• West Lakes Golf Club
• Els Performance Academy
• Royal Golf Club

Pros of Zeon Zoysia grass

• Roots thrive, adapt to prolonged drought
• Diverse habitat (where there is no sun, shade or old trees all live well)
• Pest-free, 90% reduction in pesticide need
• Save on lawn mowing costs (lawn mowers last longer),
• Up to 50% less fertilizer and less water than other grass varieties
• Most suitable turfgrass in the long cold, wet and cloudy winter around Hanoi.

Mr. Ben Styles, Former Vice President of Golf Hoiana Shores Golf Club

“We purchased Zeon Zoysia grass directly from STS for the link-style golf course Hoiana Shores, and Zeon has shown great benefits beyond what we could have imagined.”

Mr. Andrew Bowles, Managing Director Nova Golf Clubs

“Environmentally friendly grasses Zeon and Primo Zoysia being used on all fairways and tees at PGA NovaWorld Phan Thiet have helped us reduce our environmental impact as both require less water and fertilizer than other grasses.”