5
CLOSEUP
tee off
78
FAHTHAI
Golf is a notoriously
difficult, frustrating and
unpredictable game that
demands a vocabulary
all its own. In the course
of playing a round, you
might hit an elephant’s
ass (a shot that’s high
and stinky), find yourself
deep in cabbage (deep,
thick inescapable rough)
or experience a fatal dose
of the yips (a nervous
affliction that renders you
twitchy and unable to find
any touch on the putting
green). It’s not all negative,
of course. If you’re on
your A-game (performing
well) and manage enough
juicy lies (favourable
positions off the fairway),
you’ll likely take even
greater pleasure in your
refreshment at the 19th
hole (clubhouse).
Speaking
in
tongues
CAMBODIA,
WAT?
Phokeethra
offers distraction
for visitors with
temple fatigue
TEMPLE ESCAPE
Phokeethra, Cambodia
When French explorer Henri
Mahout introduced Angkor to
the West in the 19th century, he
couldn’t have predicted that the
former seat of the Khmer Kingdom
would become South-East Asia’s
most visited attraction. He
certainly couldn’t have foreseen
top-class golf courses being built
within a long-iron shot of the
ancient temples. Golf knows no
boundaries when it comes to
breaking new ground, however,
and the course at Phokeethra
Country Club is a majestic test, one
that’s perfectly in keeping with its
fabled surrounds. Indeed, original
Angkorian elements were actually
incorporated into its design in the
form of an 11th-century bridge
that links the 9th green with the
10th tee. The rest of the course is
more modern in appearance and
rather American in style, with
expansive bunkering and water
hazards on all but one of the
holes. The course is somewhat flat,
but canny design and excellent
conditioning make it a pleasure
to play. Of the holes, the finest is
undoubtedly the par-5 18th, which
entails a double carry over water
and an approach shot to an island
green.
(phokeethragolf.com)
