Legends Golf Danang — Norman Course: Greg Norman Does It Again

Gunnar Kobin

Mar 24

5 min read

Updated: Oct 22

The day before, I had shot 101 on the Nicklaus Course next door. The next day, in March 2026, I was on the first tee of the Norman Course at Legends Golf Danang. Somewhere between the 3rd and the 4th hole it clicked. The fairway rolls, the sand drops away, a nasty bunker shows itself on the right, the wind comes in off the coast, and you think: yes, this is a golf course. Not a manicured resort course and not an aggressive one. Raw, honest golf.

I will admit it. I am becoming a Greg Norman fan. He builds courses that reward thinking and do not punish you to the extreme. After the Nicklaus, which is technically proficient, relentlessly wet and about as enjoyable as filling in a tax return, the Norman Course was a relief.

The two courses share a clubhouse, a car park and a driving range, and that is where the similarity ends. The Nicklaus is mostly flat with water everywhere. The Norman has 150 hectares of established coastal dunes, sandy soil and native dune vegetation. That is the kind of ground you need to make an interesting course without moving much earth.

A bit of history. The Norman Course opened in 2010 and was almost immediately named one of the 15 best new courses in the world. More than fifteen years on it is still talked about at that level, which is more than you can say for most new-course accolades. It is a good part of why Norman is regarded as one of the top designers.

OK, the actual golf.

Norman's approach here is old-fashioned in the best way. No water, no forced carries, nothing penal dressed up as challenge. What you get instead is bunkers. A lot of them, well placed and properly sized, and some of them really punishing if you find the wrong one. They have blown-out faces and deep sand, and many sit where they make you think a shot ahead instead of just aiming at the flag.

It has the same feel as his Jumeirah Fire course in Dubai. The fairways look generous and then quietly narrow at the landing zones, and the bunkering punishes greed and rewards the player who takes his medicine. Fast, firm fairways and wide waste areas make it a wind course. There is a real decision on every tee, and that is what makes it fun.

There is nothing visually loud about it. No water and timber, no river, no village, none of what the Nicklaus uses to catch your eye. The front nine is understated. The best is kept for the back, and by the time you get there you have lost track of time, which for me is the best sign of a good course.

My round shows the same pattern. I started with a par, made another on the par-3 2nd, and then a 6 on the 3rd, right before things clicked. On the par-5 4th I made a birdie, which I am happy to take as proof that the click was real. Front nine 41. Then a 7 on the par-5 10th, and on paper that was the wheels coming off again.

They did not. From the 11th to the 18th I made eight pars in a row. Nothing spectacular, no birdies, just one sensible shot after another. Back nine 38, 79 in total. Twenty-two shots better than the day before, on the same resort, with the same swing. Make of that what you will. I know what I make of it.

The hole everyone remembers is the 16th, and it earns that without any effort at all. It is a par 3 facing the East Sea, and on the right day you can see the Cham Islands. The wind is in your face, the green is well protected, and the view makes you stop and think twice about the club. I walked off with a 3, which in that wind I will happily take.

The best thing about the hole is not the view, though. A Vietnam War-era machine-gun bunker has been built into the landscape at the green. It is not done in a touristy way. You get a small history lesson while you try to decide between a 7 and an 8 iron.

Look closely and this whole coastline has a story. It is where the Americans first landed, and the land around the course, including a supply depot and an airfield, was in active use during the war. The history is right under your feet, and the bunker at the 16th is the most obvious reminder. A good designer can give a hole context. This one is just clever.

Now the complaints. The greens on the Legends courses are slow, and apparently they are slow every year. Either the maintenance cycle never quite finishes or there is a management problem nobody has fixed. Compared with the Nicklaus greens the day before they were at least an improvement, but having to adjust your putting stroke for this course only is annoying. A firm, windy links-style course like this one should have fast, firm greens to match. Right now the putting is the weakest part of the experience.

Pace of play is a problem here too, the same as on the Nicklaus. It is an established resort, the course is busy and there is very little marshalling, so the back nine gets bottlenecked. If you can, get an early tee time. The wind gets stronger through the day, and a 6:45 start is your best chance of both a decent pace and decent weather.

Use your caddie, especially the first time. A good one helps with the pace by knowing the course, and helps you with club choice, shot shape, the wind and the best target for your game.

Now the comparison. Between the two Legends courses, the Norman is clearly the better round. It is more enjoyable, more varied and better laid out. In fairness, the Nicklaus river holes have a lot of character. But the Norman holds your interest from the first tee to the last and does not rely on repeating itself.

Against the rest of Danang, it feels more authentic and more comfortable. It does not have the drama of Ba Na Hills or the polish of Hoiana Shores, but it has a real links feel and real dunes underneath it. It lets the terrain do the work, which is rare in Southeast Asia.

Should you play it? Yes. If you are coming to Danang for both Legends courses, which is a fair reason to come, play the Norman on the second day, the way I did. Treat it as the main event and the Nicklaus as the warm-up.

Final word. Play it in the morning, listen to your caddie on the hilly holes and try to make your 3 on the 16th. And before you take in the view, walk over and look at that old bunker by the green. Not every hole comes with a history lesson.