SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Club Review (2026): The Lakeside Pine-Forest Course Outside Da Lat — Who It Suits and Is It Worth It?

Last updated: 21 October 2026 · Written by the GoGolfVietnam team in Da Nang

SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Club is worth it if you want the bigger, more physical round in Da Lat and would rather sleep beside the course than in town. It is an 18-hole, par-72 valley course among pine hills on the eastern shore of Tuyen Lam Lake, about 28 minutes from Da Lat Market. Expect elevation, forced carries and quiet resort evenings, not a town-centre stroll.

SAM Tuyen Lam at a glance

For photos, the location and contact details, see our SAM Tuyen Lam course page, with the layout and photos.

Sacom or SAM? The name explained

Sacom Tuyen Lam and SAM Tuyen Lam are the same golf course. The club is run by Sacom Tuyen Lam JSC, whose parent company, then called Sacom, renamed itself SAM Holdings in September 2017 (Bao Dau Tu, October 2017); the course now trades as SAM Tuyen Lam Golf & Resorts.

The new name was already in use by August 2019, when the club hosted the SAM Tuyen Lam Championship. Many booking sites and older trip reports still say “Sacom”, so if a quote, a scorecard or a taxi driver uses the old name, you are going to the right place.

How SAM Tuyen Lam plays

The course sits in a deep valley surrounded by mountains and pine forest. According to Vietnam Golf Magazine, the designers kept the natural valley terrain and put many tees on high ground, so you often hit down into the fairway with long views across the hills. What goes down also comes up: approach shots and the walk to the next tee climb back out of the valley.

Two holes show the character well. Golfasian describes the 3rd as an uphill dogleg that bends tightly to the right, with out of bounds on the right, a creek crossing the fairway and a large bunker in front of the green. The 12th is a severely uphill par 4 with a bunker set high about 200 yards from the tee; Golfasian notes that only a drive carrying around 240 yards clears it, and that bogey is a fair result.

That tells you who will enjoy it. Length matters more here than at the town course, and so does accuracy off the tee, because the pines punish a big miss. The greens are bentgrass, the cool-climate grass that Da Lat’s mild temperatures allow, and they putt differently from the warm-season grasses on the coast.

The lake is part of the setting rather than the strategy. Sources describe the course as lying on the eastern shore of Tuyen Lam Lake, but none we found names specific lakeside holes, so treat the water as scenery on the drive in and from the higher tees, not as a hazard on every hole.

Stay and play at Tuyen Lam

This is the course’s biggest advantage over the other two in Da Lat. The same company opened a resort of villas and rooms beside the course in 2013 and a 151-room resort hotel in 2015 (Tin Nhanh Chung Khoan, August 2020). Staying inside the complex turns a 28-minute transfer into a short walk or buggy ride, which matters most on a 6.30am tee time when the town is still cold and dark.

It also suits golfers who want to play twice. Finish the round, rest at the resort, and you are back on the first tee the next morning without a drive. Our stay-and-play package with two nights beside the course is built exactly that way, with breakfast, caddie, buggy and airport transfers included, and extra rounds added on request.

The trade-off is the evening. The lake area is quiet, and the restaurants, cafés and night market are back in town. We usually suggest splitting the trip: one or two nights at Tuyen Lam for golf, then a night or two in the centre.

Who it suits, and the honest trade-offs

Two more practical points. First, the club runs regular events, from a Summer Championship in 2025 to an Autumn Championship on 26 September 2026 with shotgun starts (24hMoney, September 2026), so ask us to check the calendar before you fix your dates. Second, the course is about 17 minutes by road from Truc Lam Monastery, where the cable car from town arrives, which makes it easy for a non-playing partner to fill the morning; our things to do in Da Lat for non-golfers guide maps out that half day.

Getting there from town or the airport

The road south from Da Lat follows the Tuyen Lam Lake tourist area, and Google Maps measured 28 minutes (15 km) from Da Lat Market and 28 minutes (17 km) from the Dalat Palace clubhouse in October 2026. From Lien Khuong Airport it is about 25 minutes (22 km), so the course is actually closer to the airport than to the town centre.

That geography is useful on travel days. On a morning flight in, you can be on the first tee by lunchtime and check in at the resort afterwards; on the way out, a morning round still leaves time for an afternoon departure. If you are based in town, allow a full half hour each way, plus time to warm up on the range before you tee off.

Tuyen Lam or Dalat Palace?

They are opposites, which is why most visitors play both. Dalat Palace is the historic course minutes from the town centre, shorter and full of character; Tuyen Lam is the longer valley course 28 minutes out, best when you sleep on site. Read our Dalat Palace Golf Club review for the in-town side of the choice, and our guide to how the three Da Lat courses compare on length and drive time if you are also weighing The Dalat at 1200 near the airport.

Weather and tee times

Da Lat is mild all year, with average temperatures around 18–21°C (VinWonders, July 2025). The dry season runs from about November to April; from May to October, showers often come in the early afternoon, so a morning tee time is the safe choice. A month-by-month guide to the best time to play in Da Lat is coming soon.

Before you tee off

• Caddie and cart. Every round we book includes a caddie and a shared cart; on this hilly layout you will want both.
• Groups. Golfasian lists a maximum of four players per group.
• Rental. Rental clubs and shoes are available at the club if you would rather travel light; we reserve them with the tee time.
• Layers. Early starts in the valley are cool, so bring a light jacket you can take off by the 4th hole.
• Old name on paperwork. Vouchers or apps may still show “Sacom Tuyen Lam”; it is the same club.

Our verdict

SAM Tuyen Lam is the Da Lat course we suggest to golfers who want their round to feel like a challenge rather than a sightseeing stop. The elevated tees, the climb back out of the valley and holes like the 12th ask for a solid long game, and the bentgrass greens reward it. Book it with a night or two in the complex and the distance from town stops being a drawback.

If you would rather combine it with the town course or add a third day elsewhere, our golf holidays in Da Lat that put a lakeside round on the plan cover two- and three-course trips. GoGolfVietnam, a local golf tour operator based in Da Nang, books tee times, caddies, transfers and hotels here for our guests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: Golfasian, SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Resort course page (accessed 21 October 2026); Golfscape course listing; Vietnam Golf Magazine, “SAM Tuyen Lam Golf Club – A glimpse of Switzerland by Tuyen Lam Lake” (22 August 2022); Tin Nhanh Chung Khoan on SAM Holdings and Sacom Tuyen Lam (6 August 2020); Bao Dau Tu on the SAM Holdings name change (31 October 2017); Zing News on the SAM Tuyen Lam Championship (26 August 2019); 24hMoney on the SAM Tuyen Lam Autumn Championship 2026 (2 September 2026); VinWonders Da Lat weather guide (July 2025); Google Maps (21 October 2026).