How golf in Cambodia gives a taste of Khmer culture
By 11 o'clock in the morning, when the shuttle driver dropped me off after a 10-minute trip from Siem Reap center in northwest Cambodia, it was already sweltering hot. The air was so weighed by humidity that I felt I was swimming, rather than walking, past manicured garden boxes and restrained swaths of jungle to the driving range of the country’s flagship golf course, Angkor Golf Resort.
Though better known for its temples, Cambodia is gaining a reputation in the world of golf and was recently named the Asia Pacific golf destination of the year by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. Golf’s newfound popularity has attracted a greater investment in the sport—there are currently 12 golf courses in the country (designed by the likes of Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus) and three more under construction. For travelers, affordable luxury is the main draw—green fees average $ 100 for 18 holes at the best courses, and caddie fees are often included—but, as I would discover that day, it’s Khmer hospitality that sets Cambodia apart as a golf destination.
My playing partner was Ed Wanambwa, a friend from my time living in Siem Reap, where I’d moved in 2018 after having fallen in love with the city as a 20-year-old backpacker. We’d met when Ed was adrift in Southeast Asia looking for a place where the cost of living was lower than the U.S. and the culture warm and welcoming. Soon he’d become a beloved part of my international community, someone I could talk to about the U.S., golf (Ed was once a golf commentator and editor at African American Golfer’s Digest) and life in Cambodia.
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During my expat years, I’d worked two jobs six days a week and couldn’t afford greens fees, though I spent hours at the local driving range with friends. In the years since I’d been compelled to move back to the U.S. for health reasons, Ed had joined Angkor Golf Resort (technically not a resort, though there are dining and locker facilities) and sent me regular updates from the course. Now that I was visiting Siem Reap for the first time since I’d left, it felt only right to join Ed for a round.
As we pulled our carts up to the first tee, I turned to my caddie, Sengkhea, and commented: “Cdau nah,”it’s so hot. She giggled at my Khmer, then handed me a towel soaked in ice water to drape around my neck before pulling out her personal tube of sunscreen and slathering it on my skin.
At first I was taken aback, but then I remembered moments like this from my years in Siem Reap—when strangers eating at street food stands would invite me to partake in their meal, or the first graders I taught English would chivalrously insist on carrying my backpack between classrooms. This was the Cambodia I knew and loved, where you’re constantly reminded, by the generosity of friends and strangers alike, that you’re part of a community.
I barely avoided the water that ran along the narrow first fairway and found my rhythm a few holes later. When the sun rose all the way above the gangly fan palms, Sengkhea got out an umbrella and followed me around between shots, peppering me with encouragement and advice on how to navigate the gently undulating greens, referring to me as “Sister.” The course reminded me of both Angkor Wat and Siem Reap itself—with lotus-carpeted ponds contained by stone walls like the moat in front of the famous temple and red sand bunkers that matched the city’s dirt roads.
Later, on the modern clubhouse’s covered patio, I chatted with Ed in a conversation that echoed the ones we’d had during my expat years. I’d never imagined how the warmth and generosity of the Khmer people might manifest on the golf course. When I mentioned this, Ed responded: “The staff here are representative of Khmer culture. As long as you treat them with respect and love, they’re gonna give you that back tenfold.”
That respect and love was exactly what I’d missed about Cambodia every day since I’d left and what added a completely unexpected dimension to my round.
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