Malaysia
A feature from the IAGTO Directory 2016
Malaysia
GOLF IN
MALAYSIA With so much diversity in one golf destination, all you have to do is choose! Situated close to the equator, Malaysia offers four amazing golf experiences for you throughout the year: Up in the highlands, down by sun-drenched beaches, surrounded by tropical rainforests or simply “down town” in and around the major cities. The après-golf is just as memorable with sophisticated living and exquisite food all served up amongst a cultural diversity that lies at the heart of this multinational country. With over 200 golf courses, you will never have to travel far to find a wonderful new golf experience.
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GREAT ESCAPE TO THE
TROPICAL ISLAND GOLF IN MALAYSIA Malaysia’s 200 golf courses are not limited only to highland and jungle areas. There are courses to be found even on islands! The local islands offer an ideal environment for relaxing rounds of golf: warm and sunny, with the occasional welcome breeze. Play golf beside white sandy beaches while listening to the sound of lapping waves. When not playing golf, you can go island hopping, snorkeling, scuba diving, and many more island activities for the adventurous. On Penang Island, Bukit Jawi Golf Resort features two 18-hole layouts – the Lake and Hill courses – as well as a 48-bay driving range and practice putting green, leisure facilities including swimming pool, tennis, and badminton courts, and an on-site 66-room hotel. Besides that In Langkawi, you can find The Els Club Teluk Datai which has been voted as one of the best golf course in the world. In Kelantan, you can find Resort World Kijal Revel in an exciting game of golf against the backdrop of sparkling white sands and glittering turquoise waters. This championship golf course consisting of the Palma and Rimba Nines is truly a sight to behold. Rise to the challenge and enhance your precision with every shot as the changing seasons will likely play havoc with your game. Discover the excitement of golfing by the sea!
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Golfing in Borneo is just as exotic as it sounds and is not an experience to be missed! Nestled within Karambunai Resorts in Sabah is Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai’s 18-hole course, set alongside the South
Malaysia
China Sea. The course is player-friendly, with wide landing areas and contoured fairways while water provides the elements of risk and reward. Sabah Golf & Country Club is the oldest in the East Malaysian state. Originally opened in 1976 with a design by Robert Muir Graves, it was remodeled in 2004 by Nelson and Haworth and is reputed to be one of South East Asia’s toughest golf courses. Set amidst a residential development, the course features hilly terrain and undulating fairways with hazards including lakes and hidden bunkers. Also in Sabah is the 27-hole Sutera Harbour Marina Golf & Country Club. Its three nine-hole courses were designed by Graham Marsh and built on undulating, reclaimed land. The courses vary in difficulty and are open for play by members of guests of the Pacific Sutera Hotel and Magellan Sutera Resort. 37
Malaysia
Playing Golf in
Kuala Lumpur
Even in the hustle and bustle of the city, a good game of golf can be enjoyed. Although
Amverton Cove Golf & Island Resort On
this 18-hole course of championship calibre,
located in the city center, many of Kuala
natural and deceptive challenges that tease
Lumpur’s golf courses retain a quiet and
and excite the golfer abound. Against a
serene environment to ensure a round of
picturesque backdrop of a mangrove swamp,
undisturbed, distraction-free golf. This also
lakes, ponds and trees, the thrill to tame the
means you won’t have to be away from all
course is simply irrepressible. Here is golfer’s
the conveniences of being in a city.
paradise discovered.
Everything from the biggest shopping malls,
The Mines Resort & Golf Club Founded
five-star hotels, restaurants, and more is but
by Malaysian business entrepreneur Tan Sri
a stone’s throw away in the city, whether
Lee Kim Yew, The Mines Resort & Golf Club
you’re here on holiday or a business trip.
was built upon the world’s largest open cast
Combine that with an excellent transportation
tin mine in 1993 and opened to the public
service and you will have a hassle-free golf
the following year. The parkland style, par-71
experience right in the heart of the city.
course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Jones Jr, covering 6,966 yards of tifdwarf
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Golf Club
bermuda and features wide fairways, grassy
KGSAAS’s 27-hole course is designed
roll-offs, hollows and tight chipping areas.
Thompson Wolveridge and Associates
Templer Park Country Club, Selangor
by world-renowned golf course designers which is helmed by five-time British Open champion, Peter Thompson. 38
Designed by world renowned golf professional Jumbo Ozaki, Templer Park Country Club
Malaysia
Malaysia’s Highland Golf Experience
is set in the midst of a natural sanctuary surrounded by virgin forest, with the famous Bukit Takun rising majestically to the left and breathtaking views of the many lakes. This club has been described as one of the most scenic and challenging courses. There are also courses such as Palm Garden Golf Club, Danau Golf Club, Tropicana Golf & Country Club, Bukit Unggul Coutnry Club, Glenmarie Golf & Country Club, Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam Kuala Lumpur and more for golfers to explore. Please visit Malaysia Golf Tourism Association official website www.mgta.com.my to know more about Malaysia’s golf courses.
Mountain ranges line Malaysia’s geography and makes for some of the most breathtaking views for golf courses. The most notable highland areas are Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands, the former being one of the most popular hill resorts in the country. This highland paradise still retains much of the charm of an English village. Although massive development in the last decade has changed the landscape of the highlands, it remains a popular destination for those who want to escape the hot weather of the lowlands. Located on the Titiwangsa Range at about 1,500 meters above sea level, the temperature here can drop to 16 degrees or lower. The weather here remains at the lower 20’s most of the time. Just 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur, Awana Genting Highlands Golf & Country Resort is a tranquil escape 3,100 feet high on Malaysia’s longest mountain range. With picturesque green mountain views and a refreshingly cool climate, a relaxing game of golf can be enjoyed all year round. Besides its 18-hole golf course, you can take a ride on Asia’s longest cable car system or explore the surrounding, ancient rainforest. 39
Malaysia
ABOUT
MALAYSIA
Each year, Malaysia hosts five major international golf tournaments which bring the biggest names of golf around the globe to the country. These prestigious events are held at award-winning golf clubs with world class championship courses designed by renowned course architects. Malaysia will be helding Maybank Championship Malaysia which is jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian tours on the Febuary of 2016 with a prize worth of $3 million and is the stage for many of the world’s top golfers to experience the best of Malaysia and golf herein. Recently this year, the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM made its debut in Malaysia. The tournament is a Ryder Cup-styled team matchplay golf event between Asia and Europe which took place at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur. Golf legends Thongchai Jaidee and Miguel Angel Jimenez captained the Asia and Europe teams respectively in a three-day contest featuring five fourball matches, five foursomes and ten singles. The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia is a women’s professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. The inaugural tournament was played in October 2010 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. The debut tournament was a limited field event with 50 players invited from the official LPGA money list and an additional ten invited sponsor exemptions, including two ASEAN nations’ local qualifiers. First played in 2010, the CIMB Classic was the first ever PGA Tour sanctioned event in Southeast Asia. With an elite field of 40 players, the tournament boasted the largest prize purse for a professional golf event in the region. The following year saw the field grow to 48 players, and the winner’s purse increased to USD1.3 million. In 2012, the tournament grew to higher standards, attracting some of the biggest names in the world of golf like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, past champions Ben Crane, Bo Van Pelt, and Nick Watney. Held in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor, the Iskandar Johor Open is one of the fastest growing tournaments on the Asian Tour and continues to attract the biggest names from across the globe. The
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tournament has firmly established itself as one of the premier competitions on the Asian Tour calendar, and a mighty popular one with the players too. In 2011, the tournament enjoyed even greater prestige having cemented its position as a tournament jointly sanctioned by the Asian and European Tour.
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Malaysia
Saujana Golf & Country Club Founded in 1984, Saujana Golf and Country Club offers two 18-hole golf courses namely ‘Palm Course’ and ‘Bunga Raya Course’. These courses are exquisitely designed for championship play by the renowned golf course landscaped architect, Ronald Fream Design Group California, USA & Ted Parslow of E&G Parslow, Australia. Saujana Golf and Country Club has been voted constantly to be Malaysia’s No. 1 Golf Club and is one of the 100 Best Golf Resorts in the world. These Par 72 courses sprawl over 400 acres of Bermuda Fairways and Bermuda TifEagle and Mini Verde green. A Golf School with a 300 meter driving range, putting greens and bunkers compliment the course The two world renowned courses, the Palm and the Bunga Raya have been accorded countless international accolades including “The best Championship Course in Asia (Palm Course)” by Asian Golf Monthly 2005 and # 69 “Top 100 Best Courses outside the USA (Bunga Raya Course)”by Golf Digest 2005. Further voted in the World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses by Rolex & 6th Toughest Course in the World ( Palm Course) by CNNGo.com 2012 SGCC is the 15th Member of the exclusive European Tour Properties, only the third outside of Europe and the first in Malaysia to be an official European Tour Destination. The view is scenic and the play is exciting for beginners and pros alike. Saujana Golf & Country Club is also nestled alongside the beauty of two hotels, namely The Saujana Kuala Lumpur and The Club Saujana Resort. 42
Malaysia
PALM COURSE Long hitters may be tempted to take the tiger line over the trees on this sharp dogleg hole but a poor drive will severely be penalised by the heavily wooded ravine. The safer course would be to follow the fairway route to set up a short iron approach to the elevated, narrow green. Deep bunkers protect both sides of the green. BUNGA RAYA COURSE This straight forward opening hole requires a drive and a second shot that should avoid a line of fairway bunkers on the left. A short iron should then be sufficient to land the ball onto a large, elevated green which is protectd by a body of water on the front and right side. Two large deep bunkers also guard the front of the green which slopes from left to right.
FOR MORE INFO VISIT US at : http://www.saujana.com.my/ 43
Malaysia
A WA R D W I N N E R - W O R L D’ S B E S T N E W G O L F C O U R S E
Els Club Teluk Datai,
designed as a tribute to nature is an 18hole Par 72, 6,750 yard championship golf course set in the beautiful island of Langkawi, just off the Northwest Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Marked as one of the most incredible courses within the Els Club collection, Els Club Teluk Datai is nestled within a centuries-old rainforest with towering lush tropical foliage, meandering its way towards the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea. Overlooking the marbled limestone peaks of the Mat Chinchang Mountain range, it is a sight to behold. Complete with a well-appointed open air clubhouse, it’s easy to imagine spending a leisurely afternoon on the terrace with your favourite beverage or indulging in some retail therapy in our logo shop which carries the latest in both golf and lifestyle apparel.
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Malaysia
Located on the island of Langkawi just off the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia, The Els Club Teluk Datai, with it’s Ernie Els designed golf course, is one of the world’s most uniquely captivating golf projects . Designed a tribute to nature, The Els Club Teluk Datai meanders it’s way through Million year old rainforest cascading down to the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea and is overlooked by the marbled limestone peaks of the Mat Chinchang Mountain range. With natural streams flowing throughout the golf course, it’s easy to lose focus on your game as you’re immersed in such a serene environment. Very latest Club Car Precedent buggies equipped with state of the art Visage GPSunits. The practice facilities include: an extensive putting green, 6 target greens, a 50m x 40m grassed tee, as well as a short game area to hone your skills. PGA Professionals are available on site to offer the very best in golf instruction.
FOR MORE INFO VISIT US at : http://www.elsclubmalaysia.com/ 45
Malaysia
Kota Permai
is the perfect getaway for golf and recreational pleasures. Our country club is the talk of the town offering arguably, the best golfing experience in Malaysia. You will be overwhelmed by our fast greens, challenging international 18-hole course, numerous sporting facilities, food and beverage facilities and backed by the friendly staff you’ll ever meet. Kota Permai Golf & Country Club is a lifestyle in itself, situated in Kota Kemuning, an up-market suburb of Shah Alam ideally located along the Kesas highway linking the city of Kuala Lumpur to the bustling port of Klang. Kota Permai is only 30 minutes from Kuala Lumpur’s CBD and 35 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. Singapore, down south is just under four hours by car. We have hosted numerous tournaments including the Maybank Malaysian Open which is sanctioned by both the European and Asian Tours, as well as the World Cup Qualifying round, the Volvo Masters and most recently, the Selangor Worldwide Masters which is another Asian Tour event.
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Malaysia
FOR MORE INFO VISIT US at : http://www.kotapermai.com.my/ 47
Malaysia
Els Club Desaru Coast offers 27 holes of championship golf designed by Ernie Els. Situated along the Desaru Coast in the southern state of Johor the Els Club Desaru Coast is comprised of 3 Nine Hole Courses aptly named the Ocean, Ridge and Lake with each playing to a Par 36 providing a challenge for all skill levels.
The 50,000 square foot clubhouse at Els Club Desaru Coast is contemporary in design yet casually sophisticated in appointment providing the perfect location for relaxation or perhaps even a business meeting. With views over the golf course as well as the South China Sea, the hallmark of the clubhouse will be the signature restaurant of Ernie himself, the Big Easy Wine Bar and Grill, which provides a modern twist on comfort food ranging from Steaks to Pastas as well as local Asian favourites. Els Club Desaru Coast also boasts the Els Performance Academy offering the latest in golf instruction and coaching from qualified PGA and LPGA instructors. As if that were not enough, the practice facilities are second to none and come complete with a 9 Hole Par 3 Course that is easily accessible for juniors and lady golfers. Opening soon in 2016. FOR MORE INFO VISIT US at : http://www.elsclubmalaysia.com/ 48
Malaysia
Danau Golf Club
A walk through the 18 holes of will lead to the amazing revelation that the course is nature designed. With the introduction of indigenous flora, even the ubiquitous palm and rubber trees, from the plantations which the course was created, have blended in to give that added aesthetic charm. The layout consists of tree-lined rolling fairways; large, multiple-choice tee boxes; huge lakes; plenty of greenside bunkers and generous greens. The course ranges from 5,217 meters (red) to 6,357 meters (blue), designed to accommodate players of all skill levels. Right from the first tee, a forestate of the beauty and challenge of this intrepidly designed course is in store. With tall, matured trees flanking both sides of the fairway, one is simply awed to distraction.
FOR MORE INFO VISIT US at : http://www.danaugolf.com/ 49
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Cover Photo: Lumine Golf & Beach Club • www.lumine.com • © Kevin Murray Golf Photography
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