Malaysia is a well-established international golfing destination, and also features significantly in the global tournament circuit, prompting the creation of many outstanding courses, of which a great many are the work of the game’s top designers.
Set in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s first golf club, the Royal Selangor, founded in 1893, is home to two courses, the original 6,742 yard ‘Old Course’ which hosted the Malaysian Open Tournament for many years, and the 6,605 yard ‘New Course’. As well as a great round at such a hallowed institution, these courses provide a green parkland platform from which to view the city’s impressive skyline.
Also within the city limits, Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, and Saujana Golf & Country Club each boast two premier championship courses, whilst the Peter Thomson designed Kelab Golf Abdul Aziz Shah and the Ronald Fream course at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam likewise both provide world class golfing close to the city.
Other notable examples of the city’s many outstanding courses include the Ross Watson designed championship course at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club, the Ted Parslow designed Palm Garden Golf Club, the Robert Fream course at Bukit Unggul Country Club, and the stunning Robert Trent Jones Jr. course within the Mines Resort and Golf Club.
Beyond the city, the surrounding high quality of golf experience continues with the dramatic and scenic adventure of the 6,689 yard Robert Fream course set high among the magnificent views at Awana Genting Highlands Golf & Country Club, part of a larger entertainment resort.
In the north of Peninsula Malaysia, if you are visiting the Langkawi Archipelago, its main island, Pulau Lagkawi, is home to the delightful 6,762 yard Ernie Els design at Els Club Teluk Datai, with beautiful landscaping complimenting the lovely natural surroundings of million year old rainforest and limestone peaks. Another of Langkawi’s best golfing highlights is the Ross Watson designed championship course at 99 East Golf Club.
The island of Penang has a few worthy courses, the finest of which is the 6,302 yard championship Robert Trent jones Jr course at Penang Golf Club. Another notable play is at the scenic and testing 36-hole Bukit Jawi Golf Resort.
If the Malaysian heat is messing with your golf, the Cameron Highlands Golf & Country Club, at an altitude of 1,500 m (5,000 ft), will provide some welcome relief, beautifully set among the cool hills within which echoes of the British colonial presence still resound.
To the south of Kuala Lumpur, remnants of Malaysia’s colonial history also abound at Malacca, and the best of several courses close to the ancient city is the 27-hole Ross Watson design at the A’Famosa Golf & Country Club.
To the far south of the Malay Peninsula, close to Singapore, Johor features a number of world-class courses, the very best of which is the Hiromasa Inagawa designed 54-hole championship layout at Palm Resort Golf & Country Club.
Other championship courses in Johor include Ross Watson’s 6,858 yard championship course at Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club, the 7,338 Yard Jack Nicklaus course at the Legends Golf Resort, and the two championship courses at Pulai Springs Country Club, designed by Peter Dalkeith Scott and Robert Trent Jones Jr. Additionally, The Ronald Fream course at Ponderosa Golf & Country Club, Pete Dye’s 36-hole design at Poresia Golf Club and Resort, and Peter Dalkeith Scott course at Austin Hills Golf Resort also provide very rewarding play.
Despite Borneo’s wild jungled reputation and untamed appeal, the civilised game of golf is perhaps surprisingly well catered to and, indeed, in some style.
In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club is a very attractive 27-hole championship course designed by Graham Marsh, overlooking the South China Sea with lovely views of the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, and is the nearest of the premier courses to the city centre.
To the northeast of the city, the award winning Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai features a 6,173 yard Ronald Fream design, set magnificently between ancient tropical forest and Karambunai Beach, with Mount Kinabalu presiding loftily over the views, and is highly suited to the golfer who enjoys being strategically challenged.
Almost adjacent, the 6,369 yard Ted Parslow championship course at Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club is beautifully set in the coastal foothills behind which Mount Kinabalu majestically rises. The course is located within the 5* Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort, and with the added bonus of the splendid blue curve of Pantai Dalit Beach, is a perfect getaway golfing experience.
Further out, and to the southeast of Kota Kinabalu, the Borneo Golf and Country Club features a 7,159 yard Jack Nicklaus design, a links style course set around a natural lagoon and is a picturesque challenge.
On the northernmost tip of Borneo, and Sabah’s oldest, the Kudat Golf Club, originally affiliated to the famous St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland, is set in Marudu Bay, with both sea and fresh water hazards setting the tone.
In Sarawak state, due north of the city of Kuching, Sarawak, the 6,950 yard Arnold Palmer design at Damai Golf and Country Club is set at the coast beneath Mount Santubong and has played host to a number of tournaments. The front nine meanders through forested slopes, while the back nine hugs the mangroves and beaches of the South China Sea, which together provide for a pleasant variety of shots and scenery.
The closest golfing experience to Kuching’s centre is the 36 hole Kelab Golf Sarawak, the best of its four nine-hole combinations being the 6,776 yard championship ‘Old Course’.
Elsewhere in Sarawak, in the city of Miri, nestled close to the border with Brunei, the Kulab Miri Golf Club, built on a sandbar overlooking the ocean, is one of Malaysia’s oldest courses and was originally constructed to serve oil executives, following the discovery of the valuable commodity early in the twentieth century.
OTHER Malaysia TOURS
Peninsula Malaysia Sonata 12 days
This 12 day tour of Malaysia’s Peninsula visits the bright modern capital of Kuala Lumpur before heading to the serenity of the Cameron highlands and its rarefied colonial and local charms. The tour continues with a visit to meet the Orang Utans, followed by a stay in Penang, once the centre of British colonial operations in the east, before enjoying the delights of the beaches of Malaysia’s east coast. The tour concludes with a visit to historic Malacca.
Malaysia's Colonial Echoes 9 days
This 9 day tour of the Malay Peninsula focusses on the history and development of the colonial infrastructure from which modern Malaysia has emerged, exploring Malacca’s turbulent early years, passing through the hands of several colonial powers, together with a foray into both early and modern Kuala Lumpur, and culminating in visits to the gentle climes of the former colonial tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands and the British Empire’s earliest settlement in Malaysia on the island of Penang.
Borneo's Wildlife Wonderland 10 days
This amazing 10 day sojourn of Borneo offers a wealth of experiences, visiting the forests around Mount Kinabalu in search of Rafflesia and orchids, meeting the Murut tribespeople, white water rafting down the Padas Gorge, and visiting three of its island hideaways. If you’re an experienced Scuba diver, the final stay at Pulau Mabul can be extended to include the awesome world class diving at nearby Pulau Sipadan.
Borneo Overture 8 days
This 8 day discovery tour of Malaysian Borneo explores the natural landscapes and rainforest cultures of Borneo, and includes a first-hand encounter with an overnight stay at an Iban Longhouse in Sarawak as the guest of the Headman, enjoying tribal life and testing your skill with the blowpipe.
Another highlight is meeting the Orang Utans in their forest reserve at Semenggoh. The journey then takes you to Sabah, exploring the rainforest beneath the looming presence of Gunung Kinabalu, hunting for Rafflesia and visiting the beautiful orchid gardens. The tour culminates with a thrilling white water rafting experience down the Padas Gorge.
Borneo Survival Tour 13 Days
This 13 day tour of Sabah begins with a stay in a traditional longhouse among the fascinating Rungus people, before a visit to Kinabalu Park and the Miki Jungle Survival Camp. The tour then travels to Sepilok Nature Resort, to explore the forest and enjoy the company of Orang Utan and Proboscis Monkeys, before a relaxing island spell on Pulau Tiga. This tour can also be modified or extended to include an ascent of Mount Kinabalu.
Malaysia’s Faraway Islands 5 Days
This
5 day beach vacation at the island of Pulau Redang on Peninsula Malaysia’s east
coast, is a superb white sand and clear blue water getaway for lazing on the
beach, swimming, snorkelling or diving the globally revered clarity of its
waters. An alternative to Pulau Redang is the wholly private island of Gemia,
close to Kuala Terengganu. This tour can be readily expanded in duration into a
longer beach holiday or combined with other destinations in Malaysia and
beyond.
Kuala Lumpur Stopover 3 Days
This tour brings you to the best of the city’s many historical and modern landmarks. A palace, a mosque, British colonial buildings, Malaysia’s iconic skyscrapers, and the world’s largest pewter company all await you in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia's Quiet Coast 5 Days
This 5 day beach holiday is based on the quiet coast of Terengganu on the Malay Peninsula’s eastern fringe, staying at the Tanjong Jara resort to the south of Kuala Terengganu. The hotel is modelled upon a 17th century Royal Malay Palace set in lush tropical gardens and highly suited to honeymooners, the resort has three restaurants, two swimming pools and a spa village offering Malaysian therapies.
If desired, other hotels in the area can be used as alternatives, such as the Aryani resort, a little way north of Kuala Terengganu. This holiday template has the potential to provide an ideal spell of coastal quietude within a wider sightseeing tour of Malaysia.
Malaysia Luxury Honeymoon 10 Days
This ten day honeymoon holiday on the Malay Peninsula, includes a sightseeing tour of the Malaysia’s capital and the Cameron highlands, before heading off to the island of Pangkor Laut for a stay in one of the world’s premier beach resorts, to enjoy free time and celebrate your togetherness in the tropical sun.
Peninsula and Borneo Honeymoon 14 Days
This 14 day honeymoon holiday in Malaysia is a pretty relaxed affair, with plenty of free time at the Peninsula’s east coast beaches or islands, before travelling on to Borneo for a taste of the rainforest.
Malaysia's Secluded Luxury Island 7 Days
A week long luxury break at one of the world’s most exclusive resorts, the privately owned Indian Ocean island of Pankor Laut, staying either at its luxury villas or the supreme elevated seclusion of its wholly private estates, with your own pool, ponds, pavilions and rainforest gardens, and served by your own butler and chef.
Malaysia Nature and Coast 8 Days
This 8 day tour of Peninsula Malaysia visits the capital Kuala Lumpur, before a visit to Taman Negara National Park, to explore the forest, and culminates with a stay at the beach on Malaysia’s east coast at Kuala Terengganu. An alternative beach resort could be Tanjong Jara or, if the tour was extended, the islands of Pulau Redang.