GOLF ATRAVEL Player’s Guide
18 to Remember
10th hole Red Mountain Golf Club Phuket, Thailand
You don’t have to look far to find great golf holes in Asia. Visually and technically, they’re among the best on the planet. Here is a selection of 18 holes outside Hong Kong that will excite any golfer who steps on to the tee, writes Paul Myers. 60
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Built on top of a ridge, this par-4 swings to the left after the tee shot to a green nestled beside a lake and protected by bunkers on both sides. A very precise second shot is required on the 400-yard-plus hole that plays to a greater degree of difficulty than its index of eight would suggest. HKGOLFER.COM
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11th hole, Black Mountain Golf Club Hua Hin, Thailand This is a deceptive and tricky par-3 with water at the front and right. An extra club is always advisable as there is plenty of landing room at the back of a large green. Play short right or left – where there is bush, rocks and a waterfall – and there is certain disaster. The pin is often placed at the front of the green, which induces short shots. It plays 173 yards from the back tees and 154 yards from the whites.
18th hole, Chiangmai Highlands Golf Resort & Spa Hua Hin, Thailand The longish par-5 (558 yards from the back tees and 512 yards from the whites) is one of the great finishing holes in Asia. A steep slope to a creek, about 80 yards in front of the elevated green, makes you think hard about your second or third shot. Long hitters may be able to make the green in two, but a layup is preferable before attempting what must be a precise shot to hit the green.
11th hole, Dalit Bay Golf Club Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia This par-3 is not a difficult hole, but causes more trouble than it should. Playing 169 yards from the back tees over the mouth of the Tambalang River that flows into the South China Sea, it is well protected by bunkers and plays longer than it looks. 62
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16th hole, Danang Golf Club Danang, Vietnam Undoubtedly the signature hole on this brilliant Greg Norman-designed layout, the hole plays 148 yards from the back tees (130 yards from the blues) towards the Cham Islands to a frontsloping green that has enough undulations to make two putts more demanding than usual, especially if the pin is placed on the left side behind a front bunker. Visually, this hole is a photo opportunity few visitors can pass up.
17th hole, Hanazono Golf Club Niseko, Japan Another par-3 that is a real test for players of all levels. Surrounded by pines and ash trees, with a lake in front and bunkers back right, the hole plays 180 yards from the blue tees and a whopping 214 yards from the tips, requiring a particularly good shot to hit the green. Many shots end short and right, suggesting an extra club is usually needed.
13th hole, Honghe Spring Golf Club Mile, China This long par-5 with two doglegs plays to a well-protected green with great views to the lake and city of Mile in Yunnan province. Although a relatively flat hole on an otherwise highly undulating course, its mounded fairway and tight green make par a tough assignment in any conditions.
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7th hole, Laguna Lang Co Golf Club Hue, Vietnam Sir Nick Faldo and lead architect Paul Jansen used all their guile and the natural environment to create this great par-4 hole of just 363 yards from the back tees. It plays across a creek from the tee, with a long natural fairway bunker down most of the right side. Fairway mounds make for often-tricky lies. The large green sits at a 45-degree angle to the fairway. A back right pin position is particularly tough.
18th hole, Mission Hills China Haikou, China – Blackstone Course This 539-yard par-5 that plays towards the massive clubhouse and hotel is the last of three great finishing holes on a monster layout that hosted the Tiger Woods vs Rory McIlroy exhibition match in October last year and the World Cup in 2011. Playing over and beside lava rock, it requires a perfectly placed tee shot and one (if you’re a long hitter) or two approach shots to hit the green that is precariously placed beside the water. Many a winning score has been ruined on this hole.
15th hole, Mission Hills China Dongguan – Olazabal Course Jose Maria Olazabal was renowned as a great bunker player. He left no doubt about this when designing this sweeping par-5 hole. Playing 580 yards from the back tees to a wide fairway from the tee, the hole gets trickier with the second and third shots as it swings hard left, with water and myriad bunkers protecting even slightly stray shots. A real jaw-dropper. 64
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12th hole, Montgomerie Links Vietnam Danang, Vietnam A visually deceptive hole, this par-5 plays 527 yards uphill towards the clubhouse and gives the appearance from the tee that there is no landing area for the second shot. In fact, there is ample room as long as you don’t stray left or play short. The deep bunkers on this hole make it imperative to play safe or be precise as you approach the elevated green.
7th hole, New Kuta Golf Club Pecatu, Bali, Indonesia This short par-3 can be a monster in the wind. Although only 115 yards from the middle tees, its exposed green results in many shots straying right in the wind, requiring an often-difficult uphill chip to the pin. The rest stop on the tee of this hole is one of the best positioned in Asia – a perfect place to contemplate the shot ahead.
7th hole, Pan Pacific Nirwana Golf Club Bali, Indonesia Undoubtedly, one of the great par-3s of Asia, this hole plays 194 yards from the championship tees (144 yards from the whites) over a bay on the Indian Ocean to a fast sloping green. The Tanah Lot temple on the left provides a wonderful aura about this hole which – along with three other ocean-side holes at Nirwana – brings golfers back to the course time and time again.
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5th hole, Siam Country Club Pattaya, Thailand – Plantation Course A sea of bunkers awaits as you tee off on the steep par-5 hole on the Plantation layout that plays to an elevated green at the highest point of the course. You can choose a right or left option on this whopping 596yard hole (543 yards from the blue tees), the left side being most advisable because it reduces the slope for the second shot. A second set of bunkers can trap shorter second shots so it is important to hit long and left from the tee.
Eagle hole, Sky Oasis Golf Resort Kunming, China Although not officially part of the course at the 36hole complex north of Kunming, the Eagle hole has attracted plenty of attention and comment. Designed by Cynthia Dye (niece of the great Pete Dye), the scalloped and eagle-beak bunkers create a visually stunning effect. The elevated tee shot plays 140-145 yards to the green. The hole can be played by visitors for an extra fee.
9th hole, Spring City Golf & Lake Resort Kunming China – Lake Course This shortish par-5 (496 yards from the black tees and 470 yards from the blues) plays beside the lake at the lowest point of the remarkable Robert Trent-Jones layout. Autumn flowers add to the colour and appeal of the hole, with the green nestled right beside the lake. 66
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7th hole, Stoneforest International Country Club Kunming, China – A Course The fortress-like rocks behind the green on this downhill par-3 make a perfect backdrop for one of the most stunning holes on this remarkable golf course. The small pot bunker in front of the green captures a disproportionately high number of tee shots. Although not a difficult hole, playing 163 yards from the blue tees (189 yards from the blacks) it is one of the most spectacular in Asia.
6th hole, Thai Country Club Bangkok, Thailand Named as one of the best par-3 holes in Asia, the long sixth hole at Thai CC (197 yards from the back tees) requires a fairway wood for most players – or a hybrid if hitting off the blue tees. Consequently, the degree of error is large, causing many shots to finish short in a greenside bunker or in the water to the right of the green.
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