Welcome to the latest issue of the Asian Golf Nation, the source for news breaking information about golf in Asia. In addition, unique golf playing tips for South East Asia's tropical environment, announcements of golf travel promotions, and our latest tournament offers are all parts of this newsletter.
Asia's high season is officially here. Soon daily afternoon showers will give way to dryer weather with temperatures in the 20's all across the region. In fact, November to March is the very best period climate-wise to golf in Asia, particularly Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. That being said, the demand for golf tours and resort bookings for the high season is already very strong. If you plan to travel this winter, especially over the holidays, book early to ensure you get the best tee times and rooms at the preferred resorts.
To prepare for the high season we have expanded our product range to all destinations. For example, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar all have new golf courses that we will be using in our golf packages. Our 2017 Amateur Tournaments and World Masters Events have all been upgraded to incorporate new challenges and feedback from part participants.
Meanwhile, Golfasian is on the move again with attendance at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit, World Travel Mart in London, World Golf Awards in Portugal, and International Golf Travel Mart in Spain. We hope to meet many of our overseas partners and solidify this winter's business plans with all. We will raise the bar in Asian golf travel and ensure every golf trip exceeds expectations and also offers great value-for-money. Tailor-made itineraries fitting all budgets and needs are our specialty; so please contact us for a competitive quote.
With that I wish all golfers have many great golfing opportunities. For those considering a golf trip, the culture, beauty, service, and wealth of choices throughout SE Asia are perfectly suited for creating unforgettable golf experiences. Tailor-made itineraries fitting your specific needs, expectations and budgets are our specialty. Drop me an email with your request; you will be surprised at the possibilities.
You will find a lot of news and South East Asia golf course updates in this newsletter, which I hope you will find interesting and helpful. So sit back and enjoy this edition of the Asian Golf Nation!
Black Mountain Golf Club, Thailand's #1 ranked course is set to open 9 new holes by year's end. Referred to as the East Course the new nine features even more challenge and elevation change than the original layout. The course is fully grassed and just waiting for final grow in to be completed. I visited the site last week and can't wait to get in a round.
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
FLC Ha Long Bay
FLC Ha Long Bay is progressing nicely. Completely different from Vietnam's other new courses which are located on large sand dunes, the new Brian Curley designed course is located on top of Bai Tho mountain. Fifteen of the eighteen holes provide a glorious panoramic view of Ha Long Bay. The course is located 45 minutes from the main Ha Long port making FLC Ha Long a great choice for those in the area seeking an overnight cruise of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Course opening is planned for early 2017.
Desaru, Malaysia
The Els Club - Desaru Coast
South East Asia's newest golf destination is located on Malaysia's East Coast around 1 hour from Johor and 2.5 hours from Singapore. The Ernie Els designed Ocean Course at The Els Club Desaru Coast; the first of two courses, was officially opened last month.
The course features 3 distinct nines named Coast, Ridge and Lakes each with their own challenges. The second 18, named the Valley Course is scheduled to open next year and is a collaborative design between Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. The entire Desaru destination is sprawled across 3,900 acres with 17 kilometers of coast along the South China Sea. Five star hotels will include Aman Resorts & Villas, The Westin Desaru Resort, Anantara Desaru Resort, and Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, all due to open in 2017. Watch this space for updates and course reviews.
Yangon, Myanmar
Dagon Golf Club
Progress at Myanmar's newest Dagon Golf Club is going well. Located only 15 minutes from the Yangon airport, Dagon Golf Club will be an 18-hole, 6,786 yard international standard layout. Built by Pacific Coast Design (same as Black Mountain Golf Club), the course is set among mature, forested land.
Expected course completion is by year's end with initial commercial play set for mid-2017.
The new Myanmar golf course will be managed by Absolute Golf Services (same as Thana City Golf Club) ensuring high standards of maintenance and operations practices and making Dagon a top tier Myanmar golf club.
In March 2017 we have our two biggest events in the golfing calendar, the Amari Hua Hin Golf Week and Amari Pattaya Golf Week. Each event sees a field of 120 people from around the world play the best golf courses in each destination. While the tournaments aren't until March 2017, we have 50 players already booked, with most people taking the free room upgrade from the Amari Hotels. Book your position now and don't miss out on a great week of golf!
We have 12 group tours throughout the year and all details of these events can be found on the Asia Golf Week website.
If you would like to book one of our events, or have any questions, please email us at [email protected]
Hi, my name is Willy Ma. I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Canada to finish high school. I then attended college in the US and made Los Angeles my permanent residence. I am a member at Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, Los Angeles, California founded in 1924: Bing Crosby was club champion 5 times. I am also a member at Village Country Club at Lompoc, California in Santa Barbara County.
My current SCGA Index is about 14. I started playing golf in the 1980s and take regular golf lessons from various golf schools and PGA Professionals so hope to get to single figures before too long. I often plan golf trips for my group of 8 to 16 golfers from all over the world aiming to play the world's best courses. We've travelled to Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, China, Canada, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos as well as locally in US. Golf in China used to be my favourite but after this Vietnam and Thailand trip arranged by Golfasian, I would come back in a heart-beat. I find Southeast Asians are the friendliest and most respectful people... and our dollars go a long way. I would like to plan more trips to Southeast Asia and eventually find a place there to retire. My wife is also an avid golfer but she cannot deal with the humidity and mosquitoes. I also love the food and massages; the only way to end a day's golf. There's no place like Thailand.
Golfasian has started a new series of Golfasian Customer Interviews via live video call. Watch the first video in this series with Laurie McCourt who scored a hole in one at Springfield Royal Country Club in Hua Hin, Thailand, last month. Let us know if you would like to take part in this series, we would be delighted to speak to you.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Golfasian is pleased to announce our newest golf destination, Jakarta, Indonesia.
I was lucky enough to be given the task of inspecting and reviewing the hotels and courses and I was pleasantly surprised with the high quality and very affordable golf on offer.
Most golfers do not consider Jakarta as a golf holiday destination however it is well worth the trip and should be on every golfer's bucket list. There are plenty of flights from most major cities to Jakarta and once you arrive you have a selection of around 35 courses located in the 3 main golf regions Jakarta, Bogor and Bandung.
My trip started in the Bogor region. Just a short 1 hour drive from the airport on the Jagorawi toll road. Many well-know courses are in this region with designs by well know architects such as Gary Player, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Bogor is a mountain setting with spectacular views and most courses have great elevation changes and interesting holes. [Read the complete review]
Royale Jakarta Golf Club is located just 15 minutes from central Jakarta and accessible via the toll road. One of the new breed of Jakarta golf courses, Royale Jakarta was designed as a world class championship course from day one.
The course is the permanent home of the Indonesian Masters. Additionally, Royal Jakarta was awarded Best Course in Indonesia at the 2011-2014 Asian Golf Awards and at the Indonesian 2011 Tourism Awards.
Stunning architecture, a passionate commitment to outstanding service and completely rejuvenated facilities combine to make this iconic luxury international five star hotel the true benchmark for 21st century luxury in downtown Jakarta Indonesia. Gran Melia Jakarta's Spanish heritage ensures that our flair for innovation and absolute customer satisfaction remains alive and well in everything that we do for our most valued guests. All staff are committed to giving the best service possible in Jakarta with facilities for business facilities second to none.
Now is your chance to experience the best two destinations in one package. First you will enjoy golf in the capital city of Jakarta and then you can relax in Bali at its beautiful beaches. After golf you will have the opportunity to explore Indonesia's varied culture.
Vintage Golf Club: Course will be closed on 3, 11 and 25 November for tournaments.
Windsor Park & Golf Club: Course will be closed on 4, 9, 14, 15, 17-18, 20-22 and 24-25 November for tournaments.
Hua Hin
Banyan Golf Club: Course will be closed on 17-18 and on 24-25 November for tournaments.
Black Mountain Golf Club: Course will be closed on 5 & 13-15 November and 30 November - 4 December for tournaments.
Lake View Resort & Golf Club: Course A will be closed for coring green during 2-13 November and course B will be closed for coring green during 19-30 November. Course will be closed on 14-19 November for a tournament.
Laguna Golf Phuket: Course will be undergoing green verticut & topdressing sand during 1-2 & 28-30 November and 26-28 December. Course will be undergoing green topdressing sand during 14-15 November.
King's Island Golf Resort: Course will be undergoing green maintenance until 18 November. The Mountainview course will be closed on 12, 28 and 30 November for tournaments.
"The Clouds" -
New Development of Luxury Eco-friendly Pool Villas by Palm Hills GC
On the doorstep of Palm Hills golf course is this top quality new development from a British builder with 30 years+ building experience in Hua Hin. The project comprises 63 large plots from 900sqm+ for luxury villas with custom options and upgrades available. Standard villas have a living area of 308sqm, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and include a large infinity swimming pool, landscaped private gardens, double glazing, insulation and 3 KVA solar panels along with a fully fitted European-style kitchen for comfortable living with minimal running costs. Please ask us for more photos and information!
Here are my rankings on the golfing in these 2 countries on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best.
Quality (30%) Australia (10): Most courses are set up for serious Australian golfers, who comprise some 10% of the overall population. The average Australian golf course is far better than most other countries top courses. The top Australian courses include Royal Melbourne, Barnbougle Dunes, and New South Wales, all of which have hosted major PGA events.
Thailand (7): Thai golf courses vary from average municipal courses to better ones that cater mainly to golf tourists. The best courses like Thai CC, Siam CC, and Red Mountain all can hold their own when it comes to international golf courses.
Thailand's caddies are one of its unique selling points and I get asked a lot of questions about how much to tip them, plus what to expect in terms of their knowledge and skills. Much of our clients' feedback is about how good their caddies were and how they improved the golf experience. Occasionally there is the odd disappointed player mainly because they were allocated an inexperienced caddy who wasn't much help. Golfasian has 6 experienced golfers on its staff who have played in Thailand for years and likely have preferred caddies at many courses. Don't be shy about enquiring if your itinerary consultant has a caddy recommendation that might be booked. I have preferred caddies at 3 courses in Thailand…the very best is Ms "Gai", number 244 at Thana City near Bangkok…better than Steve Williams!
I would love to hear about any golf tips you may have developed for getting the maximum enjoyment from your golf trips, and can incorporate some in future articles. Therefore if you have any golf tips or suggestions you would like to share, please let me know by dropping me an email.
Golfasian has a full schedule of trade shows and roadshows during the next few months.
You can find us at the following events
November
Australia & New Zealand Roadshow
November
7 - 9
World Travel Market (London, UK)
November
14 - 17
International Golf Travel Market (Mallorca, Spain)
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Hua Hin, Thailand
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Desaru, Malaysia
Yangon, Myanmar
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Indonesia
Cambodia
Singapore
