Desaru Golf & Country Resort

Established in 1984 and relatively short at 6,043 meters par-72, this is Johor's second oldest 18-hole golf course.  Robert Trent Jones Jr, the renowned American golf course architect, clearly recognized that nature was doing most of the work for him at Desaru.

This is a mature and challenging 18-hole Malaysia golf course carved out of natural jungle terrain. Even the relatively coarse, hard-wearing and excellently maintained indigenous cow grass fits perfectly within this setting. Since this course is jungle-lined, one has to be careful when finding wayward balls in the bushes, for who knows what may lurk in there! If you are not a straight hitter, be sure to bring plenty of golf balls.

Few if any golf courses on the Malaysian Peninsula combine as many ocean-side holes with others that routed through the pristine rain forest. The excellent front-nine is carved through gently undulating jungle, where macaque monkeys scamper across the generally good-width fairways. Quite a few monkeys are proud owners of hand phones and pagers, thanks to unwary golfers who left these items unattended in their golf buggies. Although dense vegetation occasionally closes in, there is generally sufficient space for your driver to be liberally employed. Whereas jungle dominates the front-nine, the South China Sea is your frequent companion on the back-nine loop. The par-4 11th doglegs round from right to left, bringing you down to a beautiful palm-fringed deserted beach.

Many Malaysian golfers single-out the 13th as their favorite hole. This flattish par-5 runs alongside the ocean from tee to green, a relatively easy-going hole, allowing you to fully absorb the fabulous sea views. The 14th temporarily takes you inland, before a final return to the sea is provided at the short par-4 17th. The 18th is also a par-4, this time requiring a well-placed tee shot and then a carry over water to the final green.

The clubhouse is a rustic log cabin design that is adequate for most Malaysia golf outings. Locker rooms and an excellent local restaurant dominate the structure making Desaru is a golfing experience not to be missed.