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Showcasing 18 superb golf holes from around the country that typify the adage that length does not matter.
Length, in golf, does not always matter. You need not necessarily be a long hitter to shoot good scores, relying instead on astute course management and short game skills to tame courses no matter what their length.
The same goes for golf courses. Sprinkled around the country are holes that more than make up for what they lack in yards with outstanding design features. Some set up well for exciting golf, enticing golfers to go for broke off the tees for eagle opportunities, while others demand precision with numerous hazards in play and tricky greens.
With this thought in mind for the sixth edition of ParGolf Super 18, we set about creating a golf course made out of short but outstanding holes selected from all over Malaysia. The par 72 course plays to a seemingly benign total yardage of 5,254 metres from the back tees but, make no mistake, each hole is a gem and thus needs to be treated with reverence.
Blue 311m/340y
White 281m/307y
Red 247m/270y
Hole 11
Designer: Ross Watson
Club selection and accuracy off the tees is
critical, as the landing area for the tee shot is
narrow with trees on both sides and out of
bounds beyond the fence on the right. The
fairway drops off into thick rough and tall trees
on the right, so favour the left side with your
drive. The approach must be solidly struck to
find a relatively small green, which is trapped
by bunkers on both sides and is laced with
tricky breaks.
Blue 282m/308y
White 246m/269y
red 235m/257y
Hole 4
Designer: Ronald Fream
A short dogleg left which is reachable off the
tees for long hitters, taking the ‘Tiger line’ over
the pond on the inside of the curve. Both
power and accuracy are needed to find the
putting surface as three deep pot bunkers trap
the front of the green, while sliced or pulled
drives could find trouble in the trees. The
conventional route is to hit to the fairway on
the right, leaving a wedge into the green which
slopes from right to left.
Blue 131m/143y
White 122m/133y
red 112m/122y
Hole 7
Designer: Ted Parslow
The wide fairway invites golfers to go for broke
off the tee, with long hitters able to carry the
two fairway bunkers on the right. This will
leave you about 180m left to the green and a
chance to go for two-on with a long iron or
hybrid. There is a bunker short of the green
which is not really in play, but the small, deep
greenside bunker on the right certainly is if you
fade your approach. The long green slopes
from back to front.
Blue 131m/143y
White 122m/133y
red 112m/122y
Hole 3
Designer: Club Committee / JKR,
redesigned by Nigel Douglas
This pretty par three requires a full carry over
a lake to a narrow, diagonally-angled green,
trapped by bunkers to the front, left and rear.
The downhill gradient makes the hole play
shorter than it looks, so get your distance and
clubbing choice right. Overhit tee shots that
find the bunker or rough beyond will leave a
tough chip back, especially if the pin is cut to
the rear.
Blue 270m/295y
White 240m/262y
red 214m/234y
Hole 5
Designer: Ronald Fream
An interesting dogleg that curves left around a
pond, which hugs the fairway and extends
right up to the front of the green. Long hitters
can attempt to drive the green from the
terraced tees carved into a hillside, but this is
fraught with danger due to the pond on the left
and OB on the hill slope to the right. The
approach shot needs to be accurate to avoid
the pond on the left and a small, shallow
bunker on the right.
Blue 140m/153y
White 137m/150y
red 121m/132y
Hole 11
Designer: Tim Woolbank
From an elevated tee, the golfer is confronted
by spectacular views of Club Lake and large
magnificent rain trees all around. There is
usually a stiff cross wind present which adds to
the challenge. There is deep bunkering on the
right of the green and any slight pulls to the left
will invariably find the water hazard. The
double tiered sloping green is not large and
finding the right tier is imperative to avoid
three-putting.
Blue 302m/330y
White 262m/286y
red 226m/247y
Hole 9
Designer: Peter Dalkeith Scott
Playing from elevated tees, this short but testy
par four demands an accurate drive that has to
carry a small pond and avoid the fairway
bunkers on the left. Badly hooked drives run
the risk of winding up out of bounds further
left. The green is undulating and tricky with
some deceptive breaks, so the approach must
be well played to keep the ball on the correct
side of the pin.
Blue 302m/330y
White 262m/286y
red 226m/247y
Hole 5
Designer: Khor Kheng Teik
A 90-degree dogleg right that is lined by dense
trees on both sides. The downhill gradient
shortens the hole even more, tempting golfers
to cut across the trees on the right and get as
close to or even on the green from the tees.
Two fairways bunkers on the left will help
prevent pulled drives from going into the lake
beyond. Most golfers will go with a fairway
wood off the tee and leave a short approach to
the green, trapped by sand on the right and
water on the left.
Blue 459m/502y
White 416m/455y
red 368m/402y
Hole 10
Designer: Tun Ghafar Baba
A tough driving hole with water on both sides
of the landing area awaiting to punish mishit
tee shots. Once on the landing area, long
hitters can contemplate attacking the green
with their second shots, but this could be a
blind shot due to the hillock on the left and
palm trees on both sides of the fairway. A wellplaced
lay-up will leave a short wedge into the
green, guarded by large bunkers on either side.
Back Nine
Blue 327m/358y
White 299m/327y
red 266m/291y
Hole 16
Designer: Graham Marsh & Ross Watson
This diminutive hole only plays a drive and a
wedge flick, but as the many golfers who have
played it will testify, it can prove a nightmare if
you stray right or left off the tee. A hazard runs
all down the right of the fairway and there are
trees, bunkers and thick rough awaiting you on
the left. Even if you find the middle of the
fairway, you will be left with a downhill shot to
a two-tiered green heavily protected by front
bunkers. There is water all round the top and
right of the green, so your approach shot had
better be precise.
Blue 467m/511y
White 432m/472y
red 412m/451y
Hole 12
Designer: Max Wexler
This snaking par five is a classic risk-reward
hole, daring golfers to carry as much of the
lake on the right as possible from the tees to
shorten the hole. Once this is achieved, it’s
possible to reach the green in two but a cluster
of bunkers on the left has to be carried. The
safe option is to play with the turns of the
fairway off the tee and on the second shot,
leaving a short wedge into the large green.
Blue 128m/140y
White 107m/117y
red 93m/102y
Hole 15
Designer: Robin Nelson & Rodney Wright;
remodelled by Ted Parslow
A testy little par three playing to a shallow but
broad island green trapped by a deep pot
bunker on its front edge. Clubbing choice has
to be perfect to reach and hold the green as
anything short will find water, while too much
club could well see your ball rolling off the
putting surface into the water beyond. Pin
positions on the left, narrower part of the
green will be tough to attack.
Blue 290m/317y
White 250m/273y
red 225m/246y
Hole 23
Designer: Graham Marsh
With the South China Sea on the left and
beyond, this short par four is open to the full
fury of the ocean winds. A cluster of bunkers
just before the green may persuade long hitters
to leave the driver in the bag, and use instead
a fairway wood or hybrid to set up the ideal
line for the approach. The large green has
numerous pin positions, with holes cut on the
right allowing the extended right half of the
fairway to be used.
Blue 308m/337y
White 295m/322y
red 263m/287y
Hole 13
Designer: Graham Marsh & Ross Watson
An exciting hole with water on the left side of
the fairway, cutting across play about 50 yards
from the green. The safe route is to lay up
short of the water in a generous landing area
between two fairway bunkers, leaving a short
iron into the green. Big hitters can have a go
at carrying the water and be rewarded with a
short chip to the green, trapped by a bunker
on its left edge.
Blue 256m/280y
White 213m/233y
red 174m/190y
Hole 15
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jnr
A short but spectacular par four that curves
right around a huge main lake, inviting long
hitters to try and drive the green or at least get
close to it. For most golfers, the safe shot is a
fairway or hybrid to the left side of the fairway,
avoiding the bunker in the middle to leave a
short approach to the green. Confidence and
accuracy is needed on the approach to avoid
the water on the right and bunkers on the left.
Blue 268m/293y
White 228m/249y
red 195m/213y
Hole 13
Designer: Ronald Fream
Long hitters can go for the green off the tees
on this sweeping dogleg right, cutting across
the pond that lines the right side of the fairway.
This will take a hefty wallop as it’s a 260-metre
carry over the pond to reach the putting
surface safely. The conventional route is to tee
off with a hybrid or fairway wood to the left,
and then loft a wedge onto the green. The
green is large and receptive but has some
subtle breaks.
Blue 108m/118y
White 93m/102y
red 77m/84y
Hole 17
Designer: Ross Watson
The large island green may look like an easy
target but prevailing winds need to be factored
into your clubbing and directional computations
to prevent a watery disaster. There are some
tricky pin positions on the undulating putting
surface, which has a central raised section
making putting from one end to the other an
extremely tough endeavour. Par is a good
score here while many will settle for bogey.
Blue 452m/494y
White 431m/471y
red 410m/448y
Hole 5
Designer: Peter Thomson
A sweeping par five starting from elevated tees
offering a great view of the task at hand. The
drive has to be well struck to find the narrow
landing area, flanked by water on the right and
out-of-bounds on the left. The fairway is a
slight double dog-leg, thus demanding accurate
placement with the second shot towards the
right to open up a good angle into the wellbunkered
green. Going for the green in two is
an option for long hitters.
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