THE CLUB AT THE SAUJANA - MALAYSIA
The Club at The Saujana - Malaysia - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Tropical Tee | |||||
| By: Hilary Doling, Issue 41 – Summer 2010 | |||||
| (The Club at The Saujana – Malaysia) | |||||
| THE CLUB THAT HAS SEVEN TIMES HOSTED THE MALAYSIAN OPEN WILL SOON CLOSE ITS DOORS TO ALL BUT MEMBERS AND THOSE STAYING AT THE SAUJANA HOTEL. HILARY DOLING CHECKS IN AND TEES OFF. | |||||
| Standing ready to tee-off on the third hole at the Palms Course, Saujana Golf & Country Club I look down at a dense jungle valley, knowing my ball has to carry 160 metres to miss the foliage and then avoid the bunkers waiting beyond; no wonder this is regularly rated the toughest par five in Malaysia. But then that’s what you expect when you play a course that has hosted the Malaysian Open seven times. Following in the golf-shoed footsteps of VJ Singh and Anthony Kim is never going to be easy. In a country where competition between manicured courses is tough the Saujana Golf & Country Club, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur is frequently voted Malaysia’s top club and is listed in the top hundred courses in the world. What other reason do you need to stop off and play here next time you are in KL? Designed by Ronald Fream and carved out of a former palm and rubber plantation are two championship courses: Palms Course and Bunga Raya Course. The Palms course has wide fairways around which palm trees hover like eager spectators. Bunga Raya, named after the abundant native flowers that adorn the course, has more of a jungle air about it. Both courses are tough enough to challenge you but not so tough you have no fun. They are beautifully laid out with little white stone bridges dotted around and plenty of water to make you think. Together they have proved a huge draw card for expats and well to do Malaysian living in downtown KL, 15 kilometres away. Now the golf club is about to close its doors to all but members and those staying at The Saujana hotel. So the only way for visitors to play this course will be to check-in. Luckily for luxury lovers The Club at The Saujana, an exclusive five star hotel-within-a-hotel opened in late 2008 and almost immediately sizzled into the Conde Nast traveller Hot List 2009. Set in lush tropical gardens next to the main hotel, The Club has 105 rooms and suites. Jewel-bright Jim Thompson fabrics, white walls amixed with dark wood and lavish bathrooms mean this hotel marries sleek and chic with a classic Asian style. All the suites are spacious but for those who want to splash out, the top Saujana suite has its own private gym and massage room. The best news of all for weary golfers is that The Saujana has just opened an impressive new spa with eight individual villas and shady courtyards – the kind of expansive spa you usually only find in remote island resorts. So after a game, players can revive tired limbs with a range of spa treatments; the perfect end to a golfing day.n The 18th hole at the Palm Course | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| The Club at The Saujana | |||||
| 10 of Malaysia’s other top courses | |||||
| 1. Kota Permai Golf & Country Club, Kota Kemuning, Kula Lumpur | |||||
| 2. Royal Selangor Golf Club, Kuala Lumpur | |||||
| 3. Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur | |||||
| 4. Glenmarie Golf & Country Club, Kula Lumpur | |||||
| 5. Nexus Golf Resort, Karambunai, Sabah | |||||
| 6. Sungai Long Golf Club, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur | |||||
| 7. Bukit Jambil Golf Course, Penang | |||||
| 8. Kelab Golf Perkhimatan Awam, Kuala Lumpur | |||||
| 9. Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort, Batu Gajah | |||||
| 10. Datai Bay Golf Club, Langkawi | |||||
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