Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Malaysia

The beautiful fairways of Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) lie in the unspoilt landscape of Bukit Kiara, just 8km away from the heart of the city. Strategically placed amongst the capital’s prime residential suburbs and well served by major roads, it is the most conducive backdrop for business, entertainment and leisure for the discerning few who are members of this exclusive gold & country club. Designed as a relaxed, private golf and country club, KLGCC is surrounded by nature preserves and is home to unique species of flora and fauna. It is a quiet, thoughtfully planned environment of relaxed elegance and natural beauty.

Renowned as Asia’s ultimate destination for a premier golf & country club experience, the country club’s 36-hole courses greets over 100,000 golfing rounds a year and host to numerous international championships. Originally designed by the professional architecture team of Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright, the 36 holes layout was configured as the East & West courses, the KlGCC offers a unique golfing experience.

West course – With a major upgrade project completed in the late 2000s, KLGCC’s West course has risen again to challenge the likes of Saujana, Kota Permai and The Mines for top honours amongst Malaysia’s golf course elite. The front-nine on the West takes you on an expansive journey, initially climbing up the left side of the layout, before several scenic holes with panoramic views are played at the course’s highest elevations, alongside the jungle-clad hills of Bukit Kiara (bukit meaning hill or mountain).

At the par-3 8th and the tight and water protected par-4 9th you descend again to the clubhouse. Encircled by the front-nine, the slightly more open back-nine frequently brings water hazards into play, as well as confronting you with an often spectacular array of bunkering alongside the contoured fairways. Several of the greenside bunkers are deep and unforgiving, should your approach shots be wayward.

Like the front-nine, there are plenty of elevation changes – initially sloping away from and then bringing you back down to the clubhouse. The par-4 2nd is one of many challenging holes played from an elevated tee, with water dangerously in play as you approach the green. Expectations are that the completely re-laid greens will be some of the best around, and the quality of green-keeping will remain high, as befits one of Malaysia’s most prestigious golf clubs. [Unlike the East course, the West is not floodlit for night golf].

East Course – At just over 6000 metres from the tips, and floodlit for night golf, the East course is shorter and easier-going than KLGCC’s more challenging and bigger dimension West course. Although the West may have the greater elevation changes, the East course also has a pleasantly undulating parkland character, with several nicely elevated tee-boxes, providing a good look at the demands ahead. The lightly tree-lined, contoured fairways provide good definition to each hole, some of them requiring tightish drives.

The opening holes of the back-nine, flanked by OB and condominiums, is where straight-hitting from the tee is at a premium, much more so than on the easier-going front-nine. Good bunkering, clinging rough around the greens and, as your round progresses, ever more frequent and severe water hazards, ensures that KLGCC’s No.2 course continually tests and probes your overall game. The more interesting and challenging back-nine loop contains a tough closing stretch, with the par-5 16th throwing down one of the sternest tests; played from an elevated tee, water awaits any stray shots to either left or right.

At both the par-4 9th and 18th holes, which run in parallel back to the clubhouse, a small lake menacingly guards your approach shots to the respective greens. The putting surfaces here are usually excellent, with many subtle slopes and borrows to be reckoned with. Although not as scenic or as impressive a layout as the West course, the East still provides a very pleasant golf outing, and the opportunity to card a respectably good score, even on a first outing.

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