Coming soon from Traveler.com...Golf is booming in Asia - at a resort and elite club level. Opportunities need to grow for aspiring golfers, but the golf traveler will find fantastic golf vacation destinations featuring courses designed by the best in the world. Consistent quality is an issue, but up-and-coming status is clear from South Korea to Thailand.
Top Asia golf deals
Thailand golf guide
* Best places to play, stay and dine
* Secrets resorts don't want you to know
* Tips known only to locals and a few
Asia golf vacations and golf schools
coming soon...
Top Asia golf courses and resorts
China
Pine Valley Golf Club; Beijing
Tiger Beach Golf Links; Yantai
Spring City Golf & Lake Resort; Kunming; destined to be one of the great golf resorts in Asia Pacific
Mountain course - Nicklause design, native pines and rock out- croppings frame the course, highlighted by mountain views and Yang Zong Hai Lake
Lake course - Robert Trent Jones, Jr design
Sunshine Golf Club; Kunming
Mission Hills Golf Club; largest golf resort in the world with 12 courses in Shenzhen and Dongguan, most courses are named after golf personalities and pros such as Ernie Els and Annika Sorenstam
World Cup Course; Nicklaus design opened in 1994, one of the two recommended courses
Norman Course; a difficult challenge, but enjoyable and, along with the chance to play the original World Cup Course
Vijay Course; emulates "Pebble Beach" style
Faldo Course; tournament style course with blend of strategy and shotmaking
Ozaki Course; picturesque and mountainous, with a tunnel the length of a football field connecting two holes
Thailand
Laem Chabang International Golf Club; Pattaya
Khao Kheow Golf Club; Pattaya
Siam Country Club; Pattaya - Old Course
Banyan Golf Club; Hua Hin
Springfield Golf Club; Hua Hin - Nicklaus design
Majestic Creek Golf Club; Hua Hin
Black Mountain Golf Club; Hua Hin
Vietnam
Viet Nam Golf & Country Club; is the first 36-hole golf club in Vietnam and is widely regarded as Vietnam's Premier Golf and Country Club.
South Korea
Nine Bridges Resort; Jeju Island
Pinx Golf Club; Jeju Island; a Top 100 course in world, host of the only European tour event in Asia
Blackstone Golf Club; Jeju Island
Malaysia
Classic Golf Resort; Kuala Lumpur; a Jack Nicklaus’ first South Asian Signature course
Indonesia
Nirwana Bali Golf Club; Bali; award-winning Greg Norman design
Ria Bintan Resort; Bali; Top 100 course by Golf Digest
Klub Rimba Irian; Bill Coore’s design rates as "the world's most remote championship golf course"
Singapore
Singapore Island Country Club - Bukit course
Insider Secrets and Tips for Asian golf vacations
The traditional western concept of a day’s golf can be foreign in many parts of Asia. Asian golfers are generally very brand conscious, and clubs that can buy championship pedigree or pay exorbitant appearance fees of celebrity professionals have the highest profiles. For the discerning golf traveler, settling for the region’s celebrity layouts can be a misguided practice.
That said, there are many top-notch courses to be found with a bit of research and recommendation, and a journey to any one or several Asian countries can be a golf vacation experience of a lifetime.
As for that experience, you should know that often, players can take up to three caddies, rounds can last half a day and the experience is as much about the culinary delights of the clubhouse as the quality of the golf holes.
The market doesn’t necessarily appreciate good design, and though a steamy sauna-like climate can be unsuitable for growing decent grass, sumptuous resort facilities, the friendly locals, and several genuine standouts are all worth celebrating
