Golf getaway

Golf tourism is one of the fastest growing areas in the sports industry. Few other games can combine holiday with sport as golf does.

While southern Europe may be the favoured choice for rich Europeans, South-east Asia, especially Malaysia, is emerging as a popular destination for those wishing to keep an eye on the budget.

Sitting on the South China Sea in the middle of south-east Asia, Malaysia consists of two regions "" Peninsular Malaysia in the west and Sabah and Sarawak in east Malaysia, located on the island of Borneo.

The total area of Malaysia is roughly 3,30,000 sq km. Peninsular Malaysia, which comprises 40 per cent of the area, is the region which is tranforming as as the hotbed of golf in South-east Asia.

Even in the fiercely competitive South-east Asian golf market, Malaysia has stolen the march over Thailand, Singapore, The Philippines and China, which too have started looking at golf tourism in a serious way.

Also, few other countries have managed to successfully package golf with tourism. Malaysia, on the other hand, has a well- conceived strategy to promote the place as a major golf holiday destination and is today attracting high-spenders in droves. While other countries are concentrating on raising the numbers, Malaysia is focused on high-end tourism with golf thrown in.

Golf courses dot the main peninsular and its spectacular Langkawi Islands. In a country as small as Malaysia "" compared to India, that is "" there are more than 200 golf courses, some of which are simply breathtaking.

If you thought that Delhi and the National Capital Region, with its dozen-odd golf courses, has too many, check this out: Of the 200-odd courses in Malaysia, almost 50 are located in Kuala Lumpur, a city touted as the most popular tourist destination in Asia.

Malaysia may be hot and humid but the golfer has the option of taking a couple of putts in the cool hills or play by the sea, or near the tea plantations. With its lush greens and opulent surroundings, it makes for a great setting to immerse in the game.

There are courses for championships as there are courses for amateurs. There are also courses whose sheer beauty entices golfers to return again and again.

Two of the finest facilities in Kuala Lumpur are the Mines Resort Golf and Country Club and the Saujana Golf and Country Club. The former is part of the magnificent Mines Resort City, dubbed as one of the "seven wonders of Malaysia".

Spread over a 1,000-acre estate, the course designed by Robert Trent Jones has hosted world-class professional golf tournaments like the 1999 World Cup.With players like Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara winning titles at the event, it has also had great media exposure at a global level. It is located less than a half-hour from central Kuala Lumpur and is a 30-minute drive from the Kuala Lumpur international airport.

The Saujana Golf and Country Club is yet another terrific course. Designed by Ronald Fream, the course has cleverly used the natural terrain to produce a challenging and yet an enjoyable course.

Similarly, the tenth hole of the Bukit Jambul Country Club in Penang, also designed by Jones, is regarded as the "most beautiful in Malaysia".

The other Jones-designed course "" the Desaru Golf and Country Club "" has been carved out of 300 acres of forest land that borders the long, sandy beach stretches by the South China Sea.

Langkawi has the Datai Bay Golf Club where the 19th hole "" normally a tag reserved for the Club house "" has no fairway. It is a par three, where the golfer has to hit from the tee onto the green with the Bay in between. In the far horizon, one can see the coastline of neighbouring Thailand.

There are at least three to four more courses in Langkawi and a week-long stay ensures that you take the whole route to make it a great golfing holiday. At Datai Bay, monkeys can be a bigger hazard than ponds, bunkers and thick roughs as they pick up balls from the fairways and go up the tall trees.

It is precisely this level of quality that Malaysia is trying to sell to the global market and bring more tourists to the country. There are excellent resorts with efficient transport systems attached to the courses. Add to that the charm of amateur events at the local, national and at the global level that are held on a regular basis. There are events for tourists as well as for corporates. Top-level professional events like the annual Malaysian Open, or Asian Tour events at the Saujana and Mines Resort are a big draw.

Events of this stature always lure the weekend golfer, who can return home to tell that he played on the same course as Tiger Woods competed. Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia can keep adding to the number of tourist footfalls that add precious cash to the country's booty.