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This Week at TravelGolf.com: Aug. 30, 2007
Malaysia stepping briskly on to the world stage as an Asian golf vacation option
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - If you happen to find yourself one day aboard Malaysia Airlines, perhaps on your way to the gleaming capital of Kuala Lumpur, one of the in-flight movies you have the option of seeing is "Entrapment."
It stars Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The movie itself is a tepid caper film, but the climactic scenes are shot in Kuala Lumpur, much of them in, on and around the Petronas Twin Towers, among the tallest buildings on earth.
Connery and Zeta-Jones cavort dangerously on the towers, 88 stories high and nearly 1,500 feet high, pursued by the cops. The views, as in person, are breathtaking.
Malaysians are sophisticated enough to know the movie is silly, but they most likely couldn't resist showing off their modern capital - "KL," as it is usually referred to. The city is a teeming, weirdly-satisfying blend of Malaysia's colonial past and bright future, from the hucksters in Chinatown, lit by the famous midnight lamps, to the ultra-modern towers and other high-rise office buildings.
Malaysians are proud of how far they've come in half a century - the country is celebrating it's 50th anniversary Aug. 31 and every time you turn around you bump into a Malaysian flag. They go to pains to remind visitors that this is no third-world country.
Like other Southeast Asian countries with booming economies, Malaysia has jumped into golf, the game of business, with both feet.
The country sports nearly 200 courses, and they are as varied as the country itself. You can find excellent courses in the mountains, along the seashore, on tropical islands and rainforests and in urban settings.
Many have the sort of pristine conditioning found in the West, with some of the older ones throwing some of the nastiest rough at you this side of Boggy Creek - beware the broad-leafed Cowgrass!
A strong sampling of some of the world's greatest architects are represented here: Robert Trent Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Gary Player, to name a few.
They're also easy to get to, with the excellent roads in the country, not to mention the extensive in-country flights. Malaysia also has some world-class resorts.
Just make sure to keep it in the fairway and out of the blasted Cowgrass.
As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.
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Dates: July 23, 2007 - December 31, 2007
Stay at Oceanside Inn and play Indigo Lakes Golf Club, Cypress Head, The Golf Club At, River Bend Golf Club and Halifax Plantation Golf Club starting at $298.00.
For more information, please call 1-866-521-2331 or click here. |
The Lake Placid Club's Links Course is one of the most conveniently located resort courses you'll ever find, right down the street from downtown Lake Placid, N.Y., and one of the most walkable. But this is no easy resort-course play. The Links Course is the preferred track of Lake Placid's serious golfers: assistant pros, pro shop workers and the like. But if you're up to a challenge, it's definitely a worthy upstate New York play.
Also: Hear this week's TravelGolf.com podcast
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Dates: June 1, 2007 - September 30, 2007
Play 3 of the top golf courses in Palm Springs including PGA West Stadium, PGA West Nicklaus, PGA West Norman, La Quinta Mountain, Trilogy Golf Club and Classic Club. Challenging desert courses together in one great package, starting from $179.
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No destination embraces replicas quite like Las Vegas. But one of the city's finest efforts isn't in a gaudy hotel and casino, but on the golf course. Royal Links pays a fine tribute to famous British Isle links courses, including the Road Hole at St. Andrews and the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon. Of course, it'd take a miracle to recreate an ocean shoreline and 50 inches of annual rainfall - but designer Perry Dye certainly did his homework.
Also: Play the Walters Cup Pro-Am/Poker tourney
For The Cliffs, located in the northwest corner of South Carolina, the addition of a Tiger Woods' designed course means members of the exclusive community have a bounty of golf riches at their fingertips. The Cliffs already counts two Nicklaus designs, two Tom Fazios and a Gary Player layout among its eight courses. The deal with Woods has shined a spotlight not just on the amazing quality of The Cliffs, but also on Cliffs founder Jim Anthony himself.
Also: The U.S.'s finest golf communities at GolfCourseRealty.com
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Recognized with several, high caliber industry awards and one of the few international golf destinations that offers three championship courses, the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort presents this inaugural event, where 25 percent of the field will receive prizes, to take place Sunday and Monday, Sept. 2 and 3. For more info on the Las Vegas Paiute Amateur Golf Classic, call (702) 395-1717 or go to www.lvpaiutegolf.com.
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