Nyaung Oo Golf Club
exotic sites. Golf in Yangon is on the rise,
old colonial buildings dotted around the
city elicit a sense of the old days, and a trip
to the Shwedagon Pagoda is of bucket list
quality. To the North, Bagan is said to be
one of the most spiritual Buddhist regions
on earth. Personally, everyone I know who
has been there has been awed and affected.
Beaches are gorgeous and places like
Ngapoli have accommodations to suit any
taste. Even the Internet at the best hotels is
screaming fast. (I suspect because there are
not a lot of local users)
Pun Hlaing Golf Club
and analyzing the many tracks, a modern
golfing traveler might not.
But that is rapidly changing! Myanmar now
has its own Open Championship that is a
sanctioned Asian Tour event. The venue
in 2017 was in Yangon at the recently
renovated, Gary Player, Pun Hlaing Golf
Club and was a rousing success. Dagon
Golf Club also in Yangon, is an excellent
new venue about to come online which will
further enhance golf options that are up to
international standards. Additionally, some
of the courses around Myanmar while not in
Once a British colony, the Brits, over the
the best of condition by any stretch, are just
years built 20 golf courses before Burmese
too interesting to pass up. The Bagan Golf
re-established their independence in 1947.
Club is almost magically routed amongst
While the country was in for more strife,
fabulous 11th century Temples, Pagodas,
the legacy of golf was indelibly imprinted
and Stupas. The oldest course in Myanmar,
on the landscape. The military and others
Thayet Century Golf Club was established
subsequently built more than 100 more
in 1887 and according to their sign, is still
courses around the country. Golf is
affiliated with the St Andrews Golf Club
everywhere in Myanmar. However there is a and is an interesting example of turn of the
catch, with so many years of more important century British Design. Myotha National,
business to attend to, many venues have
near Mandalay, is also a spectacular desert
fallen into disrepair and most have not been style course that will soon open and is sure
upgraded since they were built decades ago to be rated a slam dunk world class venue.
and some cases, over a century ago. Alas,
What may be the most exciting news about
while a golf historian may enjoy seeking out
golf in Myanmar is that arguably Myanmar’s
Volume 3 • Issue 40
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