Great Golf Magazine Sep/Oct 2017 September October 2017 | Page 37

Malaysia.qxp_St Enodoc 28.09.2016 11.37 Side 6 maintenance impact of seasonal monsoon rainfall that had required an almost daily rebuild by green staff. Els has compensated for these lack of traditional hazards by integrating hollows and false fronts into the design, not to mention water and creek beds, and there is enough movement and pitch to the greens to keep golfers of all standards more than honest. In past visits, I’d not played golf here but had marvelled from a road that dissected part of the course from the Andaman coastline at a green perched seemingly on the edge of the shimmering sea, with nothing between it and the islands in the distance that form part of Thailand. How exciting it was to return to find local authorities had conceded to re-routing the road to enable Els to bring more of this spectacular coastline into play. BREATHTAKING VIEWS. Each of the nines meander into the ancient rainforest framed by jagged mountainous peaks before returning to the coast with a visual assault of blue that takes your breath away. The rich green carpet of turf was flawless and provided beautiful playing conditions, with inquisitive dusky leaf monkeys 37