Golfing in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club

They say, leave the best for last and that's what we did.

Our weekend of Golf in Kota Kinabalu was quickly coming to an end. But we still had time for one last round at the exclusive Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club.

I don't know about you, but when one speaks about golfing in Kota Kinabalu, courses like Sutera Harbour, SGCC and Nexus Karambunai usually come to mind. 

I can do no better but refer to Dalit Bay's website for an introduction which reads:-

"About Dalit Bay. Ensconced within the 400 acres of Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort, this superbly 18-hole championship course designed by Ted Parslow, provides the challenger with a stimulating playing experience, and was designed with the sensitivity to the natural beauty and the character of Sabah." 

Truth be told, I had never heard much about Dalit Bay prior to our tee-off and so had no idea of what to expect. 

And boy was I pleasantly surprised. The Dalit Bay Golf and Country club is a beautiful golf resort. 

Everything from the clubhouse, the facilities and ultimately, the golf course was reminiscent of the Golf Courses in Thailand. In fact, I can say with some confidence that it is on-par with some of the top golf clubs there and in Kuala Lumpur.

The clubhouse is modern classy and the course is gorgeous. Conditions were immaculate and the views, breathtaking. 

I didn't take alot of pictures at Nexus Karambunai or SGCC but I was compelled to take a bunch here, so I will let the pictures do the talking. (looking back though, I should have taken more, but I was simply enjoying the golf)

We couldn't have asked for better weather. Fairways were in tip top condition, greens were in great shape and the landscaping was top notch. Oh and did I mention that the views were breathtaking?

I honestly felt like I was playing abroad (not to say Kota Kinabalu isn't great, but you know what I mean)

While there were a few holes that I thought were difficult, the course on a whole wasn't over challenging so it made for an enjoyable round of golf, even for a high handicapper like me. 

There were a number of contenders for most scenic hole, but the Par 3, Hole 11 really lived up to its signature hole label.  

The tee box is set against the backdrop of the south china sea. When setting up, golfers face the Tambalang river mouth and then take aim of the green with the imposing Mount Kinabalu in the background. Simply stunning.

View from the tee-box. Pardon the distorted panoramic picture. 

Fortunately I didn't play too bad so that made for an enjoyable round. But alas, we eventually reached the 18th green and made our way for a well deserved rest at the golfer's terrace before hitting the showers. 

The locker room was also very nice. Spacious, modern, clean with plenty of shower cubicles. 

If I had to nit pick, I noticed though that there was a shortage of staff (i.e. bag attendants, marshalls, caddies, locker room staff) and food and beverage were rather pricey (but that is to be expected really) 

After a nice soothing shower, we made our way back to town for a late lunch of, you guessed it, Sang Nyuk Mien before making out way for our flight back to Kuching. 

And that brings our Kota Kinabalu golfing weekend to an end.

My ratings:-

Course conditions:- 5/5 (conditions were immaculate and the landscaping, beautiful)

Course difficulty:- 3/5 (a few difficult holes, but the course on a whole wasn't overly challenging)

Caddy rating:- No caddies available

Club House facilities:- 4/5 

12/15 - MUST PLAY! Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the experience and will definitely return again in future.

Take note though that with top Golf Clubs, expect to pay 'top' green fees. I think a kaki of ours managed to get us a promotional rate so we paid less then RM200.00 per person. Though, I would have happily paid full price (Published rate is RM420.00 inclusive of buggy-twin sharing and insurance)

Golfing in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai

Our next course on the list was the highly rated Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai.

Situated about 25 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu, the 18 hole course promises golfers of all levels a stunning round of golf. On the front 9, golfers will enjoy the lush greenery of the Borneo jungle, while the back 9, is set along the coast of the South China Sea. 

We began the day with a glorious breakfast of KK's famous sang nyuk mien. Which is basically dry tossed noodles with a side of soup filled with porky goodness.

The soup is undoubtedly the star of this modest looking meal. The soup is rich and delectable. The delicate slices of pork, tender and succulent. Yummy stuff.

Then it was off to Nexus Golf Resort. I played here last year and similar to my experience at SGCC, I had a terrible round. This time was much better and I was quite pleased. 

Traffic on the course was rather brisk, but the experienced marshals were conducting the flow ably and directed us to tee off from Hole no.5, a par 3 with plenty of water no less. Fortunately, my first swing of the day was alright and I managed to stay high and dry. 

The weather was perfect and the fairways and bunkers were in great condition (buggies were allowed on the fairway). But I wish I could say the same about the putting greens. They were under maintenance so there was plenty of sand and holes on the green. Needless to say, putting was rather irrelevant.

Though that said, considering we only paid the promotional rate of RM111.00 (green fee, buggy - twin share) on the weekend no less, there was very little to complain about. 

The blend of nature with modern landscaping was perfect and it made for lovely views. Beautiful indeed.

The course itself is rather flat but the layout presents a nice challenge, with plenty of water hazards to make one think. So course management is rather crucial. 

Overall, we had a great time and would definitely return again (so long as the management continue with the promotional green fee)

My ratings:-

Course conditions : 3/5 (only because the greens were under maintenance, otherwise conditions were great)

Course difficulty : 3/5 (not a terribly difficult round of 18 holes but course management is key and having a caddy would be helpful for info on yardage and green reads).

Caddy rating : Business was brisk so there weren't any caddies by the time we teed off.

Club house facilities : 4/5 (locker rooms were clean and spacious. Plenty of shower cubicles and amenities)

10/15 - A must play. With the promotional rate of RM111.00 there is no reason not to play this lovely course, even if the greens are under maintenance. You could do alot worse then Nexus Golf Resort.

Golfing in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - Sabah Golf and Country Club ("SGCC")

So my kaki-golf group flew to Kota Kinabalu for a golfing weekend from 7.11 - 9.11.2014. A couple of months back, Malaysia Airlines were having a sale and we managed to snap up return tickets (Kch-KK-Kch) for a bargain RM100.00. 

November soon came and we were raring to go. After touching down on the Friday morning, we headed for brunch of noodles before setting off to SGCC for our tee-off at 1.30pm.

I played at SGCC last September and I was truly humbled by the course. This time, I was determined to play much better. 

SGCC is an 18 hole course which opened in 1976, making it the oldest course in Sabah. Designed by Robert Muir Graves, SGCC which measures 6335 meters, it is rated as one of the toughest courses in Malaysia. In 2004, the 18 hole layout was remodeled by Nelson & Haworth Golf Course Architects.

Week-day walk in green fee is RM180.00 (inclusive of buggy, a bottle of mineral water) We had reciprocal arrangements so we only paid RM44.00 each.  

Personally, the course is a challenge to play on because of the hilly terrain, undulating fairways and quick greens. The course layout doesn't make it any easier either. 

Picture of the green (on top) and a panaromic picture of the Par 4, 9th hole.(apologies for lack of pics)

The greens were still quick and made for a number of 2 - 3 putts but I was pleased to card a score of 95 (1 under - hdp 24) which was 10 strokes better then before, so I didn't have any complaints.

Having just seen him in action at the CIMB classic, it was a pleasant surprise that we bumped into non other then current Malaysian No.1 golfer, Nicholas Fung who was also playing a round. He obliged a friend for an autograph which was pretty cool.

To cap off a nice afternoon, our kaki, Edwin added some magic when he aced the par 3, 5th marking his 1st ever hole in one. Needless to say we were all ecstatic. 

Had he aced the hole the next day during a tournament, our friend would have 'driven' home with a Toyota Hilux. Either way, a hole in one is still a wonderful achievement and we are all patiently waiting for his treat.

Then after our shower, we headed into town where we stopped at the New Welcome restaurant for a seafood feast. Fresh seafood, cooked beautifully at reasonable prices, what more can one ask for. 

As always, my ratings:-

Course Conditions : 4/5 (Fairways / rough were a bit wet/soft in some areas but course conditions were very good overall)

Course Difficulty : 4/5 (undulating hilly terrain and quick greens)

Caddy Rating : Didn't get a caddy

Club house facilities : 4/5 (Could do with more shower cubicles, but was a nice locker room overall. Didn't like the RM50.00 deposit for a locker key though)

12/15 - Definitely check it out. (Golfers playing a handicap higher then 24 may want to take a rain check. The ladies at the reception can be pretty strict. The last time we played, they asked to see our NHS card)

A guide to collecting autographs : Tournament edition

If you have been following my recent instagram posts (#gordonmccloud), you would have seen some pictures of souvenirs / autographs (*read : showing off ) I got during the CIMB Classic. 

 Assorted balls / caps and tags with autographs

This was from 2013. Managed to get Rickie to sign a hat, a few balls and a ticket. Big fan, so am hoping to see good things for him this season. Pity he didn't come down this year.

Back to back winner, Ryan Moore. Managed to scoop 3 of his autographed balls and he kindly signed this photo this year. Only regret was not asking for a photo with him. There's always next year.

 Sergio Garcia and two time runner up Gary Woodland

Jason Dufner. Had to wait for a long time but I managed to get his autograph and I am convinced I am the only one who did.

Some people think it's a waste of time but I like collecting memorabilia and autographs and I think it makes for a cool collection. Some are rather envious and have asked how I got them (stalked for them), so I figured, why not make a post of it.

So here it is. "A guide to collecting autographs : Tournament edition".

Firstly, I won't lie. It takes alot of time and perseverance to get these autographs. But being prepared definitely makes things alot easier.

1. Attire

I attended both editions of the CIMB Classic in 2013 and 2014 and here's what I can say about the weather. It's very hot and at mid-day, scorching. It also rains sometimes so attire is crucial.

Top : Wear light, comfortable clothing that dry quickly. If you're following the players and want to wait for autographs, you are going to sweat, alot. So think moisture-wicking material.

Bottom : Comfortable loose sport shorts, with pockets. Golfing shorts are most ideal. Avoid long pants at any costs.

Shoes : Comfortable sport / walking shoes or spikeless golf shoes (I wore my True - Phx) with comfortable thick socks. You're going to be walking / standing for half a day so it helps to keep your feet comfy. Avoid slippers, sandals or dress shoes, unless of course you are there to spend time in the air - conditioned marque tents. Actually saw a couple of guys in suits no less. 

Other stuff:-

It's going to be hot and the sun will be glaring. So make sure to wear a cap, bring your sunglasses and do not forget the sunblock lotion. Helps to bring a towel too. I used one of those Mission Enduracool towels which help to keep you a little cooler.

Backpack. Bring a big enough backpack to keep the following:-

i. Your autograph equipment (more later) 

ii. a spare change of clothes

iii. an umbrella or rain coat

iv. bottle of water

v. Small packets of tissue

vi. Basic medication like panadol / Oral Rehydration Salts or two. Last year, I saw a guy on the course who collapsed to his knees and started vomitting. Poor fellow looked like he had a heat stroke, so I passed him a bottle of water with a pack of ORS, a pack of tissues and some panadol for his throbbing head. Oh, and he was wearing khakis long pants and a polo t-shirt and only had a bottle of water. Safe to say, he was not prepared.

2. Autograph gear

Most of the stars will sign anything. Phil Mickelson signed a guy's shoe last year and no, it wasn't a new pair (he politely told me that he doesn't sign golf balls though). In my opinion Golfballs, caps, photos and posters (draw sheets  or magazines) make the best memorabilia. Golfballs are very personalized so they are great. Hats are also ideal simply because you can just wear it and it fits a ton of autographs. Photos and posters are even better but you will need to keep them in a file (I used an A4 file with envelope sheets) to keep them from crumpling.

Golfballs : You can always bring your own balls but I would suggest heading over to the merchandise tent (MST has a great merchandise tent) and grab a box of those logo balls. This year, I bought 2 boxes (24 balls in total) of Wilson Staff balls with the CIMB Classic logo for RM100.00. It's no ProV1, but I like that it has the CIMB Classic logo.

Caps: Buy a CIMB Cap and bring one of your own. Like last year, I brought a Puma cap for Rickie and a Callaway hat for Phil.

Photos : Good quality A4 prints on good thick photo paper. None of those light A4 stuff. They will crumple / tear and you will cry. 

Pens : Sharpies with fine point nibs. The pros use them and will usually have their own but there are instances where they don't have it on them. Lost count on the number of fans I have lent my sharpie to. So bring your own. No permanent markers, as they tend to bleed-out and make the signatures, ugly. Ultra fine pens or ball point pens are hard to sign with.

3. Where to get autographs

The best place to get autographs is outside the scoring area which is where the golfers submit their score cards after each round. There is a designated area with barricades and security personnel.

That's me in blue and Ryan Moore after his round on day 2. Photo was taken by Chris who was helping the PGA with the tournament. Met him during day 1 and had a good chat with him whilst I was waiting for the pros to emerge from the scoring area. Great guy.

4. When to get autographs

After the pros submit their score cards. Never before. Usually the pros will emerge from the scoring room and oblige their waiting fans. Bear in mind though, that some don't come back out (esp. if they had a bad round.) I have seen so many fans chase after the pros during their warm up sessions, during rounds (this is a HUGE no-no) and right after they step off the 18th green much to their disappointment. So,  wait in front of the barricades and you will probably get a signature or two. 

Also, worth noting that if you are determined to get autographs, try to attend on the first 2 days when the crowds are much less. 

I should though mention that I waited at the scoring area for a long time. This year I waited outside the scoring area from 11.45am and only left at about 1.15pm. I am pretty sure I was the only one waiting the whole time so don't let that scare you. You can always get a signature or two, leave and then come back later.

5. Plan ahead

The daily pairings will usually be published the night before tee-off and there will be daily draw sheets with grouping info and tee-off times. 

Have a good read to plan ahead and you won't have to follow that particular group the whole 18 holes. It will usually take 4-4.5 hours for a flight to complete their rounds and with the draw sheet, it isn't difficult to monitor when a particular flight is heading for the scoring area.

6. Stay hydrated and nourished

As I said earlier, always have a bottle of water in your bag. There are a good number of food and beverage stations so make sure to stay hydrated and grab a bite to eat.

7. Remember names

I will admit to not knowing alot of the players out of the top-50. 

The tournament website will usually have a page of the field and there will be photographs, way before the tournament starts. But even if you don't check out the field, it isn't too hard to find out just who is walking off the green. You can always refer to the draw sheet and the players will have their names on their bags or caddy's bib, so make an educated guess.

Kevin Chappell came out to sign some autographs and this one uncle kept calling him "John, John!" I cringed. Kevin didn't find it too hilarious either and actually told him "Look, I am not John." So I quickly told the uncle who he was and he then started to call out "Kevin, Kevin!". I think it's only polite to call a person by their correct name. But if you really have no clue, "Hello, could I have your autograph?" usually works.

Didn't end there though. I think the uncle must have asked for a personal souvenir because I saw Kevin patting his pockets and heard him say "Sorry, I don't have anything else on me." I cringed again. It's one thing not to know the person's name but to ask for a personal item after? Alamak.

8. Persevere

Most of the players are very obliging and will take the time to sign autographs and take a picture or two. Phil, Rickie and Sergio for instance will spend ages to try and sign for the fans. Some though, don't. 

So when they come out from the scoring area, do what I do. Call them out (politely of course) and stick out your autograph item. That's worked for me.

Like I said, some stars don't spend very much time to sign for autographs or even come out after, so if you don't get it on day 1, try again on day 2, 3 and 4. 

Last year, I waited 3 days for Bubba Watson. He didn't come out on day 1 and day 2. On day 3, he made a quick dash to the scoring area after his round and eventually did re-emerge. 

9. Exclusive passes

You will see alot of people wearing tags around their necks around the course and club house. Only for the exclusive crowd, these passes are the golden tickets. 

Some tags will get you right into the club house and that's where you will catch the pros in a more casual setting. They will usually oblige for photographs too so If you can get your hands on one of these next year (pass me one) and make full use of it.

Thanks to Ian, I got a pass to the BMW Marquee Tent, which was very cool. That's Sergio, Davis Love III and Ryo Ishikawa's signature (from left to right)

Then when you come back home, sort out the memorabilia and display them proudly like so. Hope some of you will find this useful in future.

Titleist 915 Exclusive Demo : Distance without compromise

Tis the season when manufacturers start rolling out their new merchandise, their new 'weapons' and the next big thing.

Titleist, a household name synonymous with Golf, is no different with the highly-anticipated launch of their new 915 range of metals (driver, woods and hybrids).

These babies will only hit stores on 14th November, but if you are really lucky, one of your friends may just have exclusive invites from Titleist to attend an exclusive demo of the 915. 

I was one such lucky person and thanks to my mate Kenny, we managed to get a few spaces for the 915 demo at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club's driving range on 29th October.

After our round we settled for a quick dinner at the Coffee house and then made our way to the driving range. We could hear the sounds of golf balls getting whacked from a distance and we quickened our steps.

Participants from the earlier session were finishing up and they were clearly having plenty of fun testing out the new equipment.

We were greeted by Tom Hutton, Golf Ball Product and Consumer Connection Manager for Titleist who registered us for our session. 

The session began with a short briefing by Titleist Golf Club expert Gene Saunders, about the new 915 metals range and the technology involved. It was really informative and Gene really knew his stuff. 

All the tech details here.

Here's what the good folks at Titleist have to say in a nutshell.

"More Distance Through 

Higher Speed and Lower Spin

Active Recoil Channel™

The wide sole channel delivers more distance by actively flexing at impact to launch the ball off the face with higher speed and lower spin"

"More Distance on Off-Center Hits

Radial Speed Face

The high speed face insert with a thick center and radially thin perimeter in the heel and toe, delivers more distance on off-center hits."

(This feature, attracted me most. More below.)

"More Distance, More Often

High MOI Design

Reduced thickness up front allows weight to be strategically placed in the back, resulting in a low and deep CG that provides ball speed preserving forgiveness."

Then it was the moment everyone was waiting for.

Boy, what a sight it was. Drivers, Woods and hybrids all available at our disposable (for just the 1 hour of course). Did I mention we were hitting ProV1 range balls too? 

I was really curious about how the drivers would perform, so I started with the 915 D2 driver in 9.5* paired with the Diamana S+ Blue shaft.

The 915 drivers feature five new aftermarket options to fit a wide range of players and swing speeds. 

The stock lineup includes the Fujikura Speeder 652 (mid launch) and the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 (low launch), Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 60 (mid launch), Mitsubishi Diamana M+ Red 50 (high launch) and Mitsubishi Diamana M+ Red 40 (high launch). 

Really liking the design of the 915.

So how did the 915 D2 fair? 

I was loving it.  

For a high handicapper like me, the biggest thing to me was the radial speed face. Usually, when my drives are off-center, I usually lose a fair bit of distance. 

Not so with the 915. Visually, I could tell I wasn't losing as much distance from off-center hits or even when I sliced my drive. And with center hits the ball just rocketed off the face effortlessly and the sound, simply divine. 

On centre-hits I could see I was hitting it past the 200m marker but without a flight monitor, I wasn't sure if I was actually gaining distance. 

The hybrids were nice but it didn't feel that much different from my current Callaway Xhot-22* 

Perhaps I was a little fatigued. After all, we had a round of 18 holes earlier and I must have whacked a bucket worth of balls with the D2 driver.

In conclusion, I personally feel that the 915 D2 driver certainly lives up to their tagline. Distance without compromise.

It's very forgiving and will certainly appeal to a wide range of golfers. 

I myself am quite keen to have it in the bag, but if I do, I probably will explore other after market shaft options. 

I must also take the chance to mention that Tom, Gene and the Titleist team present, were very helpful and informative. They were ever ready to help out participants and this really enhanced the demo experience. 

If testing the new 915s before everyone else wasn't enough, we were each given, not 1, but 3 sleeves of ProV1s as part of the goodies bag. Hands-down, best demo ever.

Jealous yet? :)

Then to cap off a great golfing day, Kenny treated me to awesome hokkien mee, amongst other foods. Thanks Kenny!

Then it was off to bed, for day 1 of the CIMB Classic at the KLGCC.

In other news, we are off to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow for a golfing weekend, where we will take on 3 courses. Sabah Golf and Country Club, Nexus Karambunai and Dalit Bay. 

More posts when I come back!

Glenmarie Golf & Country Club : Venue of the 1st Eurasia Cup

Prior to attending the CIMB Classic, 2 of my kakis and I had a round on the Garden Course at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club. Glenmarie as we know, hosted the 1st Eurasia Cup held earlier this year. We were also deciding whether to play at Tropicana but settled with Glenmarie since we were attending the Titleist 915 demo at the driving range later in the evening.

I stayed at the Glenmarie Holiday Inn a month ago and had a nice view of the golf course which looked very good. We played on a week day and mind you, a non-member would have to fork out RM400.00+ (inclusive of buggy and caddy on twin sharing basis and tax) for a round of 18 holes. Rather pricey and coupled with the Eurasia credentials, I had high expectations of the course.

So off we went and so far so good. I was liking the course conditions (landscape and greens). But as we advanced, I realized there were a number of locations (further from view of the clubhouse) where the landscaping and conditions were less impressive.

Hole 3 for instance was a dog-leg right par 5 and I found some trouble on the left side off the fairway from the tee. Eventually, I found my ball just before the drain that runs on the left, on a patch of what I can only describe as unsightly 'grassless-clay-surface'. There were big patches of it too. I asked the caddy if it was 'GUR' and he shook his head. 

No way was I going to try and hit or even punch the ball off the rough clay-like surface, so I took a penalty drop. Sure, better players wouldn't find themselves in that spot, but I personally didn't expect to see such conditions. At least it wasn't on the fairway I suppose.

The course layout I have to say was quite challenging and even though I was having a bad putting day, I thought the greens were manageable. Bunkers weren't as fluffy but I put that down to the constant afternoon rain KL has been getting of late.

My ratings:-

Course conditions - 3.5/5 (fairways and greens were in good condition. But I personally think that courses like Kota Permai and Sungai Long are way better)

Course difficulty - 3/5 

Caddy rating - 3/5/ (Our young male caddy, whilst hardworking was not very knowledgeable)

Club house facilities - 4/5

13.5/15 - Worth playing once.