Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club, Miri

There are two golf courses in Miri city. First up is Kelab Golf Miri which is smack in the middle of town and slightly further from town, the highly rated 18 hole, Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club.

In 2009, Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club was ranked 9 the New Straits Time, teetimes Malaysia's Top 10 Golf Courses. Impressive indeed, but would it live up to its reputation.

I had been told prior that Eastwood Valley was a challenging course the greens in particular were tricky and quick. So I took a couple of putts on the practice greens to get a feel and they weren't as quick as I had expected. Manageable would be the word.

There was plenty of rain the day before and we were told that the course would be wet. 

What they didn't tell us was that the course was VERY wet and mushy in several places, which was rather unfortunate. 

At least we had preferred lies in play I suppose. 

The other thing that got me was that the greens were alot quicker then the practice green I had warmed up on! which really defeats the purpose of a practice green.

We started off on the Par 3, 13th and the back nine was pretty challenging. 

Tight fairways, dog legs and plenty of water to be wary off. The front nine in comparison was kinder. Wide fairways, straighter layouts and less water to contend with. For some reason though, I started off really well but had a number of loose shots on the front 9, which was rather ironic. 

Staff : 4/5

Service at the club house was good. The reception staff and bag attendants were attentive and on hand. 

Didn't see any marshalls on the course though. 

Course conditions : 2.5/5

Have to say, the course conditions were below par. Fairways were a mix of cow grass and bermuda and boy was it wet and mushy. You could blame the rain from the day before, but I really expected the drainage to be better. 

To make things worse, I lost two perfect drives, plugged in the fairway. Some of the bunkers too were very washed out, shallow and hard. The greens in general were alright, but a number were really soft with ball marks resembling crater marks.

Aesthetics : 2.5/5

You get the feeling that alot of thought was put into beautifying the course, but the current landscaping is, for want of a better word, unkempt. Particularly with all the maintenance work being carried out on the back nine. 

Amenities : 4/5

The club house and resort had plenty of facilities. Locker rooms were clean and spacious. Buggies were in good condition and the drink huts were up and running. 

Experience : 2.5/5 

Overall, it was a disappointing golfing experience. Sure I had high expectations, but if you are going to highlight the fact that you 'are' a Top 10 course (what with all the 'top 10 course' signage around the course), you had better deliver the goods. 

Any good / highlight of the course is severely let down by its poor course conditions. For starters, they need to have a serious look at their water drainage system.

In addition, green fees aren't cheap. 

Pay RM232.00 on the weekday and expect to fork out RM301.00 on the weekends and public holidays. These are premium prices in this part of the world and you would expect much better conditions.

As a disclaimer, we paid RM250.00 (inclusive of buggy) as a weekend tournament special. 

Poor conditions and pricey green fees that do not reflect the Top 10 course it once was. I hope that changes in the near future.
 

Total score : 15.5/25

GMac returns to the winner's circle!

Fantastic to see Graeme McDowell overcome the slump with a bang in Mexico. 

First he nailed a tricky par putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff. Then on the 1st playoff hole, he hit his second shot (205yard - 5 iron) to 2.5 feet for birdie to clinch his 3rd and much needed PGA victory.

With this victory, GMac earns an Invitation to the 2016 Masters and a very nice two-year exemption on the PGA Tour. Oh and there's the winner's cheque of US$1,116,000.00 too.

 

Caught GMac at the Maybank Malaysian Open earlier this year and you couldn't support a nicer guy. You could tell he was having a tough time in the heat, but in between he was fantastic with the fan and very appreciative of the support.

 

Congratulations once again GMac! 

 

In other news, it's been rather busy at work (yes, I do have a day job) but it's off to Miri in a couple of days where I will take on the highly rated Eastwood Valley Couse. Pics and updates when I come back!

What a week it's been!

The final round of the CIMB Classic concluded just last Sunday and I am missing CIMB Classic week already. 

Volunteering at the CIMB Classic 2015 has been a fantastic experience.

Along the way, I have had the chance to see things from behind the ropes. I have also met with and seen some the biggest names in Golf in action up close.

 

I have had the opportunity to meet several amazing people and made a bunch of new friends. The volunteer program is a fine example of true teamwork and I am glad to have had a small part to play.  

I am not going to lie though. It was a pretty tough week (a typical day starts from 4am-6pm) and there were definitely some up and downs, but it was alot of fun and at the end of every day, it was immensely gratifying to see everything come together. 

The above said, none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for the hard work of every dedicated volunteer. It was a collective effort and I am very proud to have been a part of it.

There were so many of us, but I want to thank firstly the members in Group H. Guys and Gals (you know who you are), you were amazing throughout the week. I cannot thank you enough for stepping up when needed and for that, you have my sincere thanks and utmost appreciation.

My fellow hole Captains, Johari, Faizal, Din, Prithpal, Kishen, Chris. H, Chris. S, Lukas, Jack and Gary, thank you for all the laughs, help and guidance throughout the week. You guys are number 1! 

To the ladies who worked overtime behind the scenes, Terry, Aishah and Shandi, thank you!

Lastly, Emma and Nick, thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing experience. The tireless work that the both of you do made our jobs so much easier and is truly appreciated. You both are awesome and I am convinced that there is no one more suited for the job!

 

True teamwork!

And so it ends, for now. I will definitely be there in 2016 and if you have never volunteered, sign up! You won't regret it.