Golf and Country Club

THIS IS WHERE the 24-year- old Gaganjeet Bhullar who hails from Kapurthala near Jalandhar won the 2012 Macau Open as part of the Asian Pro Tour in October last year. With all the luxury trappings of a world class resort course including a Westin Hotel onsite, it is rated as Macau’s premiere course. Since 1998 the Macau Open has starred legendary players such as Nick Faldo, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomery, John Daly and Chinese favourite Zhang Lian-Wei who has won here twice.

Located on Coloane, half-anhour’s drive from the glitz of Cotai, the MGCC is a private, 6,698-yard, par-71 course known for a narrow mountain-side front nine and picturesque ocean-side back nine.

One of the fun things for any visitor to Macau Golf and Country Club is to use the unique sea-facing driving range where you launch balls into the ocean while overlooking the South China Sea. Conveniently accessible to tourists, it is open to visitors through the year.

The golf club has developed a reputation as one of the most beautiful courses to play in the region with stunning views of the South China Sea and quiet, peaceful surroundings. The golf course is enjoyable with every hole presenting a fresh golfing experience. The course is slightly hilly and electric buggies are recommended unless you’re in very good shape! Several water bodies sit close to the greens but its quite a fair challenge. Yes, you have to be adept at judging how to take a longer club for uphill shots and then subtracting distance on the downhill ones. But the challenges are all quite visible and the breathtaking views of the South China Sea makes for good photo opportunities and you do need to occasionally pause during the game, taking in the scenery and enjoy the experience, no matter how your score is progressing.

The holes are both memorable and well designed, with narrow fairways and well protected greens. Multiple varieties of trees, shrubs and natural vegetation add colour to the golf course and the lush greenery gives the course a mature look compared to new courses where only short plant saplings line the fairways.

The club’s large state-of-the-art pro shop offers a wide choice of golf equipment, sportswear and club merchandise. Combine this with luxurious locker rooms and a spa and the full service golf resort comes to my mind.

At a Glance

GREEN FEE

Green Fees: 8000 (weekdays), 11,000(weekends);

tel: (853) 2887 1188 /eng/index.aspx

GETTING THERE

You can fly to Hongkong from Delhi on Malaysian Airlines and then take the ferry to Macau. The Macau Golf and Country Club is 11 km south of Macau City Centre, located on Coloane Island.

STAY AND PLAY IN MACAU

Stay at the Westin Macau Golf and Country Club for One night and 2 days and enjoy one round of weekday 18-hole green fee, share cart and lock for 25,000

THIS MONTH’S TIP

For Chipping, keep the clubhouse low instead of being wristy and steep with your clubhead swing path. Visualise a watch face and keep your clubhead swinging along each number on the watch face. So the clubhead starts at the 6 position, and swings through 7, 8 and upto 9 or 10 on the backswing and again on the follow through will pass through 5 and 4 before finishing at 3 o’clock. This gives a nice wide and shallow path which will improve ball striking.

The Top Four

1. CAESARS GOLF MACAU: Caesars Golf Macau, on the Cotai Strip is a friendly club which welcomes tourists with affordable rates. The 175-acre resort plays an active role in diversifying Macau’s tourism draw. Offering a golf experience like none other, this is one of the most distinctive golf retreats in Asia. Home of the Macau Golf Association Junior Golf Program and the Butch Harmon School of Golf, it’s the only semi-private 18-hole golf course in Macau with a full-length practice range. Butch Harmon has been the coach of several world #1 ranked players and has been voted as the #1 teacher in Golf Digest’s biennial survey of America’s 50 Greatest teachers four straight times. Green Fees: 8,500 (Regular Period), 14,200 (peak Period) tel:+853 2888 0123

2. PINE VALLEY SPORTS, COUNTRY AND GOLF CLUB: In Zhuhai City, this is one of the most picturesque layouts in Guangdong Province. It offers a wide variety of challenging playing conditions on its 18-hole 7,050 yards par 72 course through the rolling hills and round the banks of a serene lake. The place has a delightful feel about it but there’s nothing forgiving about the course. It’s a strong challenge and requires accuracy. Green Fees: 6,300(weekdays), 11,500 (weekend); tel: +86 756 557 3888

3. ORIENT GOLF CLUB: This is one of the younger courses in the Zhuhai area.‘Orient Zhuhai’ is part of the Orient chain of golf clubs. Built on reclaimed land at the mouth of the River Pearl, it has a flat layout that can be quite windy at times. The course has plenty of water and has the choice of twin fairways on the same hole. Green Fees: 4,500(weekdays), 7,500 (weekend); tel:+86 756 388 6898

4. LAKEWOOD GOLF CLUB: Considered among the 10 Most Influential Golf Clubs in China, this is located against a backdrop of majestic mountains and beautiful lakes, The club boosts of two international standard 18-holes golf courses, providing an interesting array of hazards and terrain that will kindle the competitive spirit in both the novice and professional. And yet, it would be hard for any golfer to miss the stunning physical beauty and ambience of the surrounding grounds. The Mountain Course (A&B Courses) extends to 7,212 yards with fairways and a number of interesting water hazards and bunkers providing the needed excitement. The Lakes Course (C&D Courses) extends to 6,730 yards with trees and flowers lining fairways and stones bridges it places golfers in picturesque scenery to fully enjoy their golfing and much more.

Green Fees: 6,300(weekdays), 9,100 (weekends);

tel:+86756 338-3666

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