Top 5 Golfing Countries in Asia
The popularity of golf has greatly spread from its original birthplace in Scotland to all continents in the World. Asia is one of the most prominent golf destinations in the world with many Asian countries developing golf courses for the growing number of golfers. In fact, some of the best golf courses in the world are located in Asian countries. Here are the top 5 golfing countries in Asia highlighted by RunRex.
Thailand
History has it that golf first arrived in this Asian country over a hundred years ago when King Rama V was the ruler. Back then, the sport was only played by the noble and those high in the society. The country currently has about 250 golf courses with some of them being featured in the list of the best golf courses in Asia. This has made Thailand an attractive destination for tourists who want to play golf. Most of Thailand’s courses are uniquely designed and characterized by water hazards and bunkers.
Some of the top golf courses in Thailand are the Chiang Mai Highlands Golf and Spa Resort, Santiburi Samui Country Club, Black Mountain Golf Resort, Alpine Golf Club, Amata Spring and Bayan among others. The affordable golfing that Thailand offers and the golfing experience are the reasons why thousands of golfers from other parts of the world jet into this country every year to play golf.
Japan
Golf is quite a popular sport in Japan. Regardless of your budget or skill level, there is an excellent golf course in Japan that can accommodate you and offer you an unforgettable golfing experience. This country is well-known for its picturesque scenery and from that, you can tell the nature of the golf courses there. Some of the top golf courses in Japan are at Lakewood Golf Club, Ashinoko C.C., Aqualine Golf Club, Kasumigaura Kokousai G.C, Gotemba Golf Club, Belle View Nagao Golf Club and many more. Most of these golf courses and many others in Japan were designed by the top golf course designers from the top firms in the west.
Other than being among the most beautiful golf courses in Asia, Japan’s golf courses are known for their difficulty. Even the pros like Tiger Woods have found them to be some of the most challenging golf courses in the world. While most of the golf courses have a “members only” policy, tourist can find affordable golf courses that allow non-members to play.
China
China is like a small world inside the earth. Despite it being quite difficult to move around this vast country exploring all it offers, getting a great golfing experience shouldn’t be that difficult. Golf is quite popular in China, although it is mostly played by the wealthy in the society. China boasts of being the home to the biggest golf club in the entire world at Mission Hill. The golf club, located on the border of China and Hong Kong, is made up of 12 golf courses. Seven are located in Shenzhen and the other five at Donnguan. All the 12 courses were designed by the best golf architects from 5 continents.
Some of the other top golf courses in China can be found at Shanqin Bay, Spring City, Sheshan, Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula and Shanghai Links, just to mention a few. The good thing about China is that it is very welcoming to foreigners. Therefore, anyone can be part of the China golf experience.
Singapore
The golfing experience in this city-state is nothing but thrilling. Golf in Singapore has a very young history. The Singapore Golf Association was only established in 1961 signaling its recent entry into the golfing map. The late entry has not deterred golf from growing in Singapore as the country now boasts of 13 golf clubs, most of which have more than one golf course. Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club is arguably Singapore’s finest and one of the best in Asia. It hosts Singapore Open annually.
Tanah Merah, Singapore Island, Tanah Merah, Laguna National and Raffles are the other great golf courses to play on in Singapore. While the country is only a small city state, golf in the country is bigger than ever before.
Malaysia
Malaysia is one of the greatest destinations in Asia and golf is one of the reasons tourists fly to this beautiful country every year. The Malaysian Golf Association was formed in 1923 and is in charge of the main annual golf event in the country, the Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship. The country’s golf map is characterized by over 200 high-quality golf courses, some of which are among the best in the entire Asian continent. A sample of the best can be found at Clearwater Sanctuary, The Mines, Els Club Desaru Coast, Shan-Shui, Horizon Hills, Staffield, Glenmarie and Royal Selangor, among others.
The beauty of Singapore can only give you a hint of how the golf courses look like. In fact, you will have a difficult time picking a golf course to play from. Locals and visitors can take advantage of the various golf holiday packages to enjoy a feel of Malaysian golf.