Kota kinabalu Golf Courses

Borneo Golf & Country Club

The Borneo Golf & Country Club is located about 70 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu or an hour's drive along the Beaufort Highway sitting on the edge of the South China Sea. This Borneo golf course is a classic Jack Nicklaus design. Playing across 200 acres on a larger 900 acre site, lagoons and the adjoining flat lands are surrounded by waste areas and large bunkers.

Nicklaus, undoubtedly, the world's greatest golfer and one of the most prolific and sought after designers uses a natural lagoon to dramatize the effect of the water carries on most of the holes on the front nine. The beauty of the surroundings makes it difficult to focus on golf whilst battling stiff ocean winds on the back nine. The lakes, strategic bunkers, fast greens and the ever-present wind with its 'semi-links design concept' all add up to make Borneo Golf & Country Club a good play for any golfer in Malaysia.

The on-site facilities include club house with pro shop and locker rooms, driving range, practice area, and two putting greens. Non-golfers can come along and swim, play a racquet game, and/or fish for some big ones at this Borneo golf club. An adjoining hotel is available for overnight guests; however serious golfers in Malaysia should play to return to one of the excellent and centrally located Kota Kinabalu resorts to take advantage of all of the area’s golf course.

With a spectacular seaside setting and ever-present breeze the Borneo Golf & Country Club is a good choice among the Sabah golf courses.

Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club

Designed by Ted Parslow, the Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club’s championship golf course is located within the 400 acres of the luxurious and popular Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort. The golf course is located approximately 30 kilometers or 40 minutes by car from the city of Kota Kinabalu and provides an excellent playing experience in a beautiful and natural landscape.

The course was designed to fit in with the local and rustic environment of Sabah Malaysia and rivals the world’s great golf resorts. Spectacular views of Mount Kinabalu, South-East Asia’s tallest peak, are afforded from most holes and the best time of day to catch a glimpse of this peak is early morning before the daily clouds and fog roll in.

The Sabah golf course is bordered by the Tambalang and Menagkabong Rivers and the surrounding area is mainly forested jungle and mangrove swamps.  The sea breeze carries the cries of wild birds and dense jungle fringes the immaculately manicured greens. The course curves through rivers, wild rainforest and wetlands. Much of it was painstakingly developed from mangrove swamps. As you play the challenging course, you’ll catch glimpses of the pristine Pantai Dalit Beach. Monkeys and monitor lizards are an occasional course hazard!

Dalit Bay is packed with risks and rewards to delight all golfers. Water comes into play on most holes and challenges more accomplished golfers who opt for the back tees.  However, the generous fairways make Dalit Bay ideal for those just picking up the game too.

Golfers are provided with a full-service playing experience and the facilities of a 5-star resort. Dalit Bay has an extensive clubhouse with a restaurant, a driving range, putting green, chipping and bunker practice areas, changing rooms and a one of the better stocked pro shops in Kota Kinabalu.

Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club is one of the most complete golfing and relaxation experiences in Sabah Malaysia.

Kudat Golf Club

Established in 1906 when it was affiliated with St. Andrew's of Scotland, Kudat Golf Club is the oldest golf club in Sabah Malaysia. Located in Kudat, a town on the tip of Borneo and 160 kilometers north of Kota Kinabalu, the Sabah golf course was upgraded into an 18 hole par-72 layout in 2002 when the new front nine opened and lengthening the total course to 6,080 meters.On sunny days golfers are treated to a spectacular view of Mount Kinabalu.

The original nine (now holes 10-18) is a vintage inland design with natural earth mounding found on most holes.  Naturally wooded and matured, this 3075 meter course is challenging in its own way, being surrounded by buildings, roads and many period houses.  The tee-off from the dogleg hole 4 requires a shot over an office building for long hitters who want o chance it for the green in one!

The newer front nine measures 3005 meters and plays around the Marudu Bay providing a scenic view of the sea and Bengkoka Peninsular. Most holes feature large bunkers and numerous water hazards. The fairways and greens are grassed with Bermuda and play is greatly influenced by prevailing sea winds.

Kudat Golf Club is a walking only course with full practice facilities. The club house is situated close to the 10th hole, which in the evenings is lit up to become a driving range. Restaurant service is available at the adjacent Marina Resort Kudat. Being on the bay, local seafood dishes are the specialty.  Accommodations and other resort services are available for overnight guests.

Lahad Datu Golf & Country Club

This 18 holes golf course can proudly declare to be the first all-Bermuda golf course in Sabah when it opened 1994.

Located in the middle of an area of mature oil palm, which is prone to flooding during the monsoon periods, it is designed to adopt the contours of the land and be environmentally friendly.

The course is scattered with numerous ponds and streams crossed by natural streams, which adds to the challenge in this layout. It also has the longest 6325m par layout. Anyone playing the course for the first time will be surprised by the diverse chorus of layout and the beauty of its setting.

The signature hole is the short 17 Green Island, where the tee shot has to land on a narrow strip of the  plateau before attacking 30m below and surrounded by a stream.

Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai

About a half-hours drive from Kota Kinabalu City is the Nexus Resort Karambunai and the golf course is located within walking distance from the large beachside golf resort.

Set against the backdrop of a 130-million year old tropical Borneo rainforest along its eastern edges and the South China Sea to the west, the par 72, 18-hole international standard golf course was designed by American golf architect Ronald Fream. The Nexus Golf Resort has won several awards, including the reader voted award for ‘Best Golf Resort’ and ‘Best Golf Course in East Malaysia’ in the 2007/2008 Golf Magazine Poll. Nexus Golf Resort also played host for the 105th Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship in 2007.

The Sabah golf course at Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai is surrounded by nature and stretches from the low hills, gradually descending towards the beaches. Undulating across a series of small lakes, waterways and hillocks, amidst a panoramic expanse of natural and landscaped surroundings, the Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai captivates golfers with breathtaking views of Karambunai Beach, the South China Sea and Mount Kinabalu.

Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai is friendly yet challenging and provides players with options to suit any level of game. Five teeing locations (red, white, blue, black and gold) are provided on each hole  to accommodate all golfers.

While this golf course in Sabah has been designed to focus on different playing experiences, it still demands strategy to score well. The layout starts from the jungle foothills, then play along the beach. The undulating fairways cross a series of small lakes, waterways and hillocks. Golfers require both strength and strategy to navigate the numerous dogleg holes, meandering streams, sand bunkers, and at times strong ocean trade winds. The fairways stretch invitingly and are quite flat. However, bunkers are used judiciously along with strategic contours and mounds to create well protected greens. Water hazards and the roughs penalize most wayward shots.

Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai is a golf cart only (no caddies) course and has practice putting and chipping greens, a driving range, and a clubhouse that features golfers terrace, cocktail lounge, pro shop, and well-appointed changing/locker rooms.  Rental golf sets and golf shoes are also available for all Malaysian golf visitors.