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The ultimate challenge
Irish links style
Suzhou Sun Island Golf Club
Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China
If you are looking for a good craic, Suzhou Sun Island is unlike any course found in Asia. The Nelson & Haworth 18-hole design is Irish links-style golf on the banks of Yang Chen Lake - the breeding ground of the famed hairy crab, a seasonal Shanghai delicacy. The layout features huge dunes faithfully reproduced as a tribute to Irish courses such as the Royal Portrush and Ballybunion. The result is an extreme challenge, with the par-five, 586-yard second hole dubbed the 'Valley of death' for a fairway that drops steeply to the right to a set of punishing bunkers. The 217-yard 17th is a howler of a penultimate hole, with the prevailing wind forcing many to reach for the driver in the hopes of getting to the green. www.sunislandclub.com
Ocean and jungle
Ria Bintan Golf Club
Bintan, Indonesia
Just a short boat ride away from Singapore is Bintan Island, home of Ria Bintan Golf Club. The Gary Player-designed, 36-hole course features the Forest and Ocean layouts, the latter a perennial on annual golf best lists. Asian Golf Monthly ranked the course the best in Indonesia last year and third best course in the region behind the Mountain Course at Spring City in Kunming, China, and the Alpine Club in Bangkok. The Ocean course is indeed a challenge and its par-three ninth is one of the most photographed in Asia, requiring a successful blast over the ocean to reach the seaside hole bordered by jungle. www.riabintan.com
The other St Andrews
St Andrews 2000
Rayong, Thailand
Phuket's famed Blue Canyon Country Club would be the obvious choice for most difficult track in Thailand but a close second is St Andrews 2000. While the club's name may sound like a B-movie or a video racing game, the course is actually a 7,777-yard, par-74 monster with two par six holes of 878 yards and 861 yards, and many other strange features such as clusters of bunkers that look like alien pods. The par sixes are a blast, literally, as reaching the large greens, eventually, requires navigating water twice and with huge carries. The club requires a handicap of 18 or less to play the course. www.standrews2000golf.com
Singaporean ingenuity
Laguna National Golf & Country Club
Singapore
Built on reclaimed land, Laguna National is testimony to the ingenuity of Singapore as the club's two 18-hole layouts - the Masters and the Classic courses - are consistently ranked by golf magazines as among the best in Asia. The Masters is the tougher of the two, and the course regularly hosts the Caltex Masters, testing the likes of Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Colin Montgomerie, among many others. While the course is said to be Scottish-style, the presence of a lot of water and highly-manicured conditions makes this a hard stretch. Given the extreme heat the Lion City is known for, this can indeed be one difficult test of golf. www.lagunagolf.com.sg
Extreme undulations
Santiburi Samui Country Club
Koh Samui, Thailand
Koh Samui's only golf club has a reputation among the Asian Tour pros of being the toughest walk on the regional circuit. The course, which opened in 2003, is set high in the hills overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, and each hole is positioned at a different height, creating an extreme up-down experience which is made all the more difficult by the torrid conditions. Adding to the challenge is the ever-present wind that blows across the island. The setting in a coconut grove is extremely undulating with errant shots easily swallowed by the dense terrain. www.santiburi.com
Scenic on the sea
The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course (North Course)
Sai Kung, Hong Kong
Since opening in 1995, Kau Sai Chau has been a catalyst for turning thousands of Hongkongers on to the game, and is proof that public daily-fee golf does work. While the shorter South Course is a great place to learn, the North Course is a world-class beast with many memorable holes that take advantage of its scenic island setting. The 205-yard, par-three 14th with its view over the South China Sea is world class, while the 570-yard 17th is an equally great par five. If the Hong Kong Golf Association could solve the logistic problems of getting people to this course, staging the Hong Kong Open here would be an excellent way to showcase the diversity of the city's golf scene to the world. www.kscgolf.com
Breathtaking views a welcome distraction
Shan-Shui Golf and Country Club
Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia
This remote course in the Sabah jungle is often praised for its lush setting that features an abundance of flora and fauna, and breathtaking views. Its beautiful location has served as a welcome distraction for many golfers as this is one tough track - the par-five 15th in particular. From an elevated tee, a player is faced with a classic risk-reward situation in a split fairway. If a drive can be placed on the narrower of the two, this will set up the opportunity to go for the green in two. If not, it is time to scramble and hope for a bogey at best.
Rolling hills
Chi Linh Star Golf and Country Club
Hanoi, Vietnam
Since opening in 2003, Chi Linh Star has quickly built a reputation for its valley-setting layout with rolling hills and large lake that reaches out over much of the landscape. The 14th hole on the club's par-72, 7,097-yard championship layout is a driveable green but requires a mighty blast of 290 yards to clear a ravine. The club, which is 45km from Hanoi on the road to Halong Bay, hosted the Carlsberg Masters Vietnam in 2004 and 2005, with former US Open winner Corey Pavin gracing the inaugural field. www.chilinhstar.com.vn
Grass with class
Saujana Golf and Country Club
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malaysia's top-rated course was carved out of an old palm and rubber plantation, with spectacular effect. The club's 18-hole Palm and Bunga Raya courses, both designed by Ronald Fream, have hosted many championships, including the Malaysian Open on seven occasions, as well as the prestigious Eisenhower and Espirito Santo amateur events. The Palm course is the standout track with thick, spongy Bermuda grass on the fairways and slick tifdwarf grass on the greens. Michael Campbell said the grasses were similar to those at Pinehurst, where he captured the 2005 US Open title, and hoped that would give him an advantage at this year's Malaysian Open. It didn't, as the Kiwi ended up withdrawing during the final round. www.saujana.com.my
70,000 obstacles
Lake Malaren Golf Club (Forest Course)
Shanghai, China
The addition of 70,000 trees has made Lake Malaren's Forest Course a difficult challenge and a course to watch. Since opening in September 2004, the growth of the trees on this resort-style course has made this an increasingly tighter layout with its blind holes, small landing areas and prominent water. Measuring 7,158 yards from the tips, the back nine starts with a great risk-reward par five, where confident big hitters can attempt to cut over the left corner. From there, a mighty blast of about 250 yards is needed to carry the trees with a slight draw to reach the green. It's possible, but unlikely. The course was used to contest the 10th Straits Cup last year as Taiwan beat the mainland in the Ryder Cup-style clash. www.lmgolfresort.com
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