Macau Golf and Country Club

Macau

This par-71, 6,624-yard course (left and below) is one of the classic layouts in Asia and an impressive feat of engineering. Carved out of the rock atop Coloane Island, the club annually hosts the Macau Open and has tested the games of such luminaries as Nick Faldo, John Daly and Colin Montgomerie. Holes 12 and 13, back-to-back par-fives high up in the property, can be both terrifying and exhilarating with their sweeping views over the South China Sea and the mainland. Anything wild and off the fairway here is likely lost to the abyss. The 17th is rated the easiest hole but it is a different beast from the pro tees. Measuring 225 yards from the tips, this par-three features a drop of about 40 metres from tee to green and is truly memorable.

+853 28871188

Dramatic vistas

Tagaytay Highlands

Tagaytay City, Philippines

Situated about 75km south of Manila, this private club is one of the best and most memorable in the Philippines. On Tagaytay Ridge, about 600 to 800 metres above sea level, the mountainous setting provides fantastic views of Taal Lake and its namesake volcano in the distance. An ever-present pleasant breeze keeps on-course action cool. The par-70,6,288-yard layout is unique in that players are taken between the two nines by cable car. With the landscape encompassing various hills and gullies, the 439-yard 13th represents the most extreme of the situation as players are required to drive off a tee box that is 84 metres above the fairway. A giant bullseye in the centre of the fairway provides the target to shoot for.

+63 46 4830888

Spoilt for choice

Mission Hills Golf Club

Shenzhen, Guangdong

With 12 courses, the world's largest golf club is a swingers' playground on a massive scale. Of the 216 holes, it would be difficult to say which course is best. While many prefer the original Jack Nicklaus course with its rolling hills and waste bunkers, the Nick Faldo and Jumbo Osaki layouts with their valley settings are excellent. Last year, the challenging Jose Maria Olazabal (right) design won new accolades when it staged the World Cup, won in thrilling fashion by Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren. The Annika Sorenstam course features six par-threes, six par-fours and six par-fives, while new additions include a layout by design legend Pete Dye and a par-three course by China's Zhang Lianwei paying homage to the world's best short holes.

+852 21221616

December to February ???

Dramatic layout

Leo Palace Resort Country Club

Guam

The US territory has seven golf courses and there is not a bad one in the bunch. Leo Palace (left), an all-purpose resort high in the hills about 25 minutes from Tumon, features 18 holes designed by Arnold Palmer and 18 holes by the equally legendary Jack Nicklaus. The club boasts a dramatic layout snaking through scenic valleys and the wetlands of the Manenggon Hills. Golf balls numbering in the hundreds can easily be found just off the fairways, usually left by well-heeled Japanese visitors wanting to avoid the numerous Brown Tree Snakes in the underbrush. Elsewhere, Mangilao Golf Club is famed for its par-three 12th hole which requires a confident blast over the ocean.

+671 4710024

Island idyll

Sutera Harbour Resort

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Malaysia boasts about 200 courses of great diversity and usually of good value. While the majority of the clubs are on peninsular Malaysia, the southern island province of Sabah features 10 courses with Sutera Harbour being one of the best. The 27-hole Graham Marsh-designed layout, of which 20 holes are lit for night play, is divided into the Lake, Heritage and Garden nines. The latter is particularly impressive for its lush foliage and use of tropical trees indigenous to Borneo. Its sixth hole is also the club's signature hole with a spectacular view of the South China Sea.

+60 088 318888

Up and coming

Black Mountain Golf Club

Hua Hin, Thailand

Opened last year in a former pineapple plantation high in the mountains above this popular Thai seaside resort, this impressive newcomer has quickly established itself as one of the best courses in the Land of Smiles. What makes this 7,345-yard layout created by Pacific Coast Design spectacular is its setting; many of the greens and tee boxes are tucked into the base of a mountain that the fairways lead up to or away from. Its style is almost desert-like and completely different from the eight other mostly parkland/resort style courses three hours drive south of Bangkok. The standout holes at this Swedish-owned resort are numerous. The club will test the region's top pros next year when it hosts an Asian Tour event.

+66 32618666

MARCH TO MAY ???

Watery wonderland

Guilin Merryland

Xing'an, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

About one hour west of Hong Kong by plane is Guilin, an area famed for hundreds of strange karst rock formations that jut high into the sky. About one hour's drive north of Guilin city is Guilin Merryland, a family-style resort complete with a Disneyland-type amusement park, luxury hotel and a forest village. Its 27-hole golf course is particularly good for its dramatic elevation changes, creative use of water hazards and elevated greens that place a premium on a strong, short game. Of the original 18 holes, the front nine are more hilly while the back nine are all about avoiding the water. The last three holes provide an excellent finish as several shots require navigating parts of Linghu Lake. A new nine was opened last year.

+86 733 6229988

Lakeside luxury

Spring City Golf and Lake Resort

Kunming, Yunnan province

Created by Singapore's Keppel Land, this luxury resort on the banks of Tianchi Lake is considered by many to be the best in China. About 45-minutes' drive from the Yunnan capital Kunming, the area is known for its ideal climate - never cold and never too hot. The club's original Mountain Course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and features the famed trademark bunkering and the downhill 172-yard, par-three signature eighth hole with water bordering the green on three sides. Its finale was voted among the world's top500 holes by Golf Magazine. Other publications, however, rank the Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed Lake Course as the country's best with its terraced slopes and water views. Ultimately, neither will disappoint. A bonus is that the ball travel furthers in the thin mountain air.

+86 8717671188

Paramount service

Thai Country Club

Bangkok, Thailand

With its ownership and management under the the Peninsula Group, it's understandable that service is paramount at this top Thai club, where the distinctive clubhouse is as famous as its 18-hole course. Situated 35.5km southeast of Bangkok, the club's well manicured fairways have hosted such stars as Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Gary Player and Ernie Els, in addition to staging the Volvo Masters for the past three years. The challenge of this undulating layout is ball placement as many holes slope towards water hazards. That said, the course provides a variety of shot options with its mixture of short and long holes. The par-threes are particularly outstanding here.

+66 2 65153006

JUNE TO AUGUST ???

Escaping the heat

Dalat Palace

Dalat, Vietnam

Vietnam's oldest golf course is a treat with its cool mountaintop setting smack in the middle of a funky European-style town, which the French started building in the late 19th century to escape the torrid heat. Originally built as nine holes in the 1920s as the private domain of Bao Dai, the country's last emperor, the course has been abandoned twice over the years and turned into farmland and a park. In 1993, the parkland layout, about 290km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, was restored to its former glory and expanded to 18 holes for all to enjoy. The 7,009-yard, bent-grass layout is like a great municipal course with a landscape that dips into a valley setting, followed by holes that climb the hills, providing great views of this small city and the surrounding area.

+84 63 821-201

When the honeymoon is over

Chungmun Beach Golf Club

Cheju Island, South Korea

Cheju Island, the honeymoon capital of South Korea, has been transformed into a golfing paradise in recent years with 36 courses and counting. Located 450km south of Seoul and just over 1,000km northeast of Hong Kong, the island boasts the ultra-private The Club at Nine Bridges, ranked 95th in the world by Golf Magazine in 2005. For mere mortals, Chungmun Beach at the southern tip of the volcanic island provides a good opportunity to experience golf Cheju-style. The cliff-top course next to the Hyatt Regency features the Halla nine facing the ever-present Mount Halla and Seaside nine with great ocean views.

+82 64 7357241

In a sand state

Trans Strait Golf Club

Fuzhou, Fujian

Many clubs claim to have links courses in Asia, but in reality they are only links-style where each bump and hollow has been created by men with machines. In contrast, Trans Strait is a rare links layout in the region, connected to the sea, in this case the Taiwan Strait. Distinguished US designer Robert Trent Jones Jnr created this 18-hole course in 1996 and was thrilled by the huge amount of sand found on the property. Since then, the course, which features huge sand dunes, has fallen into disrepair to the point where it is truly laughable. Electric carts have driven over areas beside various greens so often that bunkers have formed naturally. Yet, even in its sad state, it is easy to see the potential for what could become one of the region's best links courses.

+86 591 2878 9567