Langkawi Golf in the Sun

Gunung Raya Golf Resort located at the foothills of the majestic Gunung Celebration Mountain. The Max Wexler designed Langkawi golf course covers 300 acres of former rubber plantation land. Gunung Raya has beautiful panoramic views and an impressive landscape. The Langkawi golf course opened for play in 1998 and hosted key amateur golf tournaments over the years.

Constant renovation keeps the course in good order, and almost everywhere there are signs of on-going maintenance. Even the golf cart path lined yellow trumpet flowers and wild grasses. Most of the Gunung Raya holes offer a scenic view of rolling hills and distant mountains. For example, the first hole from its elevated tee is a slight dogleg right with a great view of Gunung Raya and the whole golf course.

The fairways are wide, which makes it easy to keep the ball in play. Bermuda grass ensures balls sit nicely. There’s not much OB or hazards. The back nine has more water.

Some of the most notable holes include the 10th, a 500 meter par-5. The dogleg right hole has water running the entire length on the left while a hill serves as an obstacle to choose the tiger line towards the right. Littered with bunkers the fairway leads to a large, relatively flat green.

Hole 7 is a 207 meter par-3. Watch out for wind conditions and pin position for a good score on this long par three. The bunkers flanking the green, and the two-tiered layout can pose problems to high handicappers. The challenging closing hole, a long 423 meter par-4, is tough to hit on regulation because of its uphill design while two bunkers side by side on the right can add to the strokes. The elevated green calls for a lofted shot to seek the pin.

The clubhouse and practice facilities are adequate for the visiting Langkawi golfer. Overall Gunung Raya Golf Resort is a beautiful course to play in combination with other Langkawi golf courses. It won’t win any awards but makes for a good day out.

Set against the backdrop of Langkawi’s mystical rainforest and the shimmering Andaman Sea, The Els Club Teluk Datai is a true golfing paradise designed by the legendary Ernie Els. Consistently ranked among Asia’s most scenic and prestigious golf courses, it offers a world-class layout that blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings. The course winds gracefully through centuries-old trees, streams, and coastal vistas, ensuring every round is as breathtaking as it is challenging.

The Langkawi Golf Club has been reborn as 99 East Golf Club. Millions of tons of earth moved, and hundreds of new plants and trees were rooted to realize the design by Australian golf course architect Ross Watson.