Our itinerary: - 14th Dec 2001:
- Meet at Palm Resort for 1x18 holes
- Catch flight to Kuching and transfer to Holiday Inn Damai
- 15th Dec 2001:
- Whole day at Sarawak Golf Club: 2x18 holes
- 16th Dec 2001:
- Morning: 1x18 holes at Damai Golf & Country Club
- Afternoon: Check out and transfer to Hornbill Golf & Jungle Club
- 17th Dec 2001:
- Morning: 1x18 holes at Hornbill Golf & Jungle Club
- Afternoon: Check out and transfer to Airport for flight to Singapore
Though there were only seven golfers, golf bags and personal luggages do take up space. A van was assigned to take care of these. There were altogether 7 golfers and 3 non-golfers. So at least two cars or a 12 seater van were required to ferry us.
By the time we got to the Hotel, checked in and arrangements made for the next day, it was already 0130 hours when we got to bed.
Wake up call was for 0530 hours as our tee time was booked for 0730 hours. From where we stayed at Holiday Inn Damai, the journey to Sarawak Golf Club was about 30 minutes.
Do not be deceived by the flatness of the course. The course is long and the main hazards are the lakes around the courses.
What better way than to end the day with a seafood dinner by the seaside. This place built right out to sea. Very popular with the locals. This is where we discovered the delight of "pandan coconut". Not any ordinary coconut, it has this distinct pandan aroma and taste. Yes it's slightly more expensive than the normal coconuts.
The next day was a bit more relaxing. Only one 18-hole game at Damai Golf & Country Club. Distance from Holiday Inn Damai to the golf course is less than 10 minuts drive. The first nine provided a back drop of mountain scenery whilst the second nine was by the sea.
If you ask for the most scenic hole I would say, the 18th par 5, 469 metres from the blue tee. On the left, along the entire length of the left side of the fairway is the incredible sea view. If you hit the ball too far left of the fairway, your ball may just roll off the cliff and onto the beach below.
After our game at Damai Golf & Country Club, its' time to check out and head for the mountains where the Hornbill Golf & Jungle Club awaits us. The journey from Damai to the foothills was about one and a half hours.
We left our vehicles at the foothills and transferred our luggages to the hotel transport for the 20 minutes ride up to the resort which is situated at 1,000 metres above sea level. Cool but not cold.
As a comparison, the road up Genting is considered steep, but this is even steeper. If you do not have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, its advisable to use the resort's transport.
Good news for vegetarian. Yes, only vegetarian dishes are served at this resort. These are freshly grown organic vegetables which are free from pesticides and germicides - perfect for the health conscious visitors. So my tip for the non-vegetarian is to be prepared and take some pre-cooked meat dishes along with you. Eat them in your room.
At this level and so remote, the constant drone of traffic noise is nil. The air is so fresh and you can hear the sound of nature. White cotton ball clouds can be seen floating below you. Its idyllic.
This place is meant for those who would like to get away from their daily grind and the resort made sure of that. There's no television, phones or radios in your room. For the die-hard TV addict, there's only one television at the common area.
There's no signal for your mobile phones. However if you really really do require to use your mobile phone you can go to a designated zone where there's signal.
If you require a morning call, the hotel staff will personally knock on your room door.
From the cutlery to the toilets, the theme is golf. For example your room no. is "blue 13". Blue for the men's tee (indicate the floor level of your room) and 13 is the 13th hole (indicating your room number) Got it? Paintings of each of the fairways of the Hornbill Golf Course is hung along the walls of the corridor leading to your room. Even the beer mugs comes in the shape of a golf ball - dimple and all.
However there's a surprise feature in the room which I would not want to disclose - it's for you to find out what it is - or else it would not be a surprise right?
The course blends into the mountain jungle and if you like to test yourself to the limits or enjoy being punished by the couse, you are free to tee off from the gold tee. However be warned, it's uncompromising and those who make mistakes, the punishment is severe. No need to hurry on this course, as the main purpose is to enjoy the game and nature.
For the non-golfers, just to name a few activities, there's nature walk, spa, jungle trekking to the nearby Kalimantan Border or just take in nature's fresh air. Is that not what getting away from it all is about?
That was our last game for this outing. After another vegetarian lunch we checked out and took the resort's transport back to the foothills.
It's the durian season at this time of the year, thus what better way to end the outing before out flight back - by having a durian feast. Forget about D24, here the local fruit is as tasty. At RM1.00 per fruit it's a bargain!
As for my personal choice of the best golf hole for this outing, I'd pick the 141 metres no.17 par 3 with stroke index 16 at Damai Golf & Country Club. It's appealing because golfers of any calibre can make par or better and yet it is treacherous if the wrong choice of club is used. |
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