After our meeting we headed to Damai, voted as “No.1 Best Golf Course in Sabah and Sarawak” for the years 2003 until 2006. We wanted to tee off earlier as nightfall comes 1 hour earlier in Sarawak. Damai used to be one of my favourite courses. I would not miss a chance to play there whenever I came to Kuching.
We decided to tee off from the 2nd Nine first since there was a couple just started on the 1st hole. From the look of it, it would be a long wait. When we stopped at the starter’s hut, Zack jokingly asked if there were any caddies. There was one available, an old man caddy. His caddying left much to be desired.
Diedrich, Erika, Me & Zack
As we were preparing to tee off, a husband and wife Mat Salleh couple reached the 10th.Hole for a crossover. Zack invited them to join us and they gladly obliged. It proved to be a fun 9-hole round with Diedrich and Erika Willms from Germany. They make Malaysia their second home.
I was not hitting the ball well but I had a wonderful time playing with Diedrich and Erika. They told us that they are in Malaysia about 6 months in a year, enjoying the sun and golf. They did not seem to worry much about their scores. Erika would walk to her ball and hit it without any practice swing routine. Her shots were equally good as Diedrich’s. They were both jovial and fun to be with.
The second nine called the Ocean Nine was a delight to play. I loved the feel of the ocean breeze as we walked along the fairways. The fairways are fringed by mangrove swamp forest, rocky outcrops and beautiful beaches. Erika remarked, “ If they had a golf course like this in Europe, it would be swarmed with golfers but let’s keep it quiet so that we could enjoy it by ourselves”. She was right. We plodded on. I did not pay much attention to my score.
Diedrich at the signature hole
Hole 17 was Damai’s signature hole. This 154m par-3 hole played onto the green with the sea on 3 sides. It was listed as “One of Malaysia’s Super 18 Par 3 hole voted by Par Golf Magazine for 2005/2006. This is the hole that I likened with Dalit’s and Datai’s memorable par-3 holes.
Erika and Diedrich bade farewell after the Ocean Nine. We moved on to the Mountain Nine. This first nine was set up in a natural rain forest setting following the contours of Mount Santubong’s foothills. The greens on this nine were under repair and they were a let down. They took away the pleasures of playing in one of the best courses in Sarawak.
Damai, in my opinion, is not as good as it was before. The setting was beautiful but there were some indications of the fairways not being well-kept. Even the greens were showing signs of neglect despite the repair works. I hope they would continue to keep the first Arnold Palmer-designed course in the country as pristine as it used to be. Anyway, I would definitely come back.
No comments:
Post a Comment