Tawau Golf Club House at Dawn
I have not been back to Tawau for more than a year. The golf course now has a new club house, a far contrast from the shack used as its temporary registration counter and eating place.
It was before 6.30am when Zack and I got to the club. The sun was just rising. The registration desk was still closed. We were early. It was Monday, a low day for golf. The staffs could have assumed that there would be no early golfers. We had to start early so that we could proceed to play another 18-hole at Shansui Golf Club before catching our flight at 5pm to KK. These are 2 top notch golf courses, must-play before you die category. Anyway, there were quite a number of boys aged between 10 to 12-year old waiting to caddy for us. Zack picked a 12-year old kid named Nadi.
By 6.30am, we were on the first tee box. As we were teeing off, a couple hornbills flew past us. It was a sight to behold. Where else could you get this experience of playing in a hilly tropical jungle setting for an adventure golf you would never forget? The sun was still blocked by the tall trees fringing the fairways. It made the green very wet and very slow.
Hotspring's Longest Hole. 584m Par 5 Hole 8
We were moving very fast from one hole to another. Both Zack and I registered consecutive triple boogeys for the first 2 holes. It must have been the slow greens. We had to hit hard at the balls to putt. The undulating hilly greens made things worst. They were dead slow.
Hole No.3 is one of the hole that you must play in your golfing life. This steep 326 metre par 4 hole plays from a highly elevated tee box. This is one of my 2 favourite holes at Hotspring). My first shot was out of bound (OB). My second (counted as 3rd due to OB) was smack in the middle of the fairway. My approach shot landed near to the pin. It would have been a good birdie opportunity had it not been for the OB.
Daunting Hole No.3. View from the Tee Box
Our 12-year old caddy, Nadi, turned out to be one of the best caddies a golfer could get. He was pleasant and full of energy. After a few holes, he knew what clubs we required for our shots, a mark of a truly good caddy. He would go out of his way to retrieve balls from our many errant shots. I dare say that the Indonesian caddies at many golf courses in West Malaysia are no match compared to Nadi.
Nadi Hard at Work on the Green of Hole No.10
My other favourite hole was Hole No.10. This short 279 metre par 4 hole plays from highly elevated tee box. I needed a 9-iron to place the ball on the fairway below before hitting the ball across a pond to the green uphill. It was a tedious task where accuracy was required. Holes No.3 & 10 would be 2 of my most memorable golf holes.
When we got to Hole No.17, Zack bought 120 used golf balls from one of the boys at the tee box for a song. It was quite a haul.
Typical Hotspring Green Setup. 509m Par 5 Hole 13
By 9.30am we finished our round at Hotspring. The scores were bad but we had an enjoyable round, unmatched by most golf courses that we played. This 5,904 metre course is definitely one of my top golf clubs.
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