Tiara Melaka Golf & Country Club

Wow, it's been 4 months since I last posted on 661underpar! Well, if you must ask, there were a combination of factors. First, my buddies and I did not explore golf courses further than Octville and Daiman 18. So, it's the same old places all over again - no point blogging about it. Also, my scores stank so much, I didn't even bother to record them. Hence it was relatively quiet here at 661underpar.

In my opinion, not recording the scores lets you enjoy other aspects of the game. For me, I appreciated the scenery a lot more, I had a lot less stress because I don't mull about that quadruple bogey at the previous hole, and I don't have the constant "if-I-par-the-next-hole-I'll-have-a-chance-to-break-95-but-shit-I-triple-bogey-it-instead-argh" feeling.

With this attitude, I went to the Tiara Melaka Golf Course with my usual golf buddies SW and Hazeman, which was initially an after thought as we had only planned to visit Melaka town over the long Deepavali weekend. Cost-wise, it was excellent with an AGN membership. We only paid 74x2 = 152 RM for 2 buggies, plus another 3 RM each for golf insurance.

Lunchtime Entertainment
First up on the menu - lunch! The selection at the clubhouse was simple, yet adequate. They have the usual array of nasi gorengs, which comes in the kampung, Chinese, Indian and Malay flavor. Malaysia, truly asia indeed. The food was ok - nothing too much to shout about. The view though, was great. The clubhouse overlooked some over-the-water tee off spots of the Lake course. We had fun laughing at the people who lost their balls into the water hazards. Hehe!

SW sniggering at the poor golfers who lost their balls

An issue with security
While the food and the view were pretty good, we had a rude shock when we got into the changing rooms. A club member opened his locker, and discovered that some of his valuables went missing! That certainly got us to scramble back to our lockers, and retrieve our passports. Then, the starter told us not to leave any valuables lying around the buggy, not even zipped up in your golf bags! Wow, what kind of place is this? Ninja thieves from the jungle? Luckily, all that we lost were some balls. Yes, a good majority were mostly at the holes that has tee-off boxes overlooking the water, viewed by the folks from the clubhouse. Hate it when karma bites me in the a**.

Mental fortitude and long drive skill needed
For the 18 holes, we played on the Meadow and Lake courses. The Meadow course was like most courses you find around the region - plenty of trees, shrubs, and jungle. Unsurprisingly, the Lake course has a good number of water hazards. Condition-wise, the fairways and greens were pristinely maintained. This is probably due to the fact that the club takes a very strict view on buggies staying on track.

One hole that I personally remembered very well was the index 1, 8th on the Meadow course. The information given on the club's website says that it is the toughest hole on the course, and it sure is. You need to tee-off over a very long stretch of water, I'd say about 180m, then draw it around the trees to find the greens. Finally! A hole that reward me, the more consistent long driver. The Hazeman, who used a hybrid, fell pretty short and gave up after 2 tries. SW's banana drive just barely made it, lodging the ball onto the opposite bank of the lake. Me? Of course it went onto the fairway nicely on my first attempt. *smug*

If only...
Other than the security scare, I thought that Tiara Melaka offers an excellent golf experience. If only it's nearer to Singapore, we'll definitely drive there more often. However 2 hours of driving is no joke. Our champion driver (of the car :P), the Hazeman, slept like a baby come nightfall. But yes, given time and opportunity, we will come back again. Nice challenging greens, well maintained fairways, and yeah, great experience!