Singapore and Borneo 2008

January is one of the most idyllic times to get away from the UK, however a short flight down to southern Europe does not guarantee warm sunny weather, where you can play golf in shorts the courses are in great condition and a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc glides down beautifully.
So a long haul is the only option and this January we headed off to Singapore and Borneo. A twelve hour direct flight to Changi airport terminal 3. I mention this as we were only the second flight into the new terminal, and if this is the shape of airport travel to come it is wonderful bright and airy with a sense of calm. You may say that as only the second flight in obviously there is no people but two weeks later flying out the departure lounge was just as tranquil. I wonder if Heathrow will be able to replicate this when the new terminal 5 opens soon.

A short transfer to our hotel the luxury 5 star Sentosa Resort and Spa, on Sentosa Island. So close to town you can get back to the mainland via a cable car.

Sentosa Resort and Spa is attached to two of the course in Singapore the Tajong and the Serepong. The later was closed due to being prepared for a ladies tour event so for our second round we travelled across town to play Orchard Country Club. The hotel was excellent everything you would expect, well appointed rooms, great service but the high light for me was dining in the Cliff Restaurant with American celebrity Chef Randy Evans from Brennans of Houston. I suppose America's equivalent of Gordon Ramsey, a fantastic meal.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Singapore, I was told it was very clinical and sole less but how far from the truth all the vibrancy of an Asian City but spotlessly clean the best of both worlds. The famous Raffles Hotel a must on any visit beautifully restored to its former colonial glory, although if you are a man where trousers when visiting or you will have restricted access.

The City tour tended to concentrate on the more recent achievements, new buildings etc and finance centre however my interest lie more in its colonial past, and war with Japan, a visit to the Battle Box, the command centre and relive those last terrifying moments a must.

From Singapore a short two hour flight took us to Sabah a Malay province on the island of Borneo.
Our hotel the Magellan Sutera Harbour was located on the edge of the small City of Kota Kinabalu. It had to be good the King of Malaysia was staying at the same time; apparently a keen golfer and the Sutera Harbour course his local club.

For sight seeing we hired a boat and did some island hopping and snorkelling in the South China Sea, a city tour of Kota Kinabaulu and no journey to Borneo can be complete without a visit to the orang-utan orphanage at Dalit Bay. At present there are seven orang-utans in the programme, trying to repatriate them back into the wild is the objective and our visitor money is very important to funding this very worthwhile programme.

Our final four rounds were played over the Sutra Harbour, the beautiful Karanbuni, the brutal Sabah Golf Club and the picturesque Dalit Bay, all in great condition and providing their own individual challenges. A further nine hole round was played which didn't count towards the event but worth mentioning as it was played at night, as all of the courses are completely floodlit, this shows the ever growing popularity and demand for golf around the world.

The winner in the ladies event was Alison Clare from Forrester Park and in the Men's event from Boyce Hill Mike Cook.

Asia is a great place with so many diverse cultures, foods and customs a great place to visit and guaranteed great weather.

CALENDAR 2010
From:		to	Nights	Country & Location:	Price from
02/09	-	09/09	7	Madeira , Casa Velha 5	£1325*	details
02/10	-	09/10	7	Portugal, Western Algarve, Le Meridien Penina 5	£820*	details	GS
01/11	-	14/11	13	USA, Myrtle Beach	£1,995**	details
20/11	-	27/11	7	Portugal, Western Algarve, Le Meridien Penina 5	£795*	details	GS
CALENDAR 2011
8/01	-	24/01	14	Vietnam Escorted Tour, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) & Hoi An	£3,495**	details
31/01	-	13/02	12	South Africa ,The Winelands and Garden Route Escorted Tour. Only 1 remaining place	£3,160**	details
05/03	-	12/03	7	Portugal, Western Algarve, Le Meridien Penina 5	£855*	details	GS
12/03	-	19/03	7	Portugal, Festival of Golf, Penina / San Lorenzo 5	£955*	details
16/04	-	23/04	7	Portugal, Western Algarve, Le Meridien Penina 5	£855*	details	GS
07/05	-	14/05	7	Portugal, Western Algarve, Le Meridien Penina 5	£855*	details	GS
_/05	-	_/05	TBC	Itay , details available soon
10/09	-	17/09	7	Spain, Benalup; Fairplay Hotel and Spa, Luxury All Inclusive 5 £150 single supplement	£1280*	details
15/10	-	22/10	7	Portugal, Western Algarve, Le Meridien Penina 5	£855*	details	GS
__/11	-	__/11	TBC	Dubai, details available soon
				*Prices per person sharing including golf excluding flights **Prices per person sharing including golf & including flights
GS - Golf School     Available Fully Booked