Published July 17, 2008 on December 2, 2019

ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament to Boost Visit Johor Year 2020 at The Els Club Desaru Coast

---

To boost the Visit Johor Year 2020, the Els Club Desaru Coast will kick off the first leg of the ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament on 16 & 17 February 2020 welcoming more than 200 golfers from the ASEAN countries. The 3-leg ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament is poised to be one of the most coveted golf events among amateurs in the ASEAN region.

The first leg of the ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament, which will be organised by the Johor Golf Tourism Association will be played at the renowned and prestigious golf courses designed by the former World No 1s namely Ernie Els, (Ocean Course) and Vijay Singh (Valley Course). The second leg will be held in June at the Phuket Golf Country Club and Loch Palm Golf Club in Phuket, Thailand. The third leg will be held in September at Club Golf Bogor Raya and Rainbow Hill Golf Club in Bogor, Indonesia. The final round will be played on 5 and 6 December 2020 at the Mahkota Golf & Country Club and Lanjut Beach & Golf Resort in Pahang.

Col. Mohd Jamal Salleh, the President of Johor Golf Tourism Association (JGTA) led the entourage from JGTA and The Els Club Desaru Coast who were in Phuket for the Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020 Promotions on 30 November held at the Phuket Business Community Development and the Grand Launching of the ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament on 1st December 2019 held at the Phuket Golf Country Club that was attended by about 200 people, including 52 local and international golfers, members of the Thailand media, invited guests, hotel and tour operators from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

According to Col. Jamal, “The ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament is regarded as an epic event for Johor as it is held in conjunction with the Visit Johor Year (VJY) 2020 that is aimed to attract more tourists into the State, in particular, the golf enthusiasts and their families from ASEAN to enjoy a golf vacation in Johor. The participants will be excited to know that there are plenty of tournament prizes to be won aside from being rewarded with noteworthy golfers’ goodies, surprise door gifts, scrumptious food and drinks, cultural performances and entertainment, grand and lucky draw prizes and lots of fun.”

One of the main objectives of the ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament is to enhance and promote ASEAN as a highly competitive regional golf destination in Asia Pacific to leverage the many amazing golf courses available in this region namely in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and many others. Additionally, it is also to encourage intra-ASEAN golf travels and strengthening ASEAN’s golf tourism industry, broadening the cooperation in golf tourism among the ASEAN Member States to enable travelling into and within ASEAN much easier and more efficient.

According to Col Jamal, the golf tourism industry in Johor receives an average of between 500,000 to 600,000 golfers each year, mostly, from Singapore, South Korea and Japan and this number is expected to grow next year due to the increased promotional initiatives to boost the golf industry for Visit Johor Year 2020. JGTA currently organises about six tournaments yearly and it hopes to organise more events in 2020 as well as bring more professional golfers to support the Visit Johor Year 2020.

Johor Darul Ta’zim is popular for being the top-of-mind golf destination among the locals and neighbouring countries as it offers a value-for-money golf experience. The State boasts the highest number of golf courses in Malaysia at 28 golf courses of varying classes in luxury and exclusiveness. There are two 54-hole courses, three 36-hole courses, three 27-hole courses, eleven 18-hole courses, and nine 9-hole courses.

ASEAN is very rich in its culture, heritage sites, diverse landscapes and marine attractions. To top it, the region also possesses a pleasant mixture of traditional and modern lifestyle and architecture which makes it as a very attractive destination suited for the entire family to immerse themselves in the diverse culture, arts, heritage and history. Also, ASEAN’s weather that is conducive for all-year-round golfing can attract ardent golfers not just from the region but from many parts of the world as well.

Col. Jamal added, “We are expecting that the ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament will attract many avid and serious social golfers to come to Johor with their families to enjoy a complete holiday experience as Johor has so many to offer to the children and adults alike. Furthermore, Desaru Coast is a very popular holiday destination among the local and international tourists as the beaches are pristine and perfect for swimming, water sports and even snorkelling.”

The ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament will kick start with an afternoon tee-off followed by a glamourous welcome dinner at the Tidal Wave Adventure Water Park. The second round of golf will tee-off on Monday morning culminating with the luncheon and prize presentation at the Desaru Coast Conference Centre. The participants will also get the opportunity to experience one more round of golf at another highly-acclaimed golf course located in Johor Bahru besides shopping and enjoying the culinary delights in the city centre.

Col. Jamal said, “Desaru Coast is a newly-completed premium integrated destination resort situated at the south-eastern coast of Johor facing the South China Sea. Desaru Coast also accommodates four globally renowned five-star hotels, namely the One & Only Desaru Coast, the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort and Villas, the Westin Desaru Coast Resort and the Hard Rock Desaru Hotel along with an Adventure Water Theme Park and an entertainment park and restaurants. To this end, we are confident that our tournament participants and their families will enjoy the beautiful golf courses at The Els Club Desaru Coast, the impeccable accommodation and the famous Johorean warm and personalised hospitality which will bring them fond memories of Johor and Malaysia.”

Col. Jamal concluded, “We welcome the participants and their families to Desaru Coast and Johor Bahru and we look forward to winning them over with our heart-warming Johorean hospitality, charm, beautiful destinations, and fun-filled golfing. Meanwhile, we also welcome any party or organisation who wishes to collaborate with JGTA as one of our Tournament Key Partners or in-kind Sponsors to ensure greater success for this tournament.”

As part of the grand launching of the ASEAN Tourism Golf Tournament 2020 a mini golf tournament was held at the Phuket Golf Country Club that saw a total of 52 golfers representing Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia participating in it.

Below are the results of the tournament:

Team Event:

Champion – Thailand

1st Runner-Up – Malaysia (represented by 8 golfers)

2nd Runner-Up – Indonesia

 

Individual Categories:

(1)       Overall Gross Champion – Mr Chana Jaritngam

(2)       Overall Nett Champion – Mr Ekapong Meekbaw

 

Medal A

Champion – Mr Stephen Havrilla (the GM of The Els Club Desaru Coast, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia)

1st Runner-Up – Mr Paicheat Kampairee

 

Medal B

Champion – Mr Akanit

1st Runner-Up – Mr Sam

 

Medal C

Champion – Mr Paisan

1st Runner-Up – Mr Choatnarit