Johor’s Pride & Joy

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With two courses designed by two major champions, The Els Club Desaru Coast certainly has the goods to make a claim as one of Asia's finest.

“The golf courses that we create will be here long after I am gone. That means something and it makes me feel very proud.”

Those are the words from Ernie Els who was inspired to say the least after he worked on the The Els Club Teluk Datai and The Els Club Desaru Coast.

After opening for play, The Els Club Teluk Datai emerged on the 83rd spot in Golf Digest’s ‘THE WORLD’S 100 GREATEST GOLF COURSES’ golf course ranking within a year, the only Malaysian course that made it into the exclusive ranking.

This amazing achievement was followed by the unveiling of another masterpiece, The Els Club Desaru Coast.

Featuring 45 holes, The Ocean Course was opened in October 2016.

It features 27 holes designed by Ernie Els, while The Valley course features 18 holes designed in collaboration with Els’ long-time friend and major champion, Vijay Singh that opened in April 2017.

The courses are owned by Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd, while the resort is managed by world-renowned management organisation, Troon Golf.

Located on the south-eastern region of the country, in the state of Johor, Desaru Coast spans over 3,900 acres along a pristine 17km unspoiled beachfront, which faces eastwards over the clear ocean waters. The destination is easily accessible via road, air and sea, and is expected to welcome a wave of new travellers to its shores, attracted by its array of fun activities, renowned hotel brands and the unique Desaru Coast lifestyle.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

OCEAN COURSE

VALLEY COURSE

Agronomy Philosophy of The Els Club Malaysia

• Smooth rollers are used on all mowers to reduce plant stress, while groomers and brushes are used to control grain. Less plant stress does not just mean better playing conditions but less water, fertiliser and pesticide requirements
• Foliar feed is utilised as often as possible – 7-14 days, with greens every 7. This method of fertilising allows to control plant growth when there are constant changes in weather patterns. This also reduces wastage and protects the environment as small applications will not leach
• Use of plant growth regulators to reduce stress, reduce vertical growth and increased density. These products again help keep consistent surfaces, reduce cutting (diesel usage) and reduce the need for fertiliser and pesticide applications
• Soil test conducted a minimum of three times yearly to dictate amendments and granular applications. This allows us the greens keepers to tailor fertility programs to suit the requirements. There is no need to apply a certain element if the soil had excess or enough available. This means less wastage through cost and leaching
• Try and purchase “straights” as soluble and not premixed. Premixed means you purchase water with fertiliser mixed in resulting in more deliveries, more transport on the roads. Buying soluble allows us to reduce our deliveries and we can then mix on site as required
• Apply water based on moisture meter readings and current climatic conditions. We do not guess how much water to use. We take readings daily and work out how much the plant requires versus how much has been lost to allow us to know exactly what to apply with little or no wastage
• The following data is collected daily: soil temperature, green speed, air temperature, clipping yield, evapotranspiration, rainfall, soil electro conductivity and irrigation