Eastwood Valley

The course at Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club lies just outside the coastal city of Miri, in northeastern Sarawak, very close to the border with Brunei. Although Miri has developed since 1910 on the back of the petroleum industry, it has now diversified as an ecotourism destination, acting as the gateway to several large national parks.

Opened for play in 2005, the 18-layout at Eastwood Valley was designed by California-based Doug Nickels of Nickels Golf Group, an architect who has worked with Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Des Muirhead, and a man with extensive experience of developing golf projects in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea.

The course is constructed with Seashore Paspalum fairways and Tifdwarf bermudagrass greens, and there’s water hazards in play at more than half the holes, especially the two par threes on the back nine where golfers play from the tee to an island green at the 13th and a peninsula green at the 17th.

Several top amateur tournaments have been held on the course, including the Malaysian Ladies Open in 2006 which was won by South Korean Ji Eun-hee. She turned pro the following year then went on to win the US Women’s Open on the Old course at Saucon Valley with an aggregate score of level par in 2009.