Horizon Hills

Reputed to have cost $10 million to construct, the course at Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club is the main sporting attraction within a massive 1,200-acre township development from developers Gamuda Land and UEM Sunrise Berhad, debuting in 2008.

Australian architect Ross Watson – who has a number of Malaysian design credits to his name – set out the paspalum fairways and Bermuda greens around an impressive clubhouse complex that features an Olympic-sized pool, tennis courts and fully-equipped gymnasium.

The toughest hole at Horizon Hills comes very early in the round at the left doglegged par five 2nd, where a creek traverses the fairway twice on the way to a green that’s heavily fortified to the front by cross bunkers.

The signature hole arrives at the 130-metre 17th, which plays across water to an island green. A short iron should be enough to reach the putting surface but there’s a rather nasty large bunker at the back to catch those who over club.

Shortly after its inauguration, the club hosted the Iskander Johor Open on the Asian Tour between 2010 and 2012, when three different European golfers – Padraig Harrington, Joost Luiten and Sergio Garcia – won the event.