Legends Golf & Country Club (Nicklaus)

Following on from the Sungai Long layout in 1993 and Borneo Golf Resort course in 1995, the Nicklaus course at the Legends Golf & Country Resort opened 1997 to complete a trio of Jack Nicklaus signature courses in Malaysia.

Situated in the state of Johor in southern Malaysia, the Legends resort is a three-hour drive south of Kaula Lumpur and the second of its intended three courses, the Arnold Palmer Palm course, threw its doors open to golfers in 2009. A Gary Player-designed layout is expected to attract more visitors to the 1200-acre estate sometime in the future.

The front nine holes on the Nicklaus course are laid out on hilly terrain while most of the back nine sits in a valley. Palm trees line many of the fairways and green sizes are relatively small, averaging around 6,000 square feet. Several of the holes are worthy of special mention.

On the outward half, the signature 6th is a fantastic par five where the hole drops over 100 feet from the tee box to a putting surface that sits on the other side of two large lakes – only the longest and bravest will attempt to get on the green in two here.

On the tougher back nine, the par five 13th has a river to the left of the fairway and as the hole progresses downhill, so too does the river, creating a number of water falls as it flows across tiered rock formations.

The 18th fairway has a number of bunkers that jut out from the right hand side of the fairway, offering golfers a choice of carrying them to set up a shorter approach or play safe to the left, leaving a longer second shot to the home green.