East Malaysia
Malaysia is divided into two separate parts, separated by the South China Sea: Peninsular Malaysia (or West Malaysia) is where the capital city of Kuala Lumpur is situated on the Malay Peninsula and where most of the Malaysian people live, and East Malaysia (comprising the states of Sabah, Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan) in the northern reaches of the island of Borneo.
The region shares borders with Indonesia to the south and with the tiny enclave of Brunei to the north. Although East Malaysia is larger in size than West Malaysia, it contains only 20% of the national population. It may not be as well developed as its western counterpart but it does have the distinct advantage of an abundance of more marketable natural resources in its oil and gas reserves.
There are more than two dozen golf clubs in East Malaysia affiliated to the Malaysian Golf Association, including a couple of offshore clubs on Labuan Island, in Brunei Bay. The 18-hole course at Labuan International Golf Club is an impressive Parslow & Winter design that opened for play at the end of 2013 and, although it’s not currently ranked in our Malaysian listings, we’re keeping a very close eye on it in relation to its future ranking prospects.
