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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2020
GOLFING
Golfing is one of the nation’s favourite sports,
with multiple championship-grade golf courses
scattered throughout the country. Brunei
Darussalam’s warm sunny weather with clear
blue skies easily encourages the popularity of this
outdoor sport.
The Empire Brunei
Situated within this luxurious hotel’s compound
is this world-class 18-hole golf course designed
by Jack Nicklaus, a legendary American golfer.
Renowned as one of Asia’s finest and ranked
among Asia’s leading golf courses in the World
Travel Awards, The Empire Brunei is well loved
with its immaculate landscape and elaborate
greens from the surrounding rainforest. The course
also treats players with a gorgeous view of the
South China Sea. The golf course has hosted
royalty and heads of states from around the world.
It also played host to prestigious golf tournaments
including the Asian Tour, Aberdeen Senior
Masters, Brunei Open and the Royal Trophy.
Location: The Empire Brunei, Jerudong
Tel: 241 8222
Royal Brunei Golf & Country Club
Designed by Ron Fream, a world-renowned
American golf course architect, this golf course
is one of the best in the world. Fream described
it as the “Augusta National of Asia” due to its
reputation of being one of the best manicured
golf courses in Asia. Nestled within a jungle
landscape, it is distinctive for its narrow, tree-
flanked fairways, leading to relatively small
greens; this gives players’ short game skills a
real challenge.
Location: Jerudong Park, Jerudong
Tel: 261 1582
Pantai Mentiri Golf Club
With greens among the best in Southeast Asia,
the Pantai Mentiri Golf Club is a 6,105-metre,
par-72 course suitable for seasoned golfers
and professionals. The golf course is peppered
with water hazards throughout its compound,
offering a challenge for golfers who wish to
prove themselves to be among the best. Golfers
with a handicap of 10 and above will struggle
to achieve a net par score. In 1999, the golf
course played host to the golf event during the
20
th
Southeast Asian Games, as well as a slew
of other amateur and professional tournaments
throughout the years.
Location: Jalan Kota Batu,
Bandar Seri Begawan
Tel: 279 1021
Royal Brunei Airlines Golf Club
Brunei’s first 18-hole public golf course is
located near the Brunei International Airport and
designed by world-renowned golf architect Max
Wexler. The golf course features a flat terrain
with lakes spread throughout the course serving
as irrigation. The golf course is considered
challenging for golfers due to the preservation of
its original vegetation as well as the addition of
the lakes.
Location: Brunei International
Airport, Berakas
Tel: 234 3724
Panaga Golf Club
Managed by the Panaga Club, this golf course
is located along Jalan Utara, with Brunei Shell
Petroleum’s headquarters not far off. Its close
proximity to the sea in combination with its
low-lying lands means the course’s ponds and
ditches are susceptible to be filled with seawater
when a high tide occurs. In 1978, the golf course
hosted the widely successful Brunei Open. It also
conducts the annual Panaga Open, a local golfing
event.
Location: Panaga Club, Seria
Tel: 337 2265, 337 5754, 337 2234