Sports

Sunday February 10, 2008

Tasik Puteri's new nine is a tough test

COURSE REVIEW
By BRIAN MARTIN

Lots of water, big greens and a long layout, this is a beauty of a course.

TASIK Puteri in Rawang can rightly claim to be the home of the club-less golfer. Together with Seri Selangor in Shah Alam, it has proven to be Klang Valley’s favourite public course. Indeed, such is its popularity, that flights on Saturdays and Sundays are always full.

High time then for the owners to open a third nine to ease the congestion on the course. And what a third nine they have got on their hands!

Even the most avid fan of the Rawang course will admit that it isn’t championship standard. However, the new third nine, or Tasik Nine, can certainly be considered a true golfing test.

Tasik Puteri's clubhouse in the background; the completion of the third nine has now given the club 27 holes.

Firstly, the course is long (3,803m fromthe black tees, more than 400m longer than either of the other two nines). Secondly, as the name suggests, the course has water as its main hazard. There are four lakes that bisect the course are various points.

Lastly, the rough on many of the holes are penal. Get your ball in the wrong part of the rough, and I suggest you say a silent prayer before you attempt to hack it out. So, all in all, this third nine, designed by Australian Tim Woolbank, should prove to be a stern examination of your golfing skills,

“The third nine is now ready, and we have opened it up to golfers. However, the thousands of trees we have planted will take a little more time to mature,” said Y.P. Tan, Tasik Puteri’s director of golf, adding that the course will be in better condition for the Asian Senior Masters in October.

Another distinct feature of the Tasik Nine, is the huge greens. The Bermuda Tifdwarf greens seem to swallow your ball up with their many indentations on the putting surface. Depending on the flag placements, three putts or even four would not be uncommon.

Teeing off at the Tasik Nine's signature hole, the par-3, 6th which features an island green.

Golfers standing on the first tee (or hole No. 19 on your scorecard) will be treated to a sweeping vista, with views of practically all the holes.

If you are a high handicapper, reaching the first green in two is virtually out of the question. At 410m from the blue tee, this is a beast of a hole. A safer option would be to lay-up and use a wedge to get near to the pin wherever it might be on an enormous green.

Tasik’s two par-3s are also memorable. The first - hole no 4 (or no 22) is a whopping 197m long, and most of that uphill. All our foursome used drivers to attempt to reach the green. There is water to carry at about 160m and if you achieve that, there are two pot bunkers that you have to negotiate to reach the putting surface.

The other par-3, No. 6 (or No. 24) features an island green that plays to about 146m from the black tee. Other than the intimidating sight of water all around, this hole features a tricky cross wind that blows from time to time. With no bailout, all you can do is hope and pray you connect well with your tee shot. A note of caution though, if you try to use a long club to get over the water, be aware that it’s an island green, with water behind the hole also!

The Tasik Nine has the perfect final hole to end your golf game. It’s a par-5, 485m beauty. There’s water all along the left side and big hitters tempted to go for the green in two, should be warned about the stream that cuts across the fairway near the green.

Tasik Puteri has a reputation for having knowledgeable, friendly caddies. By all means hire a caddy when you golf here, but since the third nine has just opened, many of the caddies are still getting used to the course and are not be able to read the greens.

A feature of the Tasik Nine are the huge greens, which designer Tim Woolbank created.

“The opening of our third nine has given us more options. We now have 27 holes and this has certainly eased the congestion the course,” said Tan. “This is the best time to try the Tasik Nine because we are still offering golfers our special promotional rates.,

For reservations, contact Tel: 03-60344721.

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