PETALING JAYA: Standing at the first tee of the Jack Nicklaus Legacy Course of the Forest City Golf Resort, we cannot help but be fascinated with its immaculate condition.
From the firm and well-turfed tee boxes to the pristine fairways and painstakingly groomed greens, it is obvious that every hole is manicured to picture-pretty perfection.
Golf legend Nicklaus and his son Jack Nicklaus II have indeed left their mark on a living canvas that has been bestowed on lovers of this wonderful game.
Stretching 7,386 yards, the par-72 Legacy Course meanders through mangrove swamps that border Sungai Pulai in Gelang Patah. Its generously wide fairways are turfed with lush Paspalum Platinum.
The beauty of the Nicklauses’ composition extends beyond the visual amidst the jaw-dropping majesty of the locale.
Having built such an impressive course, maintaining its pristine condition is a true challenge for the club management.
Forest City Golf Club General Manager, Anson Li Junwei, credits team work for the success of keeping the course in tip-top shape.
“We have had our course maintenance team together for about four years now, and they have the experience and capabilities to keep the courses in good condition,” he says.
“It is always our intention to get it to a high-quality course, make Forest City a golf club that Johor Bahru can be proud of, attract golf tourists to Johor Bahru, and make Johor Bahru a golf tourist destination again, thereby promoting the local golf market.”
Li has set his eyes on expanding the draw of the course through a concerted effort in marketing it abroad.
“With the help of the broad development platform of Country Garden, the parent company of Forest City Golf Resort, we aim to attract more foreign tourists here, thereby stimulating investment and promoting the development of local tourism,” he says.
Not one to rest on his laurel, Li talks about growing the appeal of Forest City with a rounded development plan to cater to a bigger segment of society.
“We will continue to build around Forest City, all kinds of supporting facilities, including enhancing the golf courses and leveraging the five-star Forest City Golf Hotel, the nearby coastal beaches, and the water park, to form a complete business environment — in short, have perfect facilities in place for everyone who comes here, improve the transportation network, making sure it is convenient, and ensure that the development of ‘Forest City leisure’ is kept in good health throughout the resort,” he says.
“We want the future to meet the needs of the family, parents, and visitors — so let dad go play golf on a top-class golf course at Forest City, let mom go shopping at the mall, and the children enjoy playing at the water park. There must be something exciting to do for everyone. That’s what Forest City is all about.”
The aesthetics aside, the greater worth of a golf course lies with its playability and the test the design places on the players’ course management skills.
Here is where the true appeal of the Legacy Course is. It is beyond its sheer beauty. Looks can be deceiving as the course will prompt golfers to bring out almost every club in the bag to return with a good-looking scorecard.
Despite the challenging terrains, golfers will be pleased to discover that there is a good balance of risk-and reward tough as well as easier holes to ensure a good round for players of all calibre.
All in, the Legacy Course of the Forest City Golf Resort has what it takes to make it a great golfing experience.
