Ayer
Keroh Country Club is located a mere 10-minutes
from the Ayer Keroh Interchange of the main North - South
Highway. Located beside the course is the zoo and "Dataran
Merdeka" (Independence Square) - both popular tourist
spots.
The
golf course carved out of virgin jungle and ready for
play in 1964 was designed by a team led by Tun Dr. Ghaffar
Baba, the then Chief Minister of Malacca, and a golfing
aficionado. The designers of the course very wisely maintained
a large part of the virgin jungle so as to limit as much
as possible the negative ecological impact the golf course
would have on the area. Today golfers share the course
with a varied species of birds, monkeys and squirrels,
and monitor lizards that live in the jungle lining the
fairways of the course.
The
original course consisted of two nines referred to as Tunku
and Ghaffar's Nine. A third nine (Governor's Nine) was added
in the mid-nineties. The three nines hug a lake known as
the Ayer Keroh Lake which comes into play at quite a few
of the holes. Ayer Keroh has its fair share of bunkers and
other obstacles at strategic places, but the course is notorious
for the jungle that lines both sides of almost every fairway
and unmercifully punishes each and every wayward shot. In AKCC - " A
ball lost IS indeed a ball lost".
AKCC has
hosted a number of major championships, the most prestigious
being the 1989 Malaysian Open. A few notable golfers playing
on the professional circuit now in Europe, America, Asia
and Australia have played here at one time or other. Some
illustrious names are Kyi Hla Han, Lucas Parsons, Stephen
Leany and Jeff Maggart.
For golfers
who come to Malacca, the visit must include a round of golf
at AKCC. The natural setting, the sheer
length and the challenges of the course will make it an unforgettable
experience. Last but not least of the attractions of AKCC is
the 19th Hole, the only friendly hole on the course. The
comedies, the tragedies and the histories narrated here,
will compare with those of the Bard himself, and cheer you
up enough, to forget your own gallant but unsuccessful effort
to tame the course.
|