Langkawi, Malaysia: The Els Club Teluk Datai has been named the region’s ‘Best Golf Course’ at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Property Awards.
The recently-unveiled Troon-managed venue received the accolade from Lord Courtown, Chairman of Judging for the Architecture and Interior Design categories, in front of a distinguished assembly of developers, architects, interior designers and real estate officials at the Shangri-la Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. It will now go on to represent Asia-Pacific at this year’s International Property Awards in Dubai.
Designed by South African golfing legend and four-time Major champion Ernie Els, the layout will compete against other regional winners from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, United Kingdom and the Americas at the awards ceremony to find the ‘World’s Best Golf Course’.
Ken Kosak, General Manager of The Els Club Teluk Datai, was delighted that the course received such recognition only weeks after its official opening in April, which also saw it collect the ‘5-Star Award’ as Malaysia’s top golfing venue.
He said: “Anyone who is familiar with golf in the Asia-Pacific region knows that there is an incredible variety of golf courses of unerring quality here, so to be named the number one course in the region is an incredible achievement for The Els Club Teluk Datai.
“Our designer, Ernie Els, has created one of the world’s most captivating golfing challenges, taking advantage of the spectacular tropical landscape on the island of Langkawi to create something truly unique, which has already received widespread critical and public acclaim.
“This prestigious award is testament to his vision and the expertise of his design team, as well as the unwavering conditioning and quality that can be found across Troon’s wide portfolio of leading golfing venues, and we’re sure this will be the first of many accolades to come.”

The first of two Els clubs to open in Malaysia, Teluk Datai is owned by the Malaysian Government-established Destination Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd (DRH). The course is nestled within an ancient rainforest featuring towering tropical foliage and blessed with unforgettable vistas overlooking the Andaman Sea.
The region of Teluk Datai is also home to the award-winning luxury resort, The Datai Langkawi. Together with Els’ new masterpiece they will play an integral role in realising DRH’s vision for the development of luxury golf experiences.
In addition, Els was selected by DRH to design The Els Club Desaru Coast, located in the southern region of Johor Bahru, completing The Els Club Malaysia portfolio.