Quinta Do Lago, Portugal: Asian Golf Industry Federation Executive Member Troon joined a number of its international division as its properties celebrated an award-winning year at the second World Golf Awards.
Held in the Algarve, the three-day World Golf Awards programme culminated in an award ceremony, with Troon facilities picking up some of the most prestigious awards, including ‘Best Golf Course’ for their respective countries.
Decided by the general public, the World Golf Awards serve to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world-class courses and golf destinations, providing an extension to the World Travel Awards which celebrated its 22^nd anniversary this year with a collective of Troon facilities also coming out on top.
With delegates from all regions travelling to Portugal for the event, standout Troon winners included Asian Golf Industry Federation [AGIF] Golf Facility Member The Els Club Teluk Datai, Langkawi, named as Malaysia’s Best Golf Course.
Designed by Ernie Els as a tribute to nature, The Els Club Teluk Datai meanders its way through million-year-old rainforests cascading down to the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea and is overlooked by the marbled limestone peaks of the Mat Cincang Mountain range.
Other notable Troon winners were:
Spain’s Best Golf Course – Las Colinas Golf & Country Club, Alicante
Greece’s Best Golf Course – The Bay Course, Costa Navarino, Messinia
Morocco’s Best Golf Hotel – Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, El Jadida
United Arab Emirates’ Best Golf Course – Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi
Dubai’s Best Golf Course – The Address Montgomerie Dubai
Bahrain’s Best Golf Course – The Royal Golf Club, Riffa
Russia’s Best Golf Course – Agalarov Golf & Country Club, Moscow
There were further triumphs for Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, The Address Montgomerie, The Royal Golf Club Bahrain and The Els Club Teluk Datai as their partnering hotels received the ‘Best Golf Hotel’ accolades in their respective countries.
Jon Schauder, Director of Business Development, Troon International Division, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for all of our facilities. To be recognised in such high-profile categories is testament to the hard work of each team who present their courses in championship standard, every day. It was a pleasure to collect the awards on behalf of The Royal Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, both of which are extremely busy with peak season business.”
For Las Colinas Golf & Country Club, who have been on the podium twice with their win with ‘Spain’s Leading Villa Resort’ accolade at the World Travel Awards, 2015 represents a milestone year. The par-71 golf course, designed by Cabell B. Robinson also ranks within Golf World’s (UK) Top-100 in Continental Europe.
Designed by American architect Robert Trent Jones Jr, a Full Business Member of the AGIF, the par-71 Bay course at Costa Navarino, Greece, offers golfers a unique challenge, complementing a wide range of cultural and sporting activities at The Westin Costa Navarino and The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort.
The dramatic and visually stunning Gary Player-crafted course at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in Morocco is a memorable layout along the coast next to the beautiful hotel and adjacent to a stunning sandy beach. Fabulous panoramic views are presented through undulating sand dunes as sea breezes drift in from the Atlantic Ocean.
Also designed by Player, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is the Arabian Gulf’s first beachfront course, intertwined with the UAE’s Best Golf Hotel award-winning St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. The par-72 course harnesses the natural beauty of Saadiyat to create a memorable experience.

Designed by Colin Montgomerie in association with Desmond Muirhead, The Address Montgomerie Dubai’s championship golf course spans some 265 acres in one of Dubai’s most exclusive residential communities, Emirates Hills. Coupled with the ‘Best Golf Hotel in Dubai’ award-winning boutique styled clubhouse, golfers can sample a delightful meal in the signature Nineteen restaurant, embark on a pampering journey at the Angsana Spa and enjoy an overnight stay.
Also designed by Montgomerie, The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain’s 7,102-yard par-72 course is complemented by the Wee Monty nine-hole, par-three course. With floodlights on the back nine as well as on the Wee Monty course, golfers can enjoy a relaxing round of golf in the cool of the evening.
Agalarov Estate in Russia includes a par-71 course, designed by American architect Cal Olson, with a complex water system, consisting of 14 lakes, most of which are connected by a system of small streams with a single underwater current, four flowing waterfalls and seven fountains.