There are two discreet parts to Malaysia which are separated by the South China Sea – East Malaysia and West Malaysia. Both territories have similar geographical features, with sweeping coastal plains and densely forested mountain interiors but it’s the country’s multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual attributes, along with a broad range of diverse cultural and gastronomic customs, that are most admired around the world.

The Malaysian economy is one of the most vibrant in all of Asia and its GDP has shown steady growth for decades now, with tourism reckoned to be the nation’s third largest source of foreign exchange income. Nevertheless, revenue from oil and gas still underpin the government’s annual budget via the national oil company Petronas, which operates from the tallest twin-tower structure in the world in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian Golf Association dates back to 1929 and there are around 175 clubs affiliated to it in the modern era, drawn from fifteen of the nation’s sixteen states and federal territories. One of the association’s main annual functions nowadays is to oversee the running of the Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship, an event that started out in 1894 as the Straits Championship. The quality of Malaysian courses is high and as we now feature what we consider to be the Top 40 golf courses in the country you’ll be well advised to pack your clubs if you’re planning a visit.

Our Malaysian Top 40 rankings were last updated in April 2020. Click the link to read the story.