MAHOGANY NINE
Hole 1, Par 4 (Index 9)
Seri Selangor opens up with a straight-forward hole that plays uphill. Two bunkers guard the left side of the landing area but the clump of tall trees on the right has to be avoided. The fairway opens up on the right, joining the fairway of the 9th. The raised, two-tiered green is tricky, and slopes from back to front. Deep bunkers lurk greenside on the right.
Hole 2, Par 4 (Index 1)
The toughest hole on this nine – and the longest of the par fours at Seri Selangor – is best played with a power fade over two deep bunkers waiting at the corner of the fairway that doglegs left-to-right. Those who tee off to the left to avoid the bunkers will be looking at two more shots to reach the green as this hole is 438 metres from the blue markers. Too much fade off the tee will end up among the trees or over the boundary. The elevated green is guarded by a bunker on the left. Recovery will be tough if you overshoot the green.
Hole 3, Par 3 (Index 7)
The first – and toughest – of the four par 3s is indeed memorable and one of the signature holes at Seri Selangor. The green has two distinct tiers, is closely guarded by bunkers front and on the left. A river runs the entire right side and hugs the lower level of the green on the right. The top tier has only a small landing space and you must contend with the bunkers on the left. If the pin is cut in the middle back, the best play would be to land the ball on the slope of the green on the left and allow it to trickle down towards the pin.
Hole 4, Par 4 (Index 5)
A great hole that plays uphill all the way. The landing area is wide enough but it slopes from left towards a bunker waiting on the far right. Your view of the green will be partially blocked by trees if you get caught in the bunker. The green is extremely tricky and has a turtle-back design, sloping from the middle towards the front and also to the back left. Another bunker waits on the right. A strong drive up the middle of the fairway will leave you with a mid- to short-iron into the green.
Hole 5, Par 5 (Index 15)
Seri Selangor is not a long course, and this par 5 underlines that statement. The tee box is elevated and the landing area is wide enough, but you must avoid a large, deep bunker. In trying to avoid thje bunker, a tee-shot too much will force you to lay up your second shot and go for the green in three. The fairway slopes left to right towards the trees and a long drive with a bit of draw over the bunker and a favourable bounce will leave you with just a rescue wood or even a four- or five-iron to the green that has bunkers on the right and water guarding the left. The water hazard wraps itself around the left side of the green.
Hole 6, Par 5 (Index 13)
Not many courses provide back-to-back par fives. The 6th plays uphill but you need to drive over a large pond in front. There is a bail-out area on the right but your second shot could be impeded by the trees that line the entire length of the hole. Laying up your second shot to the 100-metre mark or nearer will give you a clear view of the putting surface that is well guarded by a deep bunker fronting the green. Long hitters will be encouraged to go for the
green in two but will have to contend with the trees that encroach from the right, and that deep bunker.
Hole 7, Par 4 (Index 3)
Another great hole that calls for a strong tee-shot uphill and over a treacherous, deep bunker. Thick foliage of trees line up the entire left side of the fairway while the out-of- bounds fence runs alongside the right. A draw over the right edge of the bunker is the best approach to this hole, leaving you with a mid- to short-iron into a well-contoured green guarded by bunkers on both sides. If the pin is on the lower tier on the left, the bunker comes into play. The approach stroke then has to be played for the middle of the green, allowing the ball to catch the slope and roll down towards the pin.
Hole 8, Par 3 (Index 17)
How you score at Seri Selangor is very much determined by how well you can read the greens, and this short par three is no different. A pot bunker guards the front of the green which slopes from back to front. Any tee-shot missed left will roll down a steep slope. Accuracy off the tee is therefore in demand. With a front pin, playing short might be a good call. But avoid that pot bunker.
Hole 9, Par 4 (Index 11)
The 9th hole will suit the long, straight hitter. Out of bounds beyond the tree line on the left and a big clump of trees on the right of the fairway pose as the only dangers to sliced or hooked drives. The fairway widens at the landing area and joins the fairway of the 1st hole. But you won’t have a clear line to the green due to the clump of trees. Long, straight hitters will be left with just a wedge if they can steer their tee shot past the 150-metre mark, as the fairway drops down to the lower level. The two-tiered green slopes from right to left. Bunkers stand guard short of the green on the left.
PULAI NINE
Hole 10, Par 4 (Index 4)
If ever there was a tee-shot that might test your nerves more than your skill, it has to be Seri Selangor’s 10th. A pond runs alongside the right of the narrow fairway which climbs up to a small plateau hemmed in by the hillslopes on the left and the watery grave on the right. The spectacularly elevated, two-levelled green is guarded by Seri Selangor’s deepest bunker which disects the two tiers of the green, the left side being the lower level. How you score will depends on where your ball ends up and which level is the pin placed.
Hole 11, Par 4 (Index 18)
The shortest – and easiest – of the par fours at 293 metres, this hole plays uphill towards the landing area which then slopes down towards the green. The fairway is hugged by the hillslopes on the right which tapers down to a strategic bunker 70 metres from the green. Thick foliage of trees and a water hazard guard the entire left side of the fairway. You do not require a driver off the tee. The tricky green is guarded by bunkers on three sides.
Hole 12, Par 3 (Index 14)
The shortest par-3 on the layout features a pond that fronts a two-tiered putting surface that slopes from right to left. A bunker lies to the right of the green. The hillslope and tall trees form a scenic backdrop for this hole.
Hole 13, Par 5 (Index 5)
This narrow fairway is hemmed in by the water hazard on the left and the tree-lined hillslopes on the right. There is a strategic clump of trees on the right to catch those trying to avoid the left water hazard which is blocked by the trees. The fairway drops downhill and in dry conditions, the ball will roll towards the 200-metre mark, offering you a chance to go for the green in two. The water hazard on the left stretches all the way to green wqhich is guarded by bunkers on both sides. The green slopes from back to front.
Hole 14, Par 3 (Index 10)
At 167 metres from the blue marker, this is the longest par-3 on the course. Three bunkers front the green which slopes severly from right to left. Another bunker stands guard on the right. The tee shot has to avoid the trees and its’ branches on the left.
Hole 15, Par 4 (Index 6)
A memorable hole that calls for a tee shot over a mound in the centre of the fairway which goes uphill and then slopes downhill all the way to the green. Avoid the left side of the fairway as there is thick rough and the hillside that slopes all the way down to the 18th hole. The green has a strategic plateau-like surface at the back.
Hole 16, Par 4 (Index 2)
The Par 4 16th is the toughest on the Pulai Nine. It plays uphill and is slightly dog- legged left. A large crater-like bunker will trap sliced shots on the right. Anything right of the buggy track is out-of-bounds. The best play is a draw around the trees ahead of you. Big hitters will be left with an 9-iron at most to a tricky putting surface. A bunker short of the green on the right could damper your hopes of a good score here.
Hole 17, Par 4 (Index 12)
This is a dog-legged right hole which narrows at the middle due to the extensive hillslopes and trees on the right and a long bunker on the left of the landing area. A solid fade off the tee aimed towards the bunker will leave you with a mid- to short-iron to a green that slopes right to left and from back to the middle left. Wayward shots to the right will result in out- of-bounds. Pulled approach shots could end up in a nasty, deep bunker.
Hole 18, Par 5 (Index 16)
There are a few ways to play this hole which could yield birdies. Two good shots will leave you with an easy wedge to attack the pin. Fairway bunkers guard the landing area on the right. A hidden drainage hazard cuts across the fairway. The entire left side of the fairway comprises thick rough carpeting the hillslopes. Long hitters will be enticed to go for the green in two but will have to contend with a river that cuts diagonally from the right and hugs the left side of the green. The putting surface is enhanced by a plateau which add to the uniqueness of this hole. A truly memorable finish to a memorable layout.