Best Golf Courses in Sarawak for 2026/2027

Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, occupying the northwestern third of Borneo and sharing the island with Sabah to the northeast and Indonesian Kalimantan to the south. Its two main golf cities are Kuching, the state capital on the southwest coast, and Miri, the petroleum city near the Brunei border in the north. These are eleven courses in Sarwak, and the destination divides cleanly into two programs: a Kuching-based circuit centered on Damai Golf and Country Club, the first Arnold Palmer-designed course in Malaysia, alongside Kelab Golf Sarawak’s 36-hole layout and Hornbill Golf and Country Club; and a Miri-based circuit covering the historic Miri Golf Club, established in 1910, and Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club, which measures 6,803 meters with a slope of 135 and the strongest technical specification in the state.

The honest framing for Sarawak golf is the same as for its neighbor Sabah. You come for the rainforest, the Iban longhouse culture, the Niah Caves, the Mulu karst caves with their bat exodus at sunset, and the Bako proboscis monkeys. Golf adds structure to two or three mornings without competing with experiences that genuinely do not exist anywhere else. What makes Sarawak interesting within this guide series is that both Kuching and Miri have proper 18-hole courses worth playing on their own merits, and both cities sit beside non-golf programs with UNESCO-level credentials.

Sarawak suits adventurous golfers building a Malaysian Borneo program, travelers who want a round at the first Arnold Palmer-designed course in Malaysia, and anyone connecting Kuching or Miri to a wider Malaysia or Brunei circuit.

Best golf courses in Sarawak

Eleven courses are listed across the state. Four carry the strongest visiting credentials.

1. Damai Golf and Country Club

Damai Golf and Country Club is an 18-hole, par 72 layout measuring 6,318 meters, established in April 1996, described by the club as the first Arnold Palmer-designed golf course in Malaysia, located at Jalan Santubong north of Kuching according to the club. The Arnold Palmer design credential is the headline. Palmer-designed courses in Southeast Asia are uncommon, and this is the only one in Malaysian Borneo. The Santubong position on the South China Sea coast below Gunung Santubong gives several holes mountain and coastal views unavailable from the urban Kuching courses.

It suits golfers who specifically want to play the first Palmer course in Malaysia, couples who want to base at the Damai resort complex for the duration of their Kuching stay, and any golfer for whom the designer credential is a specific objective.

2. Kelab Golf Sarawak

Kelab Golf Sarawak is a 36-hole venue measuring 6,394 meters per 18-hole configuration, first opened in 1986, redesigned after a 2002 renovation, located in Petra Jaya near Kuching according to the club. The two 18-hole courses, named Matang/Santubong and Siol/Demak, give the club flexibility across different nine-hole combinations. The city proximity and the 36-hole format make it the most practical multi-day golf base in Kuching for visiting golfers who want variety without driving to the coast each day.

3. Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club

Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club is an 18-hole, par 72 layout measuring 6,803 meters with a slope of 135, located just outside Miri in Sarawak on the island of Borneo according to the club. At slope 135 and over 6,800 meters it is the most technically demanding course in the state and the primary reason visiting golfers make the trip to Miri specifically. The club description notes it stands out as a remarkable destination amidst a picturesque setting.

It suits experienced golfers who want the strongest test available in Sarawak and the highest-specification round in northern Sarawak.

4. Miri Golf Club

Miri Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 72 layout measuring 6,858 meters, established in 1910 to serve the expatriates from the Netherlands and England working in Miri’s early petroleum industry according to the club. The 1910 founding date makes it one of the oldest golf clubs in Malaysia and the oldest in Borneo. The historical petroleum industry context and the long-standing club character give it a different atmosphere from the newer resort layouts.

It suits golfers interested in historical club culture and as a complementary second round paired with Eastwood Valley during a Miri program.

Which course is better?

Damai Golf and Country Club is the first choice in Kuching for Palmer design and the coastal Santubong setting. Kelab Golf Sarawak is the city-based 36-hole option for convenience. Eastwood Valley is the strongest technical test in the state and the Miri anchor. Miri Golf Club adds historical depth as a second Miri round. The Kuching and Miri programs are effectively separate two to three day itineraries connected by a domestic flight rather than a single circuit.

Best time to play golf in Sarawak

Sarawak has an equatorial rainforest climate with rain possible year-round. Sarawak Tourism notes that the state receives rainfall throughout the year, with the northeast monsoon from November through February bringing heavier rainfall particularly to the coast and river delta areas.

March to October is generally the more reliable window. Humidity is somewhat lower, the Bako and Gunung Mulu national park trails are more accessible, and morning rounds at all courses are clear more consistently. June through August brings the Gawai Dayak harvest festival season, which is the most recognized cultural event in Sarawak’s Iban and Dayak calendar.

November to February brings heavier rain from the northeast monsoon. Morning rounds remain generally playable. The cave systems at Gunung Mulu and Niah are accessible year-round regardless of weather.

Early morning tee times before 7:30am are the practical standard year-round.

Sarawak golf holidays and package tours

Sarawak suits two distinct program structures. A Kuching-based program of four to five days covers Damai Golf and Country Club, one or two rounds at Kelab Golf Sarawak, and the Kuching city cultural program including the Sarawak Museum, the Main Bazaar waterfront, and the Bako National Park proboscis monkey visit. A Miri-based program of three to four days covers Eastwood Valley and Miri Golf Club plus access to Gunung Mulu National Park.

Kuching International Airport has direct connections from KL, Singapore, and several regional hubs. Miri Airport is connected to KL and Kota Kinabalu. The two programs can be combined with a domestic flight between Kuching and Miri, taking about one hour.

Practical package formats:

5 days Sarawak golf package based in Kuching with rounds at Damai and Kelab Golf Sarawak, Bako National Park, and Kuching waterfront, from USD 580 per person

6 days Sarawak golf package extending to Miri with Eastwood Valley and Gunung Mulu National Park

Kuching and Miri Sarawak circuit: three Kuching rounds, domestic flight to Miri, two Miri rounds, Gunung Mulu day trip or overnight

Bako National Park is the most accessible wildlife destination near Kuching. Malaysia Tourism notes Bako as one of the oldest national parks in Sarawak, with the densest population of proboscis monkeys in the state and a diverse range of wildlife along the coastal trail network. Non-golfing partners who take the boat from Kampung Bako to the park have a full independent program without needing the golf schedule. Gunung Mulu National Park, accessible from Miri by a 45-minute flight or boat journey, has the UNESCO-recognized cave systems and the famous bat exodus of millions of cave swiftlets at dusk. Browse Sarawak golf packages or create a custom Sarawak itinerary combining Kuching and Miri golf with the Borneo wildlife and cave program.

Golf with Gunung Mulu and Sarawak’s living culture

Gunung Mulu National Park, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, contains the world’s largest cave chamber by area at Sarawak Chamber, the world’s largest cave passage at Deer Cave, and one of the most significant biodiversity areas in Southeast Asia according to UNESCO. The park is accessible from Miri by a 45-minute MASwings flight to Mulu Airport, making it a practical day trip or overnight stay from the Miri golf base. The bat exodus at Deer Cave, where millions of bats pour out of the cave mouth in a spiraling column at dusk, is one of the most viscerally impressive natural events visible in Malaysian Borneo. Guided boardwalk tours through the Pinnacles limestone formations on Gunung Api require a two-day trek but are available through the park’s licensed operators.

Niah National Park, about 110 kilometers south of Miri by road, contains the Niah Great Cave where the oldest evidence of human habitation in Borneo was found, dating back approximately 40,000 years according to Malaysia’s archaeological authority. The cave is accessible on foot from the park headquarters and the walk through the lowland dipterocarp forest to the cave mouth takes about 45 minutes. For golfers with a rest day in Miri, the Niah cave and the adjacent archaeological museum provide the most historically significant half-day program available in northern Sarawak.

Kuching’s Sarawak Museum is one of the most respected natural history and cultural museums in Southeast Asia, established in 1891 and housing collections covering Bornean ethnology, natural history, and Sarawak’s diverse tribal cultures. The state’s wide range of wildlife alongside the golf courses, and the museum provides the fullest context for what golfers are seeing in the landscape around the Damai and Kelab Golf Sarawak courses.

Book tee times in Sarawak

Damai Golf and Country Club and Eastwood Valley are the most in-demand courses in their respective cities and should be booked at least a week ahead for weekend slots. Kelab Golf Sarawak and Miri Golf Club are generally accessible with a few days’ advance booking. The relatively lower international visitor volume compared to KL or Penang means weekday slots at all Sarawak courses are typically open with two to three days’ notice.

When organizing a Sarawak golf trip, confirm tee times at Damai for Kuching and Eastwood Valley for Miri as priority bookings, domestic flight logistics between Kuching and Miri if both programs are included, accommodation in the Damai resort area for Kuching course convenience or the Miri city center for the Miri circuit, and how the Bako National Park boat trip, Gunung Mulu flight, or Niah Cave drive align with the playing days. Start planning here or view Sarawak golf packages to find a program that combines the Kuching and Miri courses with Borneo’s natural heritage.