The Els Club Desaru Coast - Ocean Course

The Ocean Course at The Els Club Desaru Coast is a 27-hole layout on Johor's south-east coast, running through natural wetlands, lakes and rolling terrain beside the South China Sea. The site was originally home to Desaru Golf & Country Club, whose course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1985, and it was reworked by Ernie Els and Greg Letsche in 2015.

The Ocean Course is made up of three nines, Lakes, Coast and Ridge, each with its own character, which are paired to create an 18-hole round of par 72. Played from the back tees, the combinations stretch to around 7,279 yards. The Coast nine alone measures about 3,680 yards from the black tees and carries a slope of 138, a sign of how demanding the course can be when the sea breeze picks up. A nine-hole par-3 course is also on site for juniors, beginners and short-game practice.

The facilities match the scale of the golf. The Els Performance Golf Academy offers coaching, and there is a grassed driving range with target greens plus chipping and putting areas. Carts with GPS are standard. The contemporary clubhouse has restaurants and a bar, along with lounge, banquet and locker room facilities. Desaru is roughly an hour from Johor Bahru.

A 27-hole seaside course is well worth a golf trip, especially with a good group. On CoGolfers you can host golf games at the Ocean Course, join golf games other members have planned and find golf partners for a weekend in Desaru. The CoGolfers community helps you meet golfers from Johor and Singapore, connect with golfers near you and build a golf group for your next coastal round.