Burmese Golf: A Throwback In Time

Burma, one of the last countries to open up to visitors in Southeast Asia offers a surprising array of golf around its capital city of Yangon.

- Benny Teo

Yangon, Myanmar. The final frontier as far as uncharted cities in Southeast Asia goes. Flawless natural beauty, lithe virginal lands unsullied by the throngs of modern tourism and I’m here ripping my Callaways around thinking last year’s clubs were good enough to show off at the imperious Yangon Golf Club.

When I arrived, I realised how wrong I was; the members were already sporting the latest golfing equipment. Welcome to Myanmar so it is. There is a distinct rich cultural heritage here as I roam the streets of this once prosperous city that has yet to be diluted by the inevitable horde of expatriates. Untapped wealth and resources, a society and civilization finally open and awakened from decades of oppression – of age, ready, legal and willing.

The airport is fairly clean and modern, and just as you leave customs, you are greeted by a ubiquitous duty-free liquor store, so nothing really prepared me for what was to come the moment the hotel car pulled out into the main streets.

Bumper to bumper, there are cars everywhere. Not the motorbikes of Saigon or the bicycles of Beijing, but simply a hoard of cars. This is something to take note of while travelling in Yangon, so definitely plan well ahead to ensure a timely arrival.

I had optimistically booked a Friday 9 am tee-time at the Yangon Golf Club, famed for its colonial roots dating back to 1893, excellent quality and unique non-profit organization structure.