The Club

A brief history

In the 1960s the State of Johor had nine-hole golf courses at Batu Pahat, Kluang, Segamat, Muar and Johor Bahru — in Johor Bahru’s case at the Royal Johore International Club. In 1968 a group of enthusiastic golfers, mainly government servants, convinced the State Government to allocate land for an 18-hole course and a clubhouse that would also serve as a common recreational point for senior government servants, professionals, expatriates and businessmen.

One hundred and fifty-nine acres next to Tasek Utara (North Lake) were gazetted for recreation and tourism. The Johore Golf Club was incorporated on 27 February 1968, and renamed Tasek Utara Golf Club on 22 November 1971 to reflect its location. The course was designed by Dato’ Ahmad Adam, then Director of the Jabatan Kerja Raya (Public Works Department) Johor.

With the help of the JKR and other government agencies, work began on the first nine holes in 1968; they were playable by 1970. Work on the second nine began in 1972, and by 1974 the Club had the first 18-hole golf course in the State of Johor.

The site sat within a water catchment area — undulating ground covered in virgin tropical jungle. The natural terrain was kept with little earth movement and the original jungle trees were retained, which made the course punishing for anyone who missed the fairway. Over the years most of those trees died as the undergrowth was cleared and the ecosystem disturbed, and lightning took a number of pines in strategic positions. Several thousand trees have been planted to replace them.

The State Government built the present dining hall, banquet hall and swimming pool in 1973, and the Club was officially opened by the then Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak bin Dato Hussein, on 3 July 1975. As membership grew the Club embarked on an extension programme — a new golfers’ lounge, four tennis courts, four squash courts, a three-table billiard room, a multi-purpose hall and new changing rooms — at a total cost of RM 3 million, half paid by members through a development fund and half by the State Government. In November 1984 His Majesty Sultan Iskandar bestowed Royal Status on the Club and the name was changed to Royal Johor Country Club.

In 1991, at the command of His Majesty, a Course Development Committee was set up and the golf course designer Ms. Max Wexler Consultant Pte. Ltd was appointed to upgrade the course: all putting greens renovated and returfed with Bermuda Tifdwarf, new tee boxes, six additional lakes and a sprinkler system. The work was completed in 1993 at a cost of RM 6 million, of which His Majesty donated RM 1 million. The clubhouse was upgraded again in 1995 for RM 2.5 million, two half-way houses were built in 2003, and in 2005 a fully lighted 36-bay driving range was erected and the swimming pool modernised. At the Annual General Meeting of 23 July 2010 the members reverted to the name Johor Golf and Country Club, the Club having grown well beyond golf alone.

Timeline

Year	Milestone
1968	Incorporated as The Johore Golf Club (27 February); work starts on the first nine holes
1970	First nine holes playable
1971	Renamed Tasek Utara Golf Club (22 November)
1973	State Government builds the dining hall, banquet hall and swimming pool
1974	Full eighteen holes — the first 18-hole course in the State of Johor
1975	Officially opened by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak bin Dato Hussein (3 July)
1984	Royal status conferred by His Majesty Sultan Iskandar; the Club becomes Royal Johor Country Club (November)
1991–93	Course redesign: Bermuda Tifdwarf greens, new tee boxes, six new lakes, sprinkler system (RM 6 million)
1995	Clubhouse upgrade — golfers’ lounge relocated, air-conditioned reception, new administration office (RM 2.5 million)
2003	Two new half-way houses
2005	Fully lighted 36-bay driving range; swimming pool upgraded
2009	Constitution amended (12 March): five elected and twelve State-appointed committee members
2010	Returns to the name Johor Golf and Country Club (AGM, 23 July)

Tournaments hosted

As the only 18-hole course in the State for many years, the Club has been a popular venue for amateur and professional golf alike. The Johor Amateur Open was inaugurated in 1973 and the Club hosted it for over 25 years before it moved on. The Royal Johor Invitational Amateur Open Championship, listed in the world amateur ranking, was initiated in 2002. The Club also hosted the Pan West Malaysian Amateur Open in 2003 and the Malaysian National Inter-team Championship in August 2006.

The first professional tournament here was the Dunlop Masters in 1977. In 1984 the Club sponsored and hosted its own professional event, the Tasek Utara Golf Classic, with prize money of RM 50,000 — the first club in the region to do so. Renamed the Royal Johor Golf Classic the following year, its purse rose to RM 100,000 and then, in 1988, to a record RM 500,000 with Kumpulan Mados as main sponsor, making it the richest tournament in the country at the time. Five professional tournaments were held here in 1985 alone: the Kosaido Malaysian Ladies Open, the Royal Johor Golf Classic, the PFP Golf Classic, the B & H Malaysia/Singapore Match Play and the Maruman Classic. The Club also staged the Hale Irwin/Aioki tournament sponsored by Benson & Hedges.

The first three editions of the Iskandar Johor Open were played here:

Year	Prize money	Winner
2007	US$300,000	Artemio Murakami (Philippines)
2008	US$500,000	Retief Goosen (South Africa)
2009	US$1 million	K.J. Choi (Korea)

Course records

Record	Score	Holder
Men’s professional	65	M. Marimuthu (Singapore), 1986
Men’s amateur	68	Suffian Tan and Harun Ishak, 1985 Johor Open
Ladies amateur	71	Kee Bee Kim (Singapore)