I was rudely awakened by the alarm clock at 3.30 a.m. for the trip to Tawau - after having slept for about 3 hours. Still in a daze, I went through the motions like a zombie...brushed my teeth, showered and got dressed. The taxi came at 4.30am as scheduled and I managed some sleep over the hour-long journey to LCCT.
The LCCT was packed at that ungodly hour and I was actually glad I came early. Checking in was a nightmare as the line snaked all the way beyond the baggage x-ray point and there was chaos....irate passengers trying to push their way through the crowd, babies crying and the skeleton staff on duty trying to control the crowd!
Upon checking our baggage, we were told to pay for the golf bags (RM40 each) at another counter. Since the line at that counter was moving along at a snail's pace, one of our fellow golfers collected our vouchers and money and performed the transaction on our behalf. Although it was expedient for us, it was really unfair for other travellers and we certainly got dirty looks as some of them, just like us, had to catch flights at 7.30 a.m.
Tempers flared and I felt really sorry for the counter staff as she had to write individual receipts by hand, hence the slow progress. I am amazed that as the winner of the 2007 Airline of the Year award and in this age where everything is just a click away, Air Asia is still issuing hand-written receipts. I hope that Dato' Tony Fernandes would take note of this.
Also, more counters should be opened for early morning flights and the golf bag fee should be collected at the counter where baggage is checked in. By the way, that was the case when I went to Chiangmai 2 weeks ago. But I am told that Air Asia rules are "work in progress"...they change by the hour!
Upon arrival at Shan Shui Golf Resort, we had a quick lunch, checked in and then headed off to our respective tee boxes for the game. It had rained the night before and the course was not at its optimum condition. The fairways were soggy and bunkers were pools of water. Thank god I did not hit a single bunker shot that day.
As we struggled through unfamiliar, undulating, terrain in a slight drizzle, I could not help but wonder why the hell did I agree to join this trip. I would have been better off joining my girlfriends who had planned to play at a more friendly course! Anyway, the best score for that day was 35 points and I played very badly.
That night, we had a barbecue, courtesy of the Golf Section, and all of us had fun exercising our vocal cords during the karaoke session. Some of us, including yours truly stayed on till 11pm crooning the night away and by the time I went to bed, it was about midnight.
Convener Hari Prasad with his rendition of 'Ole Blue Eyes' "My Way"
Before getting into bed, perhaps because of sleep deprivation the previous night, I did a dumb thing. Thinking that there is still a time difference between Peninsula Malaysia and Sabah, I readjusted my watch ahead by one hour and set the alarm for 5.30 a.m. (actually 4.30 a.m.).
Breakfast was to start at 6.30 a.m. and I left the chalet at 6.45 a.m., actually 5.45 a.m. To my surprise, I found that breakfast was not yet ready and I was the only one at the coffee house. It was only when I asked one of the staff that I realized that I was one hour early....two sleepless nights in a row!
On the second day, we played at the Tawau Golf Club (Hotspring Course). Our convener, Hari Prasad, had warned us the previous day that there are more trees than air in that golf course and it was indeed much more difficult than Shan Shui, especially if you are not familiar with the course layout. In fact, our caddy on the first day had also told us that Hot Spring is alot more difficult.
Adrenaline Junkie with Leena Yunus before the Hot Spring debacle
One thing I found exceptionally difficult was that many of the tee boxes are on hilltops, without any steps for one to go up and down. This meant that we had to be very careful climbing up the slope to tee off and then descending the wet, slippery, slope. The hilly terrain was a torture for my battered left knee and, coupled with lack of sleep for 2 nights in a row, it was a nightmare I'd like to forget.
That night, seven of us visited a massage center in Tawau town to soothe our tired and battered bodies. The center only offered shiatsu massage which I don't particularly like.....but I had no choice. After a seafood dinner, I had an early night...I slept from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day!
A sumptious seafood dinner after an exhausting day
On the third day, some of the more crazy golfers squeezed in another round of golf to redeem their performance on the first day. Many came back beaming because they had registered better scores and some even played 27 holes! I guess once you have an idea of the course, it's not too bad. However, the rest of us, myself included, took time off to see Tawau by day. After a day of shopping for seafood and souvenirs, it was back to the chalet for lunch. Then, some of us packed up while others, including yours truly, got to catch up on more sleep. We were served tea before departing for the airport at 4 p.m.
One for the road....
The plane landed at 9.30 p.m. and by the time I got home, it was 11 p.m. and time for more sleep. All in all, golfing at the two courses was like climbing Mt Kinabalu....something I'd do only once, for the experience. Ideally, golf trips should be arranged such that you play and also have time to rest in between.
One of the non-golfing spouses commented that "golfers must be a bunch of crazy people to put themselves through all this just to play the game!" Well, I thought so too until I got hooked...
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