By Rosalynn Poh, City and Country of The Edge
Mines Resort
City founder Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew has earned a reputation as a developer
who transforms the ordinary, even the unwanted, into something highly
coveted. This can be seen in his Country Heights Kajang development
which was launched during the recession in the 1980s. He also turned
what was once the world's biggest open cast tin mine into The Mines
Resort City, where an impressive list of Malaysia's business and
political elite now operate and reside.
Lee, the deputy
chairman of Country Heights Holdings Bhd (CHHB), has now taken on
another massive challenge — building a world-class golf
course-cum-residential development akin to the world's largest golf
course complex, namely, China's famed 216-hole Mission Hills Golf Club.
Making his task even more difficult is Lee's decision to locate his golf
course project, called Mines Golf City, in the vicinity of Bukit
Beruntung, a languishing township in Selangor which seems to have been
bypassed by development.
Lee, who earlier this year
relinquished his position as CHHB group managing director to focus on
his personal ventures, showed he was up to the task when he recruited
women's golf legend and former world No 1 Annika Sorenstam to design the
first 18 holes of the Mines Golf City. Lee owns a 48.1% stake in CHHB.
The
ambitious Mines Golf City will feature a 63-hole golf course, the
country's largest, along with residential development. And if the
developer succeeds in obtaining approval to manage the existing 36-hole
Bukit Beruntung Golf & Country Club, adjacent to the Mines Golf City
site and owned by the Selangor state government, that would create an
unprecedented 99-hole golf course in the country and give credence to
Lee's claim of making his golf development Southeast Asia's Mission
Hills.
Mines Golf City, which comes under Mines Golf City Sdn
Bhd, is a 70:30 joint venture between Lee's privately owned company and
CHHB. Bungalow lots, from half an acre to two acres and tagged at
between RM50 and RM80 psf, will be available for sale. With a gross
development value of RM3 billion, the project spans a 2,100-acre
freehold tract formerly known as Rasa Estate. The acquisition of the
land was completed in January this year.
Touch of golfing great
It
was an early Saturday morning and this writer found herself standing on
a small, cleared elevated spot on the former Rasa Estate near Bukit
Beruntung. Along with several other journalists, we watched a helicopter
circle around the estate with Lee himself and Sorenstam on board,
before finally landing on a temporary helipad. The group was then taken
on a tour of part of the future golf course.
Lee believes
Sorenstam is the right choice as, with her commitment and character,
"she fits into our development". He first approached her during a golf
tournament in Australia last year. "It is an honour for me that Annika
has agreed to design her first golf course in Malaysia in Mines Golf
City. With this 63-hole golf course development, the world will take a
better look at our country," says Lee, adding that while there has been
an increase in new golfers, there have not been many new golf courses in
Malaysia.
Sorenstam, who walked away from competitive golfing
after the Ladies European Tour in Dubai last weekend (Dec 11-14), says
she's proud to be involved in such a world-class development. "It is
very important to preserve the environment, spirit and traditions of the
game. The creation of a variety of tees with generous landing area
gives each individual an opportunity to be challenged based on their
level of skill, while smaller greens and challenges will make it a true
and fair test to remember." She says her immediate plans after
retirement would be to focus on her business and her wedding next month.
On
her impression of the site, Sorenstam says it is a beautiful and
peaceful place with natural terrain: "I am thrilled with what I have
seen today... it is like an open book and I can then start drawing."
Initial
plans for the Mines Golf City, which is expected to be completed within
six years, includes a golfing academy, medical tourism, a health clinic
and spa, international school, an equestrian academy, a diving academy,
a country retail mall and a world-class entertainment centre.
Lee
says there are three phases planned for the development, with 400
bungalow lots available in the first phase. The lots, some 20,000 sq ft
in size, will be sold for around RM50 to RM80 psf. Buyers are encouraged
to build single-storey and 1½-storey bungalows and homeowners will be
encouraged to allocate about 5% of their land to set up their own
organic farms for a healthier and environment-friendly lifestyle.