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Laiza Golf Club

Coordinates: 24°45′36″N 97°33′48″E / 24.76000°N 97.56333°E / 24.76000; 97.56333
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Laiza Golf Club
Gen. Gun Maw drives off of hole 1 at the Laiza golf club
Club information
Location in Myanmar
Location in Myanmar
Location in Myanmar
Coordinates24°45′36″N 97°33′48″E / 24.76000°N 97.56333°E / 24.76000; 97.56333
LocationLaiza, Kachin State, Myanmar
Established2004
TypePublic
Total holes6
Events hosted4 annual tournaments on holidays, monthly tournaments subject to military conflict
Designed byNay Min

Laiza Golf Club is a golf course and club in Laiza in Kachin State.

History

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General Sumlut Gun Maw of the Kachin Independence Army founded the club in 2004 after playing golf at a reconciliation conference in Yangon.[1] The site is by the river which forms the frontier with China.[1] There was formerly a village there but this was destroyed by flooding in 1991.[1] The course was designed by a professional golfer from Myitkyina, Nay Min.[2][1] Six holes were constructed, starting in 2006, and there are plans to add three holes.[1] This golf course is open to the public for use even during war time. The course consists of 6 holes.

The golfers are mostly army officers or officials of the Kachin Independence Organisation but the course is open to the public and a round costs Ks.1,000/- – about 1 US$.[2][1] The Laiza golf club is argued to be the cheapest golf club in the world.

Holes and features

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The longest hole is 645-yard par 5.[1] Hole 1 is a 358-yard par 4 and hole 4 is a 392-yard par 4.[2] Hole 5 has a memorial to the 1991 flood victims.[1]

The course has 15 sand traps and other hazards including the adjacent banana plantation and river.[1]

There are 8 staff and a clubhouse with refreshments.[1] The caddying is typically performed by girls displaced by incursions of the Burmese army.[2][1]

Events

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There are four tournaments each year which are typically held on holidays.[1] Other tournaments have been held monthly but these may be disrupted by the level of military conflict.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Edward Wong (7 February 2012), "Myanmar's Guerrilla Golfers Take Time for a Few Rounds", New York Times, p. 6
  2. ^ a b c d e Sebastian Strangio (16 April 2012), Myanmar: God, golfing and guerrilla war, GlobalPost