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Pahang Woodball
Malaysia in fact is proud to have the most number of international standard woodball courses and most of these courses are in the state of Pahang. The availability and existence of these world-class Pahang woodball courses in many districts spread across the state have helped to produce many players and teams of world-class quality. Pahang woodball players have regularly won medals and awards not only at the national level but also at international tournaments and competitions. As a new recreational game, woodball is fast gaining popularity and international attraction. Woodball courses can now be found in more than 25 countries in the world, including the United States and Europe, and new players and enthusiasts are currently introducing the game to their countries. The sheer simplicity, fun and excitement of woodball as a game, and the comparatively inexpensive playing equipment, have encouraged people of all ages, from children to senior citizens, to take it up as a popular sport. The total cost for a complete set of playing equipment, namely, mallet, ball and gate (including bag), is only around US$100. Hence its increasing popularity. In Pahang, the serenity of Lanjut, near the town of Kuala Rompin along the southern coast of Pahang, features some of the better world class woodball courses, making it one of the best places in the world to pick up and play this exciting game. Here in Lanjut, woodball players and enthusiasts can enjoy the sun and the beautiful scenery while playing the game, as Lanjut is located at the golden sandy shores of the South China Sea.
The International Woodball Federation ("IWbF") is the governing world body for the game of woodball, with members from the woodball associations and bodies from different countries. The IWbF establishes the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the game and also holds regular regional and World Cup Woodball Championships.
Like golf, competitive woodball is played on a course, with a tee area, fairway and putting area. For championship courses, there is normally a stipulation that the course should have at least four curving courses (two left and two right), to add extra challenges and excitement to the game. Woodball is played with a swinging tee-shot and putting strokes. And just like golf, the player who completes the course (known as "gate" in woodball) with the fewest strokes wins the game. The length of a gate, from the starting area to the gate, ranges from 30 yards (par 3) to over 100 yards (par 5) or from 20 meters to 100 meters. But unlike golf, which uses a number of driving clubs and a putter, a player uses only one club called a "mallet" which is made of wood (what else) for teeing off, fairway playing and putting. And the ball for the woodball game is larger (3 ¾ inch in diameter) and heavier than a golf ball. Of course it is made of wood (hence the name of the game) and spherical in shape. As a result, the ball doesn’t fly when driving, as in golf, but instead it only bounces and rolls on the grass or ground. Instead of a hole to complete the strokes as in golf, woodball uses a gate, which is like a tiny soccer goalpost. The gate is formed with two wooden bottle-shaped stumps, which are fixed apart on the ground and it is crossed with a swinging gatekeeper, when the ball rolls in between the two stumps. In a woodball game, each team consists of 2 to 4 players. In some international tournaments, 6 players are allowed in a team, but the results of only the 4 best players in the team are used when tallying the strokes. When playing on the woodball course, the objective is to complete 12 gates, or some other designated number of gates. In international competitions 24 gates or more are normally played. Depending upon the number of players, it normally takes about 90 minutes to complete 12 gates.
BRIEF WOODBALL HISTORY Woodball as a recreational game first started in the early 1990s by a person named Mr. Weng Meng Hui, a Taiwanese. Together with a colleague, he invented this game of woodball and introduced some basic rules for its conduct during playing.
In Malaysia, woodball was first introduced in 1995 and the first woodball course is the OUG Woodball Garden Course in Kuala Lumpur. It was built in 1996 and later upgraded in year 2002. It is a championship course and many local, regional and international tournaments are regularly held here. The Malaysian Woodball Association is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia, having been acknowledged as having the most international standard woodball courses, and perhaps the best in the world, has been appointed to organize and host the 2nd World Cup Woodball Championship in year 2006. The 1st World Cup Woodball Championship was held in Chinese Taipei in 2004. PAHANG WOODBALL ASSOCIATION The Pahang Woodball Association currently has a membership of more than 500 players, and the majority of whom are active members playing the game because of the availability of many woodball courses in the various Pahang districts. In Pahang, you can find at least 8 (eight) districts, namely, Bera, Kuantan, Rompin, Raub, Cameron Highlands, Pekan, Maran and Temerloh which has in existence some of the best and highest standard woodball courses.(see list below) The best Pahang woodball course, and in fact the best in Malaysia, which is internationally acknowledged as world-class, is located at Lanjut, near Kuala Rompin, Pahang. There is also a woodball course which was completed in 2001 at Taman Bandar , in Indera Mahkota, Kuantan. This course has been designated as a centre for training and also for holding competitions at national and international levels. And to spur further interest of the public in woodball, the latest news is that the Pahang Woodball Association will have another woodball course at Pantai Hiburan at Kuala Rompin, Pahang. The completion of this Pahang woodball course will hopefully help to further produce and nurture local players of international caliber.
The following is the list of woodball courses in Pahang:-
WORLD CLASS STANDARD With active participation by members and enthusiasts, Pahang woodball players are already of world class standard, and in fact they comprise some of the best players in the Asian region, if not the world. This was evidenced by the Pahang woodball team which represented the country at the Thailand Woodball Open Championship, from 28th February 2006 – 3rd March 2006. The team came out of this regional championship winning three out of the four championship categories at stake. The three awards or medals won by the Pahang woodball players were the men’s individual champion, women’s team champion and the men’s team champion. With the impressive wins by the Pahang woodball players in this Thailand Woodball Open Championship held at the Chiang Doa Camp, Chiang Mai, Thailand, the reputation of Malaysia as a woodball powerhouse is further enhanced. The Pahang Woodball Association also intends to send participants to other tournaments outside Malaysia. This will also serve to further hone the skills of their players as well as to expose them to more international competitions. Outside of competition, woodball is a fun game really and quite easy to play (but perhaps hard to master). It’s good for establishing closer child and parent bonding, as well as makes for a relaxing game between friends. You can play the game while you walk and chit-chat with your friends all the way to the gate. And it’s a good and fun game too for picnics, either with family or with friends or relatives. And in Pahang, many companies include woodball as part of the fun activities during company outings. And of course for older folks, woodball is good, healthful exercise and recreation for the mind as well. There really is no space constraint or limitation to play woodball. Any place will do -- open spaces, backyards and even indoors. You can play woodball on all kinds of grass, concrete or even on the road. It's that flexible and exciting. Well then, I hope you’ve enjoyed surfing this Pahang woodball webpage and learnt something about this delightful game. For your information, Lanjut, at Kuala Rompin, about 125 km from Kuantan , has good resort hotels and accommodations for you to stay. Lanjut is also just a stone’s throw away to the lush and unspoilt Endau-Rompin State Park. It is also on the way to Tioman Island, one of the 10 most beautiful islands in the world and a marine paradise for scuba divers and snorkelers. So just add those attractions to your trip to Lanjut. And if you wish to experience other delights in the state of Pahang, click at the NavBar of your choice. Until then, from me as always...
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