Royal Thimpu - Bhutan

Royal Thimpu is located in Thimpu, the capital of the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, closed to the outside world until 1974. This land that time forgot is cradled in the ridges of the eastern Himalayas, surrounded by Tibet to the north and northwest and India to the east, south, and west. The nine-hole course was the first built in Bhutan, laid out by golf course architect Stephen Kay next to the Taschichho Dzong, Bhutan's main governmental building, which houses the royal throne room. A native New Yorker, Kay went to Bhutan in 1985 and constructed one hole working with a local civil engineer, and then sent back detailed drawings for the remaining holes. On a second visit in 1986, Kay met Carl Marinello, the golf pro who had been hired to train the Bhutanese national team, and who, like Kay, had grown up and played high school golf in Queens. Marinello's team of novice golfers but skilled archers achieved phenomenal success, finishing ahead of China in the Asian Games. The golf course may be basic but it is popular with Thimpu's residents, including the maroon-robed monks who can be found out on the course.

Mangilao Golf Club - Guam

The American territory of Guam in the South Pacific is just 30 miles long and less than nine miles wide, but there are golf courses galore, including Mangilao, Hatsuho, Leopalace, and Talofofo. Mangilao, opened in 1992, is Guam's version of Pebble Beach. Designed by Robin Nelson and located on the island's east coast, the front nine is looped around three lakes. The back nine runs along the lower tier of the coastal plateau above the Pacific, with the fairways carved from the jungle. The spectacular 188-yard par-three 12th plays across a semicircle of the sapphire sea to a green resting above a flat ledge of rock.