For more than a hundred years, golf has been played in Indonesia.
As a result, international standard courses have sprung up in several parts of the country, and Bali, too, has its share of courses that are just for pure enjoyment of the game.
Indeed, golf is a very popular sport with both tourists and the locals.
Bali Golf & Country Club
Voted “One of Asia’s 5 best golf courses” by an expert panel in Fortune Magazine U.S.A., Bali Golf & Country Club, ensconced in the deluxe resort of Nusa Dua, offers enthusiasts a unique golfing experience with world class breathtaking sights.
Designed by renowned golf course architects Rodney Wright and Robin Nelson of Hawaii, the 18-hole par 72 course hosted the 1994 Alfred Dunhill Master tournament, which featured several of the world’s top golfers, including Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomery and Vijay Singh.
The course has multiple tees, allowing for play by novice and professionals. Each hole is unique and the course has three definite settings for play. From hole 1-9, play extends up a hill through thick vegetation, giving players the opportunity to enjoy the panoramic scenes of the Indian Ocean and Nusa Dua.
They can also see the majestic Mt. Agung on a clear day. The first half of the course has several water spots, creeks, and waterfalls; and small, hand-built stone walls line the sides of the tees and fairways, resembling the rice field terraces of Bali.
Holes 10-1C are played through a coconut grove with some of the palms as high as 100 feet. Holes 17-18 are played along the beachside and back toward a 16 acre lake.
At the end of a round, golfers can indulge in a relaxing and exhilarating massage or spa treatment at The Spa at Bali Golf & Country Club. Trained caddies, golf carts, and all necessary equipment are available for hire at the pro-shop. The well appointed clubhouse has a swimming pool, two bars and an open-air restaurant.
A recent addition to the Bali Golf and Country Club has been the Wantilan Golf Villas. Set within the golf course, these three- and four-bedroom, self contained villas can be rented on a short-term basis. Guests will receive personalized service, attractive golf fees and priority tee times.
Bali Golf & Country Club
Nusa Dua
Tel. 771 793
Advance Reservations
Tel. 772 495
Wantilan Golf Villas
Nusa Dua, Bali.
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Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club
Located at 1 142 meters above sea level in Bedugul, Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club boasts of an 18-hole, par72 championship golf course that is listed among the world’s fifty greatest.
Designed by international golfer and course architect, Peter Thompson, Michael Wolferidge and Associates, the course is surrounded by mountains with a panoramic view of Lake Buyan, and is popular for its difficulty.
The scenery and the low average temperature of 16-20C present a refreshing change from the heat of southern Bali.
Accommodation at the club consists of Balinese bungalows or hotel and suite rooms, which are heated.
Facilities at the club include tennis courts, fitness center and massage, Japanese bath and sauna. Golf carts, equipment and services of caddies are available at the pro-shop. F & B outlets include three restaurants and a karaoke bar, and there is also a fully-equipped convention and banquet hall for up to 100 people.
Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai
Tel. 288 944
Bank Pacific Building 3rd Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 7-8
Jakarta 10220
Tel. 021 570 4893 |
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The Grand Bali Beach Golf Courses
Open to both hotel guests and visitors, The Grand Bali Beach Hotel has a challenging 9-hole golf course with many trees.
The clubhouse has a restaurant and a bar. Equipment and services of caddies are available. The Grand Bali Beach hotel guests receive a 50% discount on green fees.
Those not ready for the course can practice at a driving range in nearby Renon.
The Grand Bali Beach Golf Courses
The Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur
Tel. 288 511 |
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Nirwana Bali Golf Club
Nirwana Bali Golf Club, situated near the Tanah Lot Temple, has breath-taking views over the Indian Ocean.
The resort consists of a golf course, a five-star hotel managed by Le Meridien, a racquet sports center, 672 luxury villas, timeshare suites, resort homes and townhouses.
The par 17, 18-hole course was designed by Greg Norman who incorporated rice terraces and creeks into it, resulting in one of the most visually spectacular courses in Asia. Three holes are played on cliffs overlooking the lndian Ocean and the twelfth hole, which overlooks the Tanah Lot temple, is one of the most photographed in the world.
Golf carts are compulsory and playing assistants must accompany all golfers. A Balinese open-style clubhouse serves refreshments and food, and a pro-shop has equipment for rent. Guests at Le Meridien receive discounted rates for golf.
Nirwana Bali Golf Club
Le Meridien Resort, Tanah Lot
Tel. 815 960
Le Meridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort
Tanah Lot, Bali. |
June 8th, 2006
The BIMC or Bali International Medical Centre has been an institution in Bali for as long as I can remember and for years it has assisted tourists with all manner of injuries that have occurred whilst on their holidays.
You know the situations I mean. Having skin ripped off your elbow when you fell off a bike or broken a bone or two. Getting stung by that delightful and colourful insect that your mother told you not to touch, and, even the dreaded Bali Belly - the curse of all travellers.
And now the Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC) has just improved its reputation for providing fast and sophisticated emergency medical response services with the introduction of an innovative addition to its fleet of state-of-the-art ambulances.
As you can imagine it is sometimes difficult to manoeuvre down narrow gangs with an ambulance or even in the heavy traffic that accumulates so often on Bali’s busy streets. So, they now have motor bikes, fully equipped to service your medical needs whether it be in downtown Kuta when you split your head open from a fall after a bender on the booze or, if you are hobbling along some dirt road in the back of the mountains.
I could have done with these guys a few years back when I was on a road trip with Nick. We were taking a leisurely night stroll along a small back road up at Gunung Batur. Pitch black as the night was, every time a vehicle zoomed by we had to step onto the side of the road. I misjudged the step in the darkness and twisted my foot or so I thought.
With the kind help of Nick,, Candika and Meli, we managed to somehow make it back to the small place we were staying. A bit of ice on my blue and swollen foot, a bandage wrap and all was well. On with the roadtrip. When I returned to my digs in Kuta the pain was increasing by the minute and my foot looked more like a hunk of two by four. A trip to the doctor confirmed I had broken a bone in my foot. Oh the joys of travel!
June 8th, 2006
Most of us would dearly adore living in the tropics and especially Bali. Getting your own house there or renting it, and generally enjoying life to the max. But, what kind of house would you choose?.
I have just finished reading the review by Chisato Hara of a new book on the market - 25 Tropical Houses in Indonesia - and published by Periplus Editions of Indonesia. Whether you want to live in Bali or some other exotic location throughout the archipelago, this book offers ideas on various architectural designs and ideas for your dream home.
Eventually, Candika and I will move permanently to Bali and I am looking forward to obtaining a copy of this book to get a few ideas!.
Here is Chisato Hara’s review of the book from the Jakarta Post:
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‘Tropical Houses’ explores dream home designs
Chisato Hara
25 Tropical Houses in Indonesia Amir Sidharta photographs by Masano Kawana Periplus Editions, May 2006 224 pp.
Visually striking, the private residences featured in 25 Tropical Houses in Indonesia by Amir Sidharta depict dreams that startle and awe and their existence seems somewhat unbelievable against the typical urban sprawl of modern Indonesia.
Published by Periplus Editions and filled with images by award-winning photographer Masano Kawana, 25 Tropical Houses in Indonesia was launched on Monday evening at the Kemang Icon in South Jakarta.
Curator/director of the Pelita Harapan University Museum and head of Sidharta Auctioneers, Sidharta has degrees in art history and museology and is a trained architect himself. He has previously written several books on art including a recent title on his favorite artist Sardjono whom he considers a “father of modern Indonesian art” as well as on Balinese gardens and archeology and has also written on architecture and the arts for The Jakarta Post.
“Initially, I wanted to do a book on current Indonesian architecture because some current books on the subject only focus less than 20 percent of the book on Indonesian architects,” he told the Post on Monday underlining that this coffee-table book features 100 percent Indonesian architects.
“But in the process, it turned into a ‘house’ book instead of on architecture” he added.
While the final product might present page after glossy page of residences that look slightly out-of-this-world the accompanying text provides a detailed breakdown of each design from materials to structure and from layout to construction and from texture to color, and how all elements combine in defining the architectural esthetics of a particular house.
“I hope the book offers interesting ideas and designs not only to show what current Indonesian architecture has to offer” said Sidharta. And for general readers he hoped it would be a kind of guide on building materials and settings to be created through architecture.
Regarding public appreciation for architecture he commented: “There’s a totally different attitude now from the late 1980s… It was only in the mid 90s that people started to appreciate architecture although there was still a preference for prominent architects in established firms.
“People appreciate style now and architects today are more sophisticated in design and more knowledgeable about building materials.”
Of the 22 architects featured in 25 Tropical Gardens only five work at major architectural firms; the others are independent.
“The field has expanded a lot” said Sidharta.
Long a member of the Young Architects Association, established in the late 1990s by Yuri Antar and 17 founding members - Sidharta researched the residences through the “architects network” which includes the Indonesian Architects Association.
While the houses of 25 Tropical Houses in Indonesia obviously depict leading architectural designs they have a tendency to start blending into one another after repeated viewings. The current trend appears to be one that balances wood, stone, steel and glass with some visage of water on the site and all in a minimalist composition that reminds of abstract art with a touch of Zen - color accents against a white backdrop or black-on-white with spots of color.
So what makes for a uniquely Indonesian design?
A self-professed supporter of unique and interesting ideas Sidharta believes that creative development toward an Indonesian architectural identity is an ongoing process.
“What it is now I cannot define yet. It is my hope that the book will challenge Indonesian architects into thinking what that is without trying to establish a visual identity which happened from the ’50s to the ’80s.”
In particular he would like to see designs that address architectural issues particular to Indonesia such as climate and security, environment and culture.
Meanwhile the two main features of the designs incorporated in the book are that several address the climate issue while others are expressions of theoretical ideas. In speaking of design and architecture it may become easy to lose sight of the fact that these structures are not merely houses and are meant to be homes.
Asked about his ideal home design Sidharta - who lives with his parents in the house that was being built when he was born - replied: ‘I am a museum person so I most enjoy houses that develop and that have a history. Some projects have new designs that evoke a sense of historicism to create a lived-in house.
“But houses are not shells. It has a life of its own. Even in a completely new home you will be bringing your own history to it.”
Some of the designs he particularly likes in the book are: the Steel House for its compact design that met the clients desires and budgetary constraints; the Jane House which retained the brick wall of a neighbouring plot; and the cover hous, Budi House, for its sculptural design.
With the recent earthquake in Yogyakarta and the devastation wreaked upon poorly constructed houses Sidharta believes that traditional construction which typically uses joints and pegs in the frame needs to be rethought.
For all the achievements - esthetic and structural - of modern architecture however, one particular architect and his work stand out for Sidharta: that of the late Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya a Catholic priest who reconstructed a riverside slum area in Yogyakarta.
“He explored a lot of craftsmanship and developed individual methods of construction based on traditional local architecture. The kampong is not about style but about trying to develop an area.
“He used to say that houses need to be decorated so that people understood these were not just shacks or shanty houses but that people live here… To have pride for their environment.”
June 8th, 2006