Playing Around!
There are some people who say that golf is a great way to spoil a good walk. I can understand that, I mean, you can't like everything can you?
I don't like tennis for example. It's not that's it's a bad game, I just don't like it. Golf though, I love. Spending time and playing your sport in some of the most beautifully manicured real estate on Earth as opposed to a small rectangle of grass or asphalt, is exciting, exclusive and best of all, doesn't take too much effort and energy on the part of the 'athlete' involved. I only wish it were cheaper.
Not only does Bali have beautiful beaches and endless sunshine, it is also blessed with many challenging options for golfers of all abilities and talents with five very beautiful and very different golf courses; Nirwana Golf and Country Club near Tanah Lot, Bali Golf and Country Club at Nusa Dua, Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club high up in the cool air of the mountains near Bedugul, The recently opened New Kuta Golf in Pecatu and the Bali Beach Golf Course in Sanur.
I managed to play four of the five courses within the space of a week under the guise of 'research' and was in sporting heaven.
We started Monday morning at Bali Golf and Country Club at the southern end of the millionaires playground of Nusa Dua. This course boasts one of the most exclusive and beautiful settings for tropical golfing that the mind can conjure. There are ocean views, white sand beaches, creeks, canyons, lush native vegetation, and designer terracing to emulate the famed rice terraces of the Balinese countryside.
One-hundred-foot tall coconut palms line the fairways and provide the most perfect vertical definition to the course. As you hit the last two holes, you are served up sumptuous sea level views of the Indian Ocean and Nusa Dua beach to accompany you on your drive back to the clubhouse and that well-earned Gin & Tonic.
Wednesday had us taking a beautiful two-hour drive from town, through rice fields and jungle, to the Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club near Bedugal. Eleven hundred metres above sea level the air is much cooler and more comfortable making for a much different kind of game with less sweat and a reduced risk of heatstroke. Located in the crater of a hopefully extinct volcano, the course has sweeping views of the lush tropical rainforest all the way down to Lake Buyan. The deep greens of the jungle and the pale blue of the skies create a Jurassic Park like, lost-world feeling, making for a very different style of Bali golf altogether.
Thursday afternoon was an excellent time for us to visit the Bali Beach Golf Course and slot in nine holes before heading out for the night. It's a great course with beautiful tree-lined fairways, plenty of bunkers and water hazards with only one par three and one par five. Nine holes in the late afternoon is great when you have little time and not much energy to burn but still want the thrill of the chase. The air is cooler and the shadows longer and whether you are on holiday or not, it always feels like you are skiving off work.
Friday afternoon and the end of our long and hard 'working week' we teed off at Le Meridien's Nirwana Golf and Country Club. Nirwana is perhaps the jewel in the crown of Bali golf and Australian golfing legend Greg Norman must be immensely proud of his involvement in its design. Once again in the World Travel Awards for 2006, Le Meridian received the dual accolades of both Asia's leading golf resort and Indonesia's leading golf resort for the second time running. Off the black tees, it can intimidate and infuriate, but what it steals from your constitution it delivers back with some of the most memorable golf you will ever play.
There is nothing more you could ask for in the Bali world of golf. Everything one could expect in an Asian paradise is here; volcanic backdrops, coconut palms and wild ocean views. Bali is in my humble opinion, the piece de resistance of the international golfers wet dream. If you still don't like it, all the resorts have tennis courts.
