Bali Golf Hazards

Bali Golf Hazards


Bali Golf Hazards

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ALUS, HERONS AND VOLCANOES

You see the wide-winged white birds, Japanese herons, cruising for fish over the lagoon
or the ninth hole. But the monitor lizards, known as alus, stay cool and out of sight in
frangipani mirrored waters. More than a meter in length, full grown, and cousin to the
Komodo dragon, the shy alu is one of the more unusual hazards at the Bali Golf and
Country Club.

The 18-hole, championship course, just a shank shot away from Amanusa, in southern
Bali, was named one of Asia's top five golf courses a few years back by Fortune
magazine. Defined by terraced lime-rock walls, by lush vegetarian, tall coconut palms,
and an undulating landscape cut by creeks and canyons, the 10-year-old course ripples
with surprises from tee to glossy Bermuda greens. Mount Agung shows its sacred face
from the Bali Golf and Country Club more often than the alu does, while the Sahara, a
16th hole bunker of spreading sand, is large enough to lose a golf cart in.

Signature Hole

On the par three 12th, the course's signature hole, an underground stream feeds the
lagoon. The alang alang roofed temple, just back of the water, is used on special
occasions by nearby villagers. The Indian Ocean, all blue, glitter, and bright, foam
freshens the tropic air over holes 17 and 18. Finish with the sea at your back and the
sound of surf in your ears.

The Merapi Golf Course, hugging the very slopes of mercurial Mount Merapi in central
Java, is less than an hour's pleasure drive from Amanjiwa. Once past Muntilan and its
markets, the road shimmers with coconut and banana and salak and neat, red tile roofed
homes. Come out of a bend to find volcanic Merapi herself, magnificent cone cutting
cloud, peering down at you.

There is a welcome mood about the Merapi Golf Course, from its cool highlands calm to
the Clubhouse with its soarina, joglo-style roof. From some holes, the country
surrounding the course reveals itself: cattle and their sun shaded keepers wondering by
from nearby Canakringan village. But it's Merapi 12 kilometers to the summit from the
clubhouse that makes the manicured Piers Thompson-designed course a marvel to play.
Several holes offer stilling views, including #4, with its wide-angle vista to the south
face and the western flanks falling toward Muntilan.

Jetsetters Magazine Golf MallThe 17th gets you as close as your want without going
walkabout. From there, you can see the rise and the fading of forest along Merapi's
southeast slope. On an active day, Merapi smoke colors the clouds that cling to it like
supplicants to royalty. Look closely, and you may see the silhouette of Parangtritis,
jagged cliffs hiding black sand dunes that give way to the Indian Ocean. Golf never
looked so good.

OTHER AMAN GOLF COURSES

Duffer DVDsSwing for the peaks that ring Jackson Hole's two 18-hole courses. Locals
say the light mountain air makes the ball travel 10 percent farther.

On Phuket five courses make the southern Thai island a holiday haven for golfers. The
most prestigious, the Blue Canyon Country Club is restricted to members. Happily,
Amanpuri's corporate membership gives guests privileged access to one of Asia's finest
courses.

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By Lise Lacasse, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Read Jetsetters Magazine at
www.jetsettersmagazine.com

About the author
Lise Lacasse, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in
the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com