Bali, Indonesia: Asia’s newest golf club has been unveiled.
Bukit Pandawa Golf & Country Club is an 18-hole, par-three layout, sculpted by Bob Moore, a Partner at the JMP Golf Design Group, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
Situated on a limestone cliff-top overlooking the world-famous surf breaks of Bukit Peninsula, the venue is being billed as ‘the latest addition to Bali’s growing collection of world-class golf courses’.
Playing to a par of 54, the Bukit Pandawa course weaves its way from elevated ridges to ocean cliff edges and features 10 holes with ocean views.
A club spokesman said: “With 18 championship-calibre par-three holes routed through dramatic rock outcroppings, around terraced rice paddies and across a limestone clifftop overlooking spectacular white-sand beaches and the Indian Ocean, Bukit Pandawa Golf & Country Club is the first golf course of its kind on Bali, if not all of Southeast Asia.”
As the first players to test the course discovered at the weekend, the par-54 layout is a time-saver – a typical round lasts just 90 minutes – but is not short on challenge or distraction, with a plethora of bunkers and strategically placed waterfalls sprinkled around the course.
Owned and developed by the Bali Ragawisata Group, the club is the centrepiece of an ambitious development that will eventually include several five-star hotels, including a Waldorf Astoria, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles and Swissotel.
From the Black Tees the course measures 2,767 metres; from the Gold Tees it plays to 2,425 metres; from the Blue Tees it stretches to 2,060 metres and from the Purple Tees it’s 1,301 metres.
The longest hole is the second at 223 metres, while the shortest is the 12th which plays to 107 metres from the Black Tees.
The Signature Hole is the 148-yard 13th, which is framed by three bunkers and features curved stone walls in the foreground and an ancient tower and the Indian Ocean in the background.
As with the golf course, the clubhouse blends into its surroundings thanks to the liberal implementation of local materials (such as stone and wood), native grasses and, above all, water, which flows seamlessly through just about every part of the architectural masterpiece.
Inspired by the iconic temples and towers of Bali and covering 2,961 square metres, the ’19th hole’ is also a harmonious example of style and space.
While half of the building houses the pro shop and restaurant/cafe – whose upstairs perch offers spectacular views of the ocean and course – the other half is a labyrinth of substantive spaces within both locker rooms.