My father, a hardscrabble sign painter from Nova Scotia, never taught me a love of sports – not even hairy-chested blue collar contests like football or hockey. He was more adept at raising a glass of Ballantine Ale than exerting himself on the sports field. Golf was even more socially distant. Terms like birdie and mulligan still sound arcane. Chasing around a little white ball to hit into a four inch hole? No way. My only exposure to golf was a summer spent at a caddy camp in Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts. I remember carrying the bags of the scion of the Rand McNally publishing empire and his wife for nine holes and retrieving buckets of brand name golf balls from ponds to sell for 50 cents apiece. That was a lot of money to a kid in 1958.
But sometimes you have to interrupt the formation of habits before they become too encrusted. For 10 years I’ve lived on the island of Bali – home to some of the finest golf courses in Asia – and it was time to break the trajectory and learn how to play this esoteric and ancient game. By all appearances, such a leisurely pursuit looked like it could help take the pressure off and teach me to appreciate the good things in life like walking in the fresh air, companionship and the grand outdoors. I would also be propping up a sport in recession because of changing family dynamics, loss of pensions and corporate cutbacks.
As I was fortunate enough to have the grandiose and luxuriant grounds of the Nirwana Golf Resort on Bali’s southwest coast in my backyard, it finally became a temptation too hard to resist. Established 13 years ago, now under the management of Pan Pacific, what makes this ocean-side property world-class is its spectacular location looking over Tanah Lot, one of the most photographed religious shrines in the world. Designed by celebrated golfer Greg Norman, the Pan Pacific Nirwana consistently ranks among Asia’s best golf courses in leading golf magazines. Nirwana’s breathtaking signature 7th hole is played across crashing ocean waves onto an absurdly angled green. With its two other cliff-top holes, unique and challenging hazards, open inland landscaping interspersed with rice fields, variety of landforms including deep valleys, creeks, dense jungle backdrops, the course has even been compared favorably to another legendary seaside golf course, California’s Pebble Beach.
In the mid-afternoon I checked in, then strolled to the far end of the high-ceilinged lobby of the Nirwana and - wham! – the classic view of the temple. The tide was out so I walked five minutes along the rocky beach into a swarm of perhaps two thousand people, half of who were taking photographs of the other half. Beyond the crowds, I headed up past the long line of souvenir stands and supped on hot corn on the cob with a splash of sambal while watching throngs of garland-wearing, flip-flopping, camera-toting, water-guzzling, hand-holding, high-heel stepping tourists of every age, stature, language and disposition stream noisily by in both directions. North of the entrance, on the road to Tabanan, I did a full circle by turning in at the hotel’s elaborate main entrance and sauntering through the property’s vast and undulating expanse of greens and fairways. Because it is completely surrounded by an 18-hole golf course, this 103-hectare hotel property is the largest on Bali, a visual masterpiece.
Golfer’s Tales
That afternoon I sat down in the hotel lounge with regular visitor John Charouhas and his wife Maria from Perth. John has also played Bali’s Handara Kosaido Golf & Country Club up in the high country of Bedugul, but prefers the Nirwana. “The Nirwana doesn’t advertise itself – it doesn’t have to - so I just decided to try it out and have come back again and again ever since. It’s not an easy course but it’s a bargain. The Vines in western Australia, the Blue Canyon in Phuket, and even Nusa Dua all charge more, and you’d pay twice as much in Hawaii.”
“We usually come in January when it’s still hot,” John went on. “In Perth it can get up to 30 or 40 C., so we can handle the heat. Sometimes we even play in the middle of the day. Although the headwind is ferocious near the ocean, there’s an interesting mix of holes in the back nine. The 13th and 14th are tough if you don’t get a good T-shot. The 7th hole, overlooking the temple, can be intimidating because you really want to make it over.” Inveterate golfer Bob Kendall, owner of Sanur’s popular hangout Borneo Bar, told me “For those of us who sit around the bar fantasizing about playing a $500 round at Pebble Beach, Nirwana’s course may be as close as we’ll ever get to approximating that fantasy. It is a magnificent piece of ocean front real estate carved into a beautiful five star golf course with enough challenges to satisfy every class of golfer. To top it all off, they even call their competent young girl caddies “green mates.”
Not just eye candy, these multilingual young caddies are trained for three months in the rudiments of the game. They know the course cold and will tell you where to hit, what club to use, the distance in either meters or yards, and will point out what you’re doing wrong (“You are bringing your shoulder too much under.”). Indonesian caddies are strong, hardworking and can endure long hours under the hot sun. Female caddies are also much better at calming golfers if they flub a putt or drive into the rough. Some Indonesian golfers even hire two caddies each, one for the clubs and one for the umbrella, creating the farcical spectacle of up to 15 people walking up to a hole.
My First Golf Lesson
Your first lesson can make or break your relationship with the game, so your pro must be encouraging, patient and a natural teacher. These qualities were well represented in Pak Darma, born in 1970 in Bali’s mountainous Lake Bratan region where his family cultivated cabbages and carrots. The first time Pak Darma swung a club was in 1980 at the Handara Kosaido, a homemade driver that that he made out of cemara wood. The headmen of his village, who was a golfer, took an interest in him and got him a job as a caddy. The ten-year-old would sneak onto the course late at night, using a cigarette lighter to see the ball.
On the morning of my lesson, I walked the shaded roadway from the hotel lobby to the clubhouse. We then drove carts to the driving range. Park Darma first laid down four clubs like spokes of a wheel, and then lined up my feet, shoulders and arms. It looked deceptively simple as he showed me how to hit a ball. A few minutes into the lesson I started to appreciate how learning to play golf is the ceaseless study of pure science – the exactness of posture and grip, the precision of the swing, the mathematics of ball position, the importance of tempo and consistency. For ten whole minutes we just worked on the correct stance. Another five minutes was devoted to how to grip the club handle. The next 15 minutes was dedicated to the correct swing.
My first hit sent the ball soaring. Pak Darma said “Bagus. Do it again.” On my next swing, the turf I gouged out flew further than the ball, but at least the club didn’t fly out of my hands. I then began missing the ball, swinging too high; a series of endless and ineffectual practice swings caused by bad posture. I was twisting my body too much, he said. Pak Darma made continuous simple corrections, customizing the lesson just for me. I tried not to think so much, to stay in the moment. Then thwack! I popped half a dozen nice balls, a shame to waste on a practice tee. But at least now I could hit the damn ball. I asked Pak Darma if this is the hardest club to learn. “No,” he said. “That one is,” as he pointed to the putter. On that first day what I mostly came away with was that golf is a hard game with an exacting and demanding technique. I liked the sensation of hitting the ball. I enjoyed driving the golf cart around, especially on such a princely estate like the Nirwana, and taking an infinitesimal part in one of the world’s great golf resort experiences.
Into the Heart of the Beast
Though the Nirwana doesn’t have a beach, the dramatic scenery and the romantic location more than make up for it. I read books in thatched bale with 180 degree views of the ocean, gazed up at blue skies full of enormous billowy clouds, wandered over Zen-like rock gardens and ponds, swam in multiple lagoon style swimming pools, slept with my balcony doors open to the sound of the sea. Immersing myself in the calm and serenity of the place, for several days there was no inclination whatsoever to venture off the premises. The property is in fact secluded. This is its greatest asset if you want to play a lot of golf or are looking for a stunning self-contained resort where the family can relax and unwind in style.
But for those who hunger for some hustle and bustle and want to see a little bit more of Bali, they must avail themselves of the hotel’s free shuttle service. At 1 pm on Saturday, I boarded the shuttle from the Nirwana to Kuta Beach, which is about as frenetic as Bali can get. The hotel van parked in the basement of the Discovery Mall and its passengers quickly dispersed. I walked along the promenade under shady ketapang trees past braiders, tattooists and bracelet, beach ware, sunglass and hat vendors. There were showers, changing rooms, toilets, fresh fruit and snack stands, open-air musholla for praying, and even recycle bins and trash receptacles. The atmosphere was very civilized. I remembered that sellers in and masseuse in the old days were bolder.
I first visited Kuta in 1972 when it was a dusty fishing village where old men stroked their fighting cocks in the back lanes, rows of jukung reposed inside long grass huts, laughing naked children played under the palms, and small groups of travelers gathered at sunset along the beach to strum guitars and drink tuak (palm wine) before heading back to bamboo losmen lit only by tiny flickering kerosene lamps.
Now five building cranes broke the skyline over a solid pulsing cacophonous mass of urban sprawl one mile deep, a transformation so sweeping and irrevocable as to render the scene almost unrecognizable from those early evenings of 38 years ago. I headed back to the shuttle pick up point at 5:30 pm sharp and ended the night one last time wandering the hotel’s moonlit cliff paths above the breaking waves.
Practicalities
Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort, Jl. Raya Tanah Lot, Tabanan 82171, tel: 0361-815900, fax: 0361-815907, email: enquiry.ppdps@panpacific.com, website: panpacific.com/bali. Five star hotel with 278 spacious deluxe rooms, executive suites and villas. Business center, children’s club, full spa, fitness center, squash courts, flood lit tennis courts, four international standard restaurants, award winning 18-hole golf course. Free shuttle services to Kuta and Seminyak. One hour to Ngurah Rai International Airport. Golf fees: 180-holes Rp750,000 for Indonesian hotel guests, US$95 for non-Indonesians; driving range US$10 per 100 balls. All rates inclusive of tax and service. Golf lessons (includes putting green and practice bunker): US$30 per hour. Best deal are several packages where you can mix and match golf and spa treatments such as “Golf Break” for US$630++ for two which includes 3 nights accommodations, airport transfers, buffet breakfasts, and two rounds of golf per person.
