GOLF ATRAVEL Player’s Guide
The eastern coast of Java, around Surabaya, doesn’t automatically spring to mind quality golf. But as Duncan Forgan reveals, there are two courses, a mere hour’s drive from the centre of the city that certainly reward the intrepid traveller.
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ometimes a little bit of obscurity isn’t such a bad thing. Surabaya is a good case in point. This city of over five million souls may be the second largest conurbation in Indonesia, but – in the eyes of foreign holidaymakers at least – it barely registers in comparison to Jakarta and tourist hits such as Bali or Lombok. All this is great news for golf adventurers who prefer their trips to come with some added intrepid frisson. For, while Surabaya has little in the way of traditional tourist draws, it does have a selection of golf courses that rivals any Asian city in terms of scope and quality. While there are plenty of sterling options on the immediate outskirts of town – Ciputra and Bukit Darmo are both fine
A picture-perfect backdrop awaits at Taman Dayu, a Jack Nicklaus design in the country surrounding Surabaya 58
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tracks – it pays to head for the hills, namely the green foothills of Pasuruan where two of East Java’s finest golf resorts, Taman Dayu and Finna Golf are located. Yet, while they are situated a mere 10-minute journey apart (and an hour or so from Surabaya city itself) the two championship layouts are very different in character. Taman Dayu, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, features plentiful water hazards, expansive bunkering and sharp changes in elevation. Finna, meanwhile, feels a little tighter with less water and small greens guarded by pot bunkers. Vastly different they may be, but taken in combination the pair offer a golfing experience as lofty as the nearby peaks of Mount Welirang and Mount Penanggungan. HK Golfer・MAY 2013
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Taman Dayu
Clockwise from top: a view of the second and third holes at Taman Dayu; the par-3 fifth at Finna Golf, a true Indonesian gem; while Finna is not a new course, conditioning has proven exemplary over the years 60
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It can be easy to let your mind wander from the task in hand at Taman Dayu. The holes on this Nicklaus gem, which opened for play in 1997, wind their way up and down the foothills of Mount Welirang and the often-vertiginous nature of the layout reveals some genuinely stirring vistas. The wide fairways and generously proportioned greens mean that visual distraction should not result in an all-out apocalypse of the scorecard. Nevertheless, even the sharpest of shooters will appreciate the challenge presented here. Fortunately, the holes that offer the best outlooks are ones that also constitute decent birdie chances. The second stretches to just about 550 yards from the blue tees but its sharp downhill gradient means that it plays a lot shorter. The same can be said of the 15th, although that hole’s additional length and slight dogleg makes it a slightly tougher proposition. Another visual epic, the long 17th is also a good scoring opportunity but those attempting to make the green in two should be wary of the creek, which snakes through wilderness just ahead of the green. There are plenty of other stunners on the course. The signature short third is played over a ravine, while the treacherous closing hole features an approach played over water and a pest of a bunker to a shallow green. Other course highlights include the fifth, a demanding uphill par-4 with a long carry over natural rice paddies for the approach; the sixth,
where a stand of large trees must be driven over for optimum positioning; and the 12th, a testing par-3 where hitting the giant undulating green is far less of a problem than three-putting on it. Facilities at the resort are excellent with a high standard of accommodation available alongside trimmings such as a large outdoor swimming pool and massage services. Taman Dayu Golf Club & Resort Par: 72, Yardage: 7,123 Designed by Jack Nicklaus (1997) Contact: tamandayu.com; +62 343 633 411
lovely par-5 10th is the only place (apart from rice paddies) where your ball could meet a watery fate. Other highlights are myriad. On the opening nine holes, standouts include the fifth, an eye-catching par-3 played over rice paddies to an elevated green, and the sixth, a testing par-4 which plays uphill through a funnel of trees to a hidden green. If anything the second nine is even more picturesque than the first. The aforementioned 10th is a visual highlight as well as a golfing one, while the short 12th plays back down a gentle hill to a small green cut into a narrow valley of land between rainforest and rice paddies. The closing stretch is played over a more open stretch of land, while the tight dogleg 18th puts you back on the straight and narrow after a period of leniency. The facilities at Finna are a fitting adjunct to the golfing experience. Villas are spacious and luxurious – some have their own pools – while the helpful staff are happy to arrange tours of the surrounding area and to Mount Bromo, an active volcano that is one of the most visited attractions in Java. Finna Golf & Country Club Resort Par: 72, Yardage: 6,938 Designed by Peter Thomson, Michael Wolveridge and Ross Perret (1994) Contact: finnagolf.com; +62 343 634888
TRIP PLANNER Like any major port – and Surabaya is one of the biggest in Indonesia – the cit y is not shor t of attractions when it comes to nightlife, although only those determined enough will stray from the bars of the plethora of five-star hotels. The best of these is arguably the Shangri-La (shangrila.com), which sticks to its usual routine and provides comfy accommodations, a decent choice of restaurants and a wide range of leisure facilities. Another good choice is the hospitable JW Marriott (marriott.com), a high-rise affair that offers rooms overlooking the city, a decent spa and all the convenience one expects from an international hotel brand. Transportation to and from the golf courses (as well as Juanda International Airport) is best arranged via your hotel. Surabaya is served daily by Cathay Pacific (cathaypacific.com). Flying time from Hong Kong: 4 hours, 40 minutes.
Finna Golf
Every golf course designer craves a prime chunk of real estate on which to build a masterpiece. Having said that, it is not always easy to integrate man-made ingenuity with natural beauty. It is to the credit of former Open champion Peter Thomson and his design cohorts Michael Wolveridge and Ross Perret that they have done such a stand-up job with the land at Finna Golf. Located just a short hop from Taman Dayu, Finna shares a similar gilded location in the cool foothills of the nearby mountains. However, the holes here tend to run across the terrain rather than up and down it, which makes for a different challenge entirely. Another refreshing novelty is the complete absence of man-made water hazards – the river that winds its way in front of the green at the HKGOLFER.COM
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