Bali National Golf Club

\n\nWe played the original course at Bali National Golf Club many years ago and thought then that it was a great layout – indeed good enough to be voted by Fortune magazine as one of the Top Five Golf Courses in Asia back in 1997. Unfortunately the course went into a gradual decline and the decision was made to totally renovate the course. It turned out to be a great decision, as designers Nelson & Haworth created an entirely new course which is unrecognisable from the previous layout. Reopened in 2013 it has been receiving rave reviews and has won a host of awards, including the Asian Golf Awards gong for Best Renovated Course in Asia Pacific (2014) and Best Course in Indonesia (2018). The course sits right in the middle of the Nusa Dua Beach hotel complex and is very conveniently located for anyone staying in the area, and following the completion of the bypass road it is now only 15 minutes from the airport. The course offers a choice of four tee boxes, but unless you are a real masochist or a seriously good golfer then it’s probably best to have a relaxing round off the Resort tee boxes (equivalent to the white tees). The course is in immaculate condition, with hardly a blade of grass out of place. It’s a pleasure to play here – we loved the way they have used native grasses in front of some of the tee boxes and also around the bunkers, which really softens the look of the course. The greens are particularly challenging, lightning fast with plenty of undulations, so if putting is not your strong suit then you are in for a long day. Thankfully you can rely on the advice of the caddies, who are usually excellent here. The course is in immaculate condition, with hardly a blade of grass out of place. The front nine are played in amongst the trees but the back nine opens up a bit and the course finished on a really high note with two superb finishing holes. The 17th is a spectacular par 3 with an island green - the only solid ground is the tees boxes and the green, everything else is water. Just aim for the centre of the putting surface and pray! The 18th is a 400-yard dogleg par 4 with a waste bunker all along the left and a water hazard fronting the green; your approach will be made all the more difficult as you will probably have an audience watching on from the clubhouse as you finish. The clubhouse at Bali National Golf Club features outstanding locker rooms and a great restaurant and terrace overlooking the 18th green. There's also a driving range and you get a free bucket of 25 balls to use prior to your round. While it’s not cheap to play here, the price compares quite favourably to other top courses in Asia, and given the quality of the golf course and the beauty of the surroundings, it's worth every penny.