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One
of the most prominent challenges facing resort courses
is the demand both from management and guests alike is
to build a course interesting enough to generate
repeat business, while being playable enough to keep
busy days running smoothly. Unfortunately, industry
talk of slow play has put precedence on the
latter, and the recent trend in some locales has been
to 'dumbed-down' designs - pretty and scenic but with
very little engaging substance. What makes
Nirwana Bali Golf Club all the more exciting is its
status in this regard as an anomaly: a few rounds is
never enough, prompting many guests to inquire about
international membership options. With shifting trade
winds and a number of angles of attack on every hole,
the course never shows the same face twice.
Built on
an exceptional piece of property along the
southwestern coast of Bali, the topographical mix is
of rolling, fertile terrain crashing into the dramatic
surf along the course's unforgettable ocean holes.
Rice terraces gives one the sense that the course was
laid out among the terrain, adding
to the aesthetic appeal of the course and giving the
inland holes further depth and nuance to
counterbalance the windswept holes along the edge of
the sea. The course was designed by Greg Norman,
largely influenced by his talented associate Bob
Harrison, and the end result is a layout applauded
throughout Asia but recipient of little notoriety
elsewhere. The simple truth is that Nirwana Bali
rivals any of Norman's design work in North America,
and from the back tees that share his 'Shark'
namesake, the 6,805-yard course is a purist's delight,
and capable of challenging the game's best players.
The
opening shot at Nirwana Bali is in fact a very
hospitable welcome, carrying over a pronounced rice
terrace to a broad and enticing fairway. The short par
four is easily managed if the deep cluster of bunkers
on the left corner of the dogleg are avoided. A pair
of greenside traps keep golfers honest, but there is
nothing else of note early on here, no portent of the
drama and scenery to come.
At
the 188-yard second, there is perhaps a glimpse.
Norman has made great use of the existing land here,
as the approach must carry over a slope of the
terraces to a green set back against dense tropical
foliage. Favouring the right side is essential here,
to compensate for the slope and avoid the deep bunker
on the left corner.
Three
upland holes, over what might be considered Indonesian
highlands, take players to the landing area at the
501-yard sixth, where good drives will come to rest at
the crown of the fairway, looking down over the green
complex and the lush blue Indian Ocean. The sight is
spectacular. The chance at eagle or birdie? Alluring
as well. Playing downhill, the long second shot here
needs to be fitted between a pair of bunkers short.
Laying up means a long uphill pitch to a semi-blind
green, but going for the green in two and missing in
one of the traps leaves a difficult 20-30-yard bunker
shot.
As
signature holes go, the seventh is in a class of its
own, and may be the most dramatic par three in Asia.
From a tee high on a bluff, the 215-yard shot must
carry over the foamy rocks and surf far below to a
green set out on a peninsula against the very same
cliff, tucked behind a pair of bunkers. Purely for the
setting, the hole is quite similar to the 16th hole at
Cypress Point, except for the presence of Tanah Lot -
one of Bali's most famous and striking temples -
visible off the shore long and left of the green. The
co-existence of an ancient spiritual shrine and a
spectacular modern golf design may seem somewhat
sacrilege if it were not so profoundly moving. Score
is irrelevant here, as the seventh represents a moment
where the place renders the purpose meaningless.
The
388-yard ninth would be much more than an afterthought
if its predecessors were not so impressive. The
downhill approach is quite intimidating, though,
through a chute of trees to a green banked against
rows of rice terraces that can cause depth perception
issues. This move, from the end of the front nine into
the back side, can seem like a lull, bookended by
ocean holes, but as the 'weakest links,' these
understated holes secure the accolades the course has
been receiving.
The
381-yard 12th hole marks that turn back
toward the sea, playing quite short and moving
downhill and to the right. Still, the short approach
is very demanding. The green is very shallow, and
fronted by a cobble wall that elevates it from
incoming tides which lap about in the mouth of the
river. Club selection here is imperative, of course,
but it is better to stray long and leave a tricky chip
coming back.
At
the 337-yard 13th, the smart choice is equally
obvious. While a drive hugging the right side shortens
the hole, it risks bounding over the edge of the
cliffs, and ending up on the rocks below. The smart
play here is to let the hole play much longer, driving
up the left edge and then playing safely toward the
middle of the green, keeping the ball under the wind.
It all falls under an immutable law of the game: the
scenery is best enjoyed if no penalty shots are
incurred.
The
finale to this oceanside troika is the 186-yard 14th,
which plays over a finger of the ocean but is
significantly easier than the seventh. The angle of
play is less daunting -- indeed, almost away from the
ocean -- but a pair of greenside traps, one of which
is deep enough to seem subterranean, defend this large
green. The move inland allows for a modest, enjoyable
close to the round, with good, straightforward golf
holes to close.
The
finisher, a 520-yard par five, plays shorter than its
yardage and yet cannot be reached in two. A small
ravine and stream, and the suffocating pressure placed
on the green by dense underbrush on all sides,
requires a lay-up to the end of the fairway and a
sharp wedge to the middle of the green. The slope of
the green can make it difficult to attack a left pin,
but two putts and par are fairly attainable here, if
the green is found in regulation.
While
the course earns its reputation on the dramatic runs
of holes along the ocean, the balance the golfer finds from start to
finish is the ultimate testament to this design. The visiting golfer
would do well to allow for at least a couple of rounds
to scratch the surface, and prepare for a lifetime of
learning this intelligent layout. Smart, strategic
golf, combined with the gorgeous setting, is more than
enough to
create one of the most dynamic golf resorts in the
world. |
