Take a trip down memory lane at Rawamangun golf course<\/p>\n
By Kosasih Derajat<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A local newspaper once published a letter from a
\nstudent who said he was almost hit by a flying golf ball. The
\nstudent said he had been waiting for a bus in front of his campus
\nin Rawamangun, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The experience was frightening, the student wrote, but he
\nwould keep the small, hard ball as a memento of the country's
\noldest golf course.<\/p>\n
There have been several similar complaints, and all medical
\ntreatments and smashed windshields have been compensated, the
\nmanagement said.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Golf Club, formerly the Batavia Golf Club, was set
\nup in 1872 around what is now the National Monument Park.
\nEventually it was moved to Rawamangun, and is one of the few near
\nthe heart of the city.<\/p>\n
The 125-year-old, 32-hectare course is now flanked by a
\ncampus, a residential and small business area, and an elevated
\ntoll road above Jl. Jend. A. Yani.<\/p>\n
It is a pity that all the records are gone -- General Manager
\nHary Maskan said that in 1964 the club's secretary, a man called
\nOlevsky who was working at the U.S. Embassy, scurried home with
\nall the documents when the 'Go Home Yankee' protests spread
\nacross the city.<\/p>\n
No one knows exactly when the golf course was opened. What is
\nclear is that the name Jakarta Golf Club replaced the Batavia
\nGolf Club on Aug. 8, 1932.<\/p>\n
President Sukarno, who likened the golf course to other
\ncolonial symbolism, never played at Rawamangun.<\/p>\n
\"Bung Karno visited the golf course just once in the early
\n1960s when he inaugurated the nearby Cawang-Priok bypass road,\"
\nHary, who claimed to have been with the club for more than 30
\nyears, said.<\/p>\n
Such sentiments have long gone: Statesmen such as the late
\nvice president Mohammad Hatta, Mohammad Roem, and Gen. A. Yani
\nare known to tee-off there.<\/p>\n
Now, when several military cars are parked outside, passers-by
\nknow there must be dignitaries at play.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto is a long-time member, along with Vice
\nPresident Try Sutrisno, Minister of Defense Edi Sudradjat, and
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas.<\/p>\n
Their golfing partners include Mohammad Bob Hasan, Eka Tjipta
\nWidjaja, Sukamdani Gitosardjono and Ciputra.<\/p>\n
Visiting dignitaries included the Philippine's late president
\nMarcos, South Korea's ex-president Roh Tae-Woo and Singapore's
\nex-Premier Lee Kuan Yew. It was at Rawamangun that the President
\nbeat United State's \"Rambo,\" Sylvester Stallone.<\/p>\n
The current host, Club Chairman Admiral (ret.) Soedomo, is the
\nlongest serving chairman in the club's long history. He has
\nserved since 1971. Most serve for three years. The first
\nIndonesian at the helm, after 31 westerners, was E. Martadinata,
\nfollowed by former Pertamina director Ibnu Sutowo, Brig. Gen.
\nSubroto Kusmardjo, and the late Air Marshal Rusmin Nuryadin.<\/p>\n
The club has hosted several international and regional golf
\ntournaments.<\/p>\n
But at least one senior golfer is worried that the golf course
\nwill disappear into a business superblock like some other
\nhistoric sites.<\/p>\n
He forgets this historical piece is lucrative compared to
\nothers -- the club currently has 4,573 members, mostly
\nIndonesians, with the latest fees reaching Rp 22 million
\n(US$9,200).<\/p>\n
More want to be members, but unfortunately no new members are
\nadmitted unless someone gives up their membership.<\/p>\n
But the club, Hary said, was not profit oriented.<\/p>\n
\"The club gets only Rp 55,000 in monthly fees from each of the
\n2,400 ordinary members and Rp 11,000 per month from 2,000 other
\nmembers,\" said Hary.<\/p>\n
\"Some 124 honorary members who are more than 70 years old and
\nhave been in the club for 20 years are exempt from monthly fees,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
With 350 caddies and 200 other employees, Hary said the income
\nwas just enough to let the club survive.<\/p>",
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