East Java gets aboard blossoming golf bandwagon

By Sirikit Syah

SURABAYA (JP): There are no less than six golf courses in East Java and at least one more will emerge this year. But is there a market for them?

Recent data doesn't make it look very promising. There are fewer than 500 golf players in East Java. So the problem is how to make golf more accessible to more people.

Sydney, in Australia, has a population of some four million people and has 75 golf layouts. If we compare it to East Java, with its population of more than 33 million, it seems we could have hundreds of golf courses.

But comparing these two places seems improper. Golf has been played in Australia for more than 100 years. "Besides, playing golf in Australia is affordable for most people. Golf is much cheaper there," said John de Kleuver, the Australian manager of the Bukit Darmo Golf Club.

Kleuver says the golf culture is different in Australia and Indonesia. In Australia, golf is just a sport. You go to play. But in Indonesia golf is a place for business transactions or real leisure. What Indonesian golfers mean by leisure is the luxury service of a caddy, great food and high class facilities. That makes it expensive.

But there is another good reason for playing golf in Indonesia. "The rules at golf courses in Indonesia are more correct, this challenges us to improve our skills and professionalism," said Avie Utomo, a Jakarta-based golf pundit and executive of the Indonesia Golf Association.

"I have played golf in many places abroad. I think the most convenient place to play golf is Indonesia," he said.

Every golfer is obsessed with conquering a new layout. "The more difficult and tricky the course, the greater the challenge," said Avie. "But a very complicated course wouldn't be popular with golfers. That's why designing the perfect golf course is the most important thing in the golf business."

Details

Ciputra Raya Golf and Country Club pay attention to such details. They hired Andy Dye, a world renowned golf course designer. Dye is descended from Paul Francis Dye, who also designed top international golf courses.

Dye designed a golf complex in west Surabaya with 27 holes. The complex houses the Lake Course and Valley Course, each with nine holes, which are a combination of the vast valley course. The lake between the fairways challenges golfers to swing the ball across it safely. There is also a challenging nine-hole Bukit Course.

With its design Ciputra Raya Golf is a comprehensive test of golfers' skill, and imagination and creativity. The course was designed to be enjoyed by all skill levels.

The par-72 18-hole Bukit Darmo Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus II, is the second golf course to be built in a relatively quiet part of the city. Nicklaus has framed the greens with daring bunkers and scattered beautiful man-made lakes as water hazards throughout the course. It is also designed to provide challenge and enjoyment for players of all-skill levels, even pros.

While Bukit Darmo was designed by Nicklaus II, the Taman Dayu Golf and Country Club was designed by Nicklaus Senior, golf Architect of the Year. The Taman Dayu golf link and real estate project, on 600 hectares of hilly terrain, are owned by Indonesia's giant cigarette producer PT HM Sampoerna. They are in a hilly resort area 45 kilometers south of Surabaya -- midway to East Java's tourist resort of Malang.

When completed next year Taman Dayu could be one of the most beautiful courses in East Java, and in the country. Designed to fit the natural environment, Taman Dayu provides not only a good game for players, but also spectacular views and scenery.

Hole one is beautifully framed in a picture perfect valley with a dramatic fairway offering a choice of direction: "you take the high road -- I'll take the low road, with a chance of par or the opportunity for a heroic birdie on this 408-meter-long par 4," golf superintendent Douglas T. White said.

"The high point is at the par 3 10th hole nestled in the forested slopes of the Taman Dayu highland. A sloping green guarded by a large bunker awaits one's tee shot," White explained, while touring the layout.

The sixth hole has a spectacular uphill fairway where one seeks to avoid the large waste bunker center and left with tree studded islands. The adjoining downhill 12th hole has a strategic tee shot where good placement is required to set up one's approach shot to a sloping green behind the pristine lake.

Taman Dayu opened several holes in January. Its mountainous area -- the golfers can clearly see Mt. Welirang -- is undoubtedly one of the attractions. What makes it even more unique is that kapok trees dominate the surroundings.

And for those who want to learn golf scientifically and more professionally, there is the Jack Nicklaus Academy -- the first of its kind in Indonesia.

But there is still the Yani Golf Course, the oldest in East Java, near the Hilton Hotel, in the gateway area of Surabaya. There are the Finna and Graha Families, and soon there will be Pakuwon's.

Market

What attracts golfers to join golf clubs? According to Avie, players usually want a quality club and a reciprocal arrangement, allowing them to play at other clubs domestically and/or abroad. "But most commonly one joins a club if their friends are also members," said Avie, who has been playing golf for 30 years. He said hospitality, caddies' skill and delicious but inexpensive food and drink also counted.

He said most golf clubs in Indonesia have privileged membership. "Actually, public courses could be profitable too. But many investors don't see it this way." He cited Nusa Dua Golf Club in Bali, which is open for public. It has an income of US$60,000 to US$80,000 per week.

That East Java cannot be compared to Bali as a tourist destination is not an apology. Avie believes that with East Java's dense population and rapid economic growth there is definitely a market.

Playing golf is too expensive for the majority in East Java now. On average you have to pay $40,000 to $50,000 for a lifetime membership, or about $3,000 for an annual membership. And you still have to pay a monthly fee of about $40 to $110 per month. If you are not a member, you have to pay about Rp 200,000 a time for the green fee, caddy and other facilities and services. At that price only executives and well off people can afford to play golf.

Ciputra Golf now has 700 members and expects to reach a target of 1,200 members. "Actually, with our 27-hole course, we could accommodate more. But we want our members to play conveniently, so we stick to that number," said Jessica Leonard, assistant marketing manager of Ciputra Golf.

She said the club's course could accommodate 300 players. On top of that, they open night golf three nights a week. "Night golf is good because it doesn't interfere with business and it is more relaxing."

Bukit Darmo has 400 members and expects the number to increase to 700. Besides executives, it also targets foreigners on business or holiday in East Java. "We have deals with travel agencies and hotels for golf package tours," said de Kleuver.

What is the potential of the market? Data in the United States shows there are 25 million golfers among its 250 million people. In Australia, 20 percent of the population play golf. In Indonesia, less than 100,000 people or less than 0.5 percent of the population play golf. A golf club should be less exclusive to get more players and members. Otherwise, its exclusivity could become a boomerang for the investors.

Tradition

John de Kleuver said the most important thing now is building a tradition. "There should be more activities for junior golfers, and schools or training courses for young athletes." He said it took years to build a tradition, so efforts must start now.

He believes there is a huge potential for golf in Indonesia. The problem is how to attract young people to this relatively new sport in Indonesia. "There must be someone successful for young people to look up to. And there should be a junior development officer in every golf club."

But most important is to create an atmosphere. "This is what is lacking in most Indonesian golf clubs. They don't have club atmosphere," said Kleuver.

People tend to go to a golf course for side purposes, like business. In Australia people at golf clubs interact more. They have the same interests, the same social activities and their relationships extend to all family members. "I have known some people who have been playing golf together for 50 years," de Kleuver said.

Answering the challenge of the future, veteran golfer Rudy Lisapalli recently established a school, Sekolah Kampiun Golf Indonesia (Golf Champion School), perhaps the first and only professional golf school in Indonesia. Located at the Jagorawi Golf and Country Club near Bogor, West Java, it has now 22 students and they held their first tournament on March 24.

To attend the school you must be under 25, have graduated from high school, and have a handicap under 10. "We train them to become professionals. We want Indonesia to see people can make a living from golf," Rudy said.

Avie is not very optimistic about golf professionals in Indonesia. "It is not easy. There are very few tournaments in Indonesia, where will the athletes earn money? Because as a pro, you make a living by winning, and to win there must be competitions or tournaments," he said. It would not be very promising until there was at least one tournament a month.

Golf is not a cheap business. It needs big capital. On average an 18-hole course needs investment of at least $6 million, excluding the cost of the land. One golf course needs at least 60 to 70 hectares of land. Ciputra Golf has reportedly spent $20 million.

The biggest expense is maintenance. The grass is very special, usually imported, so it needs special treatment. It needs to be cut everyday, to be fed, to be cared for, to be fertilized. And it is very sensitive to weather changes. It is more delicate than a baby, as many course experts say.

"Investment in golf courses in Indonesia is huge," said de Kleuver. Because developers want to provide high class facilities. He refused to say how much was invested in Bukit Darmo.

De Kleuver and Jessica from Ciputra Golf agreed that the biggest expense was maintenance. That's why like many other golf courses, both clubs have a large maintenance staff. Ciputra has 285 maintenance staff members. One golf course has at least 600 staff members. Ciputra Golf has 267 caddies -- all women -- and Bukit Darmo has 170 men caddying. The Taman Dayu also plans to use only women caddies.

The income will come from membership fees, the driving range, and the sale of food and drink. Some golf courses are famous for their food and drink. Oxtail soup for instance, is famous and a favorite with golfers. Most golf course restaurants serve it.