Serpong Damai course offers best golfing holes

Serpong Damai course offers best golfing holes

By Nicklaus D'Cruz

The Bumi Serpong Damai Course in Indonesia is a phenomenal
layout that caters to almost every aspect of the game. It looks
for length on some occasions; it looks for finesse on others; it
looks for intelligence; it looks for workable irons by forcing
you to play left to right or right to left and even forces you to
play away from your target; all with the clever placement of
bunkers, offset greens and fairways that make every hole
different, challenging and absolutely breathtaking off the tees.
Even from the middle of the fairway, when standing over your
approach, you cannot help but just dwell in wonderment at the
difficulty of the hole or the myriad of choices being presented.

Some holes are near perfect in their designs combining
stunning designs with huge, sweeping and intimidating bunkering,
clear choices and tantalising danger.

It is not unduly long from the white tees, where most of the
members and tourists play, or the blue tees for that matter, but
still sometimes encourages a long drive and at other times
encouraging the use of an iron and a calm mind. Offset greens
require that you meticulously calculate distances, secure the
right golf club, work the golf ball while carrying some monstrous
sand traps.

What sets Bumi Serpong apart though from the many other
courses is its collection of some of the finest golfing holes in
Asia - one of the best par 4's, the 6th, two phenomenal par 5's,
the 8th and 13th and at least two other par 4's that are worthy
challengers for the winner's trophy.

The result from this elaborate effort is that a bigger variety
of golf shots are required. The huge amounts of sand contained in
waste bunkers and in traps embedded in mounds and positioned
below the greens add a great deal to how you route your golf ball
while adding to optical illusions; lengthening distances as well
and especially because shots over so many endless traps add to
the pressure of the game. Many of the greens are slanted, placed
diagonal to the fairway or offset to the left or right leave
little margin for errors landing short or going long, and
emphasise the need for the correct length to the fluttering flag.

With a layout peerless through so many holes, you really get
the chance to enjoy the felicities of motion, its inertia
stirring you on with each hole like a song in an unchained
melody. So many challenges are piled one after another edging you
on to recklessness as you dance to their tunes.

It is an exciting way to test your mettle, and analyse your
abilities and, where you should fail, you will want your replay,
eagerly awaiting another opportunity to pit your skills against
the fancy, tumultuous and tempting terrain.

First nine

A friendly opening on a hole with highs and lows faces you on
the first tee where you stare down a fairway running parallel to
a long waste bunker in play through the first 300 metres before
spilling into a lemon grass flower bed. The 35 metre fairway
opens up at the 200 metre landing area to a width of 60 metres to
help contain your first drive of the day. The situation quickly
turns though when you step up to the ball to try to knock it onto
the green. In stark contrast, a narrow 10 metre wide passageway
is what you will be sending your ball through to a green offset
left to right, its front pushed aside by a 30 metre long sand
trap. Negotiate that approach well and you would have secured for
yourself a happy opening score as the first taste of the greens
should be pressure-less with a rather flat surface that allows
you to adjust your feel.

The second hole gets immediately more interesting as it
doglegs to the left. The sane shot is for you to avoid the two
large bunkers tucked in the inside of the turn, next to where a
50 metre wide fairway awaits. To reiterate, don't bother cutting
the corner ! The approach is similar to the first although this
is a much longer golf hole. One trap is prepared for your arrival
ahead of the green and another sits along the right, both a lot
deeper than previously. A little depression in the fairway is
situated just in front of the green and adds its own
encouragement for you to carry your shot through the wide opening
all the way to the pin.

The third is a scenic hole where your ball must cross a large
pond which inches its way up to the edge of the green. The entire
back of the green is lined with sand to collect those shots
struck with too much fear. That fear of course is amply justified
with the green, laid out from right to left, a narrow and shallow
target maybe 5 metres wide in front, and doubling up only in the
back. The slightly elevated tee means that you have to lose a
club or a club and a half, dependant on your fear of water.

Absolutely beautiful. The 6th. A short par 4 with a waste
bunker that occupies what should be the fairway as the crow flies
to the green. It stops toying with you starting 50 metres from
the front edge of the green; although it does stretch all the way
to the green as you wander progressively left. The fairway
itself, offset to the right, runs for about 180 metres before it
meets with 2 bunkers on either side. This hole encourages you to
treat it with abandon. With a good tailwind and a strong drive
that flies 210 metres, you may just cross the wasteland and find
yourself within a wedge to the green. That can be a truly
satisfying experience. There is no point weighing risk and
rewards here simply because of the exciting and tempting
possibilities laid out here. You are basically a pawn in its
grasp. If you have to mess up, this is as good a golf hole as can
be. The more level headed golfer can play along the fairway but
needs also to decide on whether to lay up or negotiate the land
between the sand. This great golf hole is easily one of the best
par fours in Asia.

A great par 3 follows where you execute your tee shot from an
elevated tee box just 15 metres above the green. The green is
just ahead of a ravine and river and what adds to your fear is
that you will need to drop two clubs to allow for the descent as
well as try to land it below the cup. The undulating green slopes
from back to front, away from out of bounds that demarcate the
rear. A 2 metre deep sand trap awaits anxiously along the entire
left while a grass basin, slightly less threatening, awaits on
the right.

The 8th is another grand looking hole where, this time, it
should attain top ranking as one of the best par 5's in the
region. A huge series of bunkers combine to act as a waste trap
occupying the left just outside a clump of palm trees, forcing
the fairway to veer out sharply to the right, the latter
sandwiched between the sand and water that starts at the teebox
and ends 80 metres away. A hill occupies the entire right and
this setting makes for the start of this beautiful golf hole and
at least a couple of different targets from the tee. The fairway
swings to the left around the sand traps before it crashes
headlong into another bunker on the right which starts about 100
metres from the green and along which the fairway inches its way
till it meets the green laid out diagonally across the fairway.
You also have, as a target, a 40 metre long portion of fairway
that sticks out into the wasteland for you to manoeuvre your golf
ball onto before the final shot home. It should be no surprise
that the waste trap sneaks up to surround the front portion of
the green completely, through to the back, to basically leave no
opening. The balance of the fairway moves up right past the green
on the left which would probably be where you would want to think
about aiming. This is a scary green to hit, looking almost like
an island. If you are aiming your golf ball at the pin, you need
not really length but absolute accuracy.

The 9th completes this first half quaternity of the finest
golfing holes in the region. An absolutely dramatic waste bunker
starts from the red tees just after a lemon grass patch and
continues alongside the fairway without running out of steam. 20
metres short of the green, it meets a pond that positions itself
along the right edge of the green complex. A great deal of
trouble resides in the front entrance as well; a steep fall into
a bunker in the right front edge and centre and a 2 metre slope
that will roll your ball into the water with no effort to hold it
back. A good fade through the offset entrance will have the
chance of finding the flag and will put to best use the left to
right setting. It is also hard to notice, but the sand trap in
front of the green extends 10 metres out to the middle of the
fairway, its reach extended by a steep slope about 2 metres long,
and if your fade is not played from far left enough, it may just
reach out and grab you.

Second nine

The 11th hole is another creation of beauty across a lake
setting. An arm juts into the water above which the green resides
and where an almost ring-like bunker starts out from the front
centre entrance, hugging the left edges of the green complex, as
it makes its way to the back. It however acts more as a safety
buffer to prevent your ball from getting wet. A hill takes care
of the remaining portion on the right and may knock your ball
pinwise, if it doesn't get caught in its rough. It is also
probably where you will want to aim to contain your errors.

You get another chance to drive over a waste bunker that
starts on the right 140 metres from the 12th tee. The trap then
fans out to the right and takes itself out of play without really
letting you relax. Four bunkers then start the inward journey to
the green. Where the first of those bunkers leave off, the second
starts smack in the middle of the fairway just preceding the
third, similarly positioned and forcing the fairway to split
around both sides. You thus have to carry all three separate sand
traps one after the other to get to the elevated green complex.
Two final traps await on the right, 2 metres below the surface of
the green, although from the right side of the fairway, that
section of the green constitutes the entire entrance. ... and
just more sand that you have to scale to get home. The safe route
thus, is to find the high left and fade your approach to end this
remarkable hole.

The 13th tries, and successfully, to steal top honours as the
best par 5 in the region. What a hole ! Two bunkers are laid out
lengthwise one after the other, the first starting 70 metres on
the left and running on for close to 30 metres before a 15 metre
gap presents the next trap. This should be ample reminder for you
to stay in the centre of the fairway. Your next shot meets 3
bunkers laid out side by side across the entire fairway,
occupying a depth of 25 metres and which meet a lemon grass
covered hill on the left that successfully hides the green after
a sharp turn. You will probably have to spend the next 5 or 10
minutes at least deciding on the best move. Basically, 80 metres
ahead of this sand crossing is another set of long bunkers,
splitting the fairway and requiring that you land short. You have
to make sure your caddie gives you the right distance from where
your drive ended, and that you come to a decision to play within
your ability. Trying to produce incredulously long shots may be
what the design entices you to do, but is certainly not the most
practical progression if you have to struggle to attain those
amazing lengths. That last sand crossing meets up with a final
trap on the left edge of the green, leaving a lot of sand trying
to annoy you for the last 180 metres. This is a hole that does
not like greed and, unless you knock your golf ball 250 metres
regularly, play this as a par 5. It may be set up to receive a
drive of 230 metres and a homeward shot of 230 metres but chances
are slim for the regular player who tries to be that fancy. The
very narrow green is also laid out from right to left, clinging
to the 60 metre long trap while the last 40 metre segment of
fairway tilts to the left to encourage the struggling draw into
the sand.

The 17th is another marvellous par 4 with a fairway that runs
parallel to a waste bunker in your line all the way to the
fringed region of the green, severing the fairway that your
approach will cross in the process. The fairway is pushed far
right and runs straight down though away from the green; which
also means that the further right of centre you are on the
fairway, the further you will be from the hole. Bear that in mind
because the tiny, slim green is a rather elusive target hiding
behind all that sand and laid out diagonally from right to left.
Another sand trap is hidden in the back at the bottom of a tall
hill while the entire left falls just under 2 metres into the
continuing waste trap. If that blue flag waves furiously at you,
ignore it and leave your golf ball below it. This short hole has
the dubious honour of paring up with the other short par 4 to
contain the longest waste bunkers. A tiny opening is left for
those coming in from the right. The slim green gets a lot more
narrow with the howling wind and its 5 metre wide surface can be
truly difficult to find.

With so many great holes, you might be inclined towards
forgiveness if the 18th is a letdown. But it isn't and that
should come as no surprise. It may be a short par 5 by
professional standards but it is a cat and mouse game of risk and
rewards. If you play to an average length, then you will nearly
be arm-twisted into playing this hole along its twists and turns
as the fairway curls its way around a large pond on route to the
last cup. It also features a waste bunker that starts at 150
metres on the left and stays in play right up to where it juts
into the centre of the fairway, 300 metres from the tee box. If
you are going for broke, you must land your ball on the edge of
the fairway next to the waste trap. You should have left, after a
long and heart wrenching drive, a distance of under 220 metres to
get to the green, located at the end of a 90 degree left turn.
The green beckons you across the pond and begs you to try to find
its dangerous surface. If no sand and no water has gotten you so
far on your round then this is the hole that just might do it for
you, though chances are you have been rather blessed. The heavily
undulating fairway surface slides very slightly downhill to a
nearly round target through its last 100 metres. Two sand traps
plague the left and another two, the right, while a bit of wind
spices up the approaching scene. For those that are crossing the
pond to try and lay up within 40 metres of the green, a large
trap sits on the left edge, again in the line of your final
approach. It is a 20 metre long trap and may just take hold your
ball if you only just made it across the water. This is a
phenomenal hole mainly because of all the options at hand for you
to select, making it a different ball game each time you play it;
dependant mostly on how your golf ball leaves the tee box.

Nicklaus speaks

Jack Nicklaus says: "At Bumi Serpong, I began with several
objectives. First, I wanted to create a golf course that offered
an enjoyable and mental challenge - to force the player to use
his mind and make decisions on each hole. There is no single
"correct approach" on most holes. Instead, there are many
possible solutions - so that the course remains fresh and
exciting each time you step up to the first tee.

Secondly, and most importantly, I wanted my first course in
Indonesia to be memorable. You'll find my favourite features of
some of the world's top courses that I had the privilege to play.
And, you'll discover some very unique challenges that I have
created to make Bumi Serpong Damai stand out to even the golfer
who has played around the globe."

The writer is editor of The Asian Golf Review.