Waiting for more attractive packages

Yoni Astuti and M. Amir Tejo Sukmono, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

As one of Indonesia's major business destinations, East Java is on track to provide the best facilities to visitors, expatriates and locals.

In the golf world, several spots in the province like Surabaya, Malang and Pandaan are enticing visiting golf lovers from around the world to try a round or two.

What's more, the provincial capital of Surabaya is home to Indonesia's first golf course, Ahmad Yani Golf Club course, which is now 102 years of age.

Designed and developed during the Dutch occupation, the 18- hole course located near the Hilton hotel in Surabaya is the oldest golf course in the country followed by the Rawamangun Golf Course in Jakarta.

In all, the province has more than a dozen golf courses, including those run by golf clubs, such as the Abdulrahman Saleh Golf Club in Singosari, Karang Kates Golf Club course in Blitar, Glantangan Golf Club course in Jember, Selorejo Golf Club course in Malang, Petrokimia Golf Club course in Gresik, and Iswahyudi Golf Club course in Madiun.

Except Ahmad Yani and Abdulrahman Saleh which has 18 holes, the rest all have nine holes.

Most of the privately-owned courses have been developed by property developers and are mostly located in Surabaya and surrounding areas. Golfers in Surabaya can now demonstrate their skill at the courses from Bukit Darmo Golf to Ciputra Golf and Klub Keluarga, Graha Famili Golf and Country Club. Several kilometers from the city, one could try the Finna Golf and Country Club in Prigen, Pasuruan, the Taman Dayu Club course in Pandaan, and Araya Golf and Family Club in Malang.

Ciputra has 27 holes and Araya has nine, while the remaining courses have 18 holes.

And designers behind some of the spectacular golf courses are of international fame, such as Jack Nicklaus Senior, Jack Nicklaus Junior, Arnold Palmer, Andy Dye, Thomson, Wolveridge and Perret, and J. Michael Poellot.

Different golfers have different taste and style. The golf courses in East Java cater to different golfers. Each of them offers their own uniqueness in terms of the fairways, bunkers, water hazards and trees.

In the heart of Surabaya, a driving range called Brawijaya is located. In a suburban area, the Satelite Driving Range could be found.

One of the unique aspects of the Ahmad Yani Golf Club course is that the operator does not provide carts for its guests, who are mostly senior citizens. The annual membership fee is Rp 2 million, which is much cheaper than the other courses.

"The grass is not good and the ground is usually wet on rainy days. But for us, elderly golfers, that's the challenge," said a regular player.

His friend added: "We feel that the real golf course for people like us is here."

Then, which is the best golf course in the province?

"It's not easy to say," commented Susilo Amisastro, a local golf enthusiast. "They all have their own uniqueness, pleasure and level of difficulty."

Hamid, a member at Graha Famili and Country Club and the Taman Dayu Club, shared his view.

"Playing at Graha Famili, one might be disturbed by the noise since it's located in the center of the city, but the wide bunkers and lakes and the all the hazards it has are a real challenge for many," Hamid said.

According to Graha Famili's general manager, Sabine Pollerman, the level of difficulty of the golf course has been rated by the Indonesian Golf Association (PGI) based on the Slope and Course Rating.

Besides the usual facilities, some of the golf courses in East Java also offer swimming pools, sauna, spa and Jacuzzi facilities. The noise of the golf cart engines has also come to the attention of the golf course operators.

"To help golfers concentrate, we use battery-powered carts to reduce the noise," said Meyliana Sanyoto, spokesman of Taman Dayu.

The number of golf enthusiasts, including beginners, in the province has shown a significant increase.

A new member at Taman Dayu, Syamaun, for example, visited the golf course six times a week.

"At the moment, I spend most of my time here to practice driving," he said.

Many golf courses are now opening classes for beginners and advanced courses. Some courses even provide handy VHS cameras to record the students practicing their first swings.

The presence of several world class golf courses in the province has attracted other related businesses to join forces. Hotel operators admit that many of their guests, including foreigners, often ask about places to play golf.

Consequently, hotel managers in Surabaya have taken advantage of this trend and thereby have been able to raise occupancy rates.

Westin Surabaya, for instance, will introduce a golf package in the near future, according to Westin's public relations officer, Sri Rejeki.

"The biggest market segment is derived from expatriates residing in Surabaya, especially golfing buffs from Taiwan and Japan," she said.

Hotel Westin is currently exploring the possibility of developing cooperation with Taman Dayu Golf, as hotel visitors generally prefer to play golf outside the city.

They have argued that golf courses outside Surabaya provide relaxation and a welcome escape from the office and the hustle and bustle of the big city.

The same strategy has been adopted by Hotel Patra Surabaya Hilton. This hotel will, as of next month, offer a Patra Hilton Golf package to visitors, according to Nita, sales secretary of the hotel.

For a similar package offered last year, Hotel Patra Surabaya Hilton charged US$115 per person. The hotel has not fixed the price for this year as the management has to make adjustments to take into account the rupiah exchange rate against the US dollar.

Unlike golf courses and hotels, tour operators cannot depend on golf tourism. "We cannot rely on golf tourism; only certain people benefit from this kind of tourism," said Edy Purwanto of Pasopati travel agency.

And the development of the tourism sector, including golf tourism, in Surabaya and the surrounding areas still does not bring much benefit to the Surabaya municipal administration as a majority of the revenue goes to the East Java provincial administration.

The locally generated revenue (PAD) of the Surabaya municipal administration last year was Rp 192 billion ($18.2 million), of which only Rp 55 billion was contributed by the tourist sector.