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An excellent, long par 4 with
a wide fairway. The bunker at the left front of the green is in play. |
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dogleg to the left par 5 with various impressive bunkers in front of the green.
The drive is a little downhill from the elevated tee and the second and third
shots are uphill. The second shot offers many options. The most risky one is to
take a short cut over the bunkers. The less risky one is to hit to the fairway
on the left, 70-80 off the green and go for birdie with good approach shot. The
safest one is to lay up in front of the bunkers and hit a 120-yard uphill approach
shot and go for par. |
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The tee shot is blind, but a
beautiful par 4. The second shot is slightly downhill and the lake facing the
left of the green is well in play. |
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gentle dogleg to the right with water on both sides for the tee shot. A creek
crosses the fairway and extends into the right side of the green, so must pay
attention to the second shot. |
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A very beautiful “ signature hole”.
The tee shot is over natural beach sand that becomes a huge bunker when you are
short of the green. There is a great ocean behind the green and on the right side
of the hole. The green is deep, guarded by the bunker on the left and by the coastline
on the right, and is as narrow as 20 yards. A very precise shot is required and
moreover you need to read the sea wind. This is the hole of “no rose without a
thorn”. |
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| A relatively short par 4, but
full of dangers. The approach shot needs to be especially careful. Trees in front
of the green on the right side of the fairway are in play. There is a creek on
the left and at the back of the deep green and a bunker in front of it. |
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| A dogleg to the left with a
large lake on the left. The fairway is tight and slopes from the left to the lake
on the right. The water and bunkers come into play on each shot. |
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It takes 45 minutes
from Singapore to Bintan by ferry. The club has a hotel next to the course, and
the clubhouse is the one of best in the region. It took 10 minutes by car
from the Club Med where I stayed. I was able to see the course from the ocean
kayaking for 25 minutes from the Club Med beach. The course and Ria
Bintan GC (20 minutes kayak paddling) are adjacent.
The other
Jack Nicklaus designed courses in Indonesia are Damai Indah G&CC – Bumi Serpong
Damai (BSD) Course, Emeralda GC – Plantation Course (9 holes), The Taman Dayu
Club and Bukit Darmo Golf.
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A view from the clubhouse