Congratulations to the winners of the Lucy Cup, Handara’s monthly medal that’s held on the first Saturday of the month. In the dry season we tee off at Lunchtime and encourage members to stay over and enjoy the famous Handara hospitality together with a bonfire and maybe a barbecue. Many thanks also to the generous sponsors whose prizes make winning that much more special.

April: Sonny Naidoo; Sponsor Queens Tandor

May: Ross Macfarlane; Sponsor St. Regis Bali Resort

June: Alain Bronner; Sponsor Lakeview Hotel & Restaurant, Kintamani

July: Ian Wedding; Sponsor The Yak

The Lucy Cup is an Open tournament and all are welcome. If you’re a scratch golfer or have never entered a tournament before, please come along and join in the fun.

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit this year has been dominated by two me n. Firstly we had runaway leader Ed Balma and more recently by Roland O’Neill. The OOM is a measure of consistency and Roland has been just that, playing in every round and coming in the top 5 in ten of the 13 rounds to date. Can anyone catch the big man? Watch this space as the season unfolds.

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Prior to the match lots of preparatory work had been done – the Hillbillies flew from Bali the day before and had a practise round + a team meeting/dinner on the eve of the match. The Lombok Kosaido team had been practising together all week and been presented with their new Club shirts. The trophies had been manufactured and (very carefully) transported to the Course, polished and displayed. The Ground Staff had been busy too – a week of frantic course tweaking had been undertaken (drop zones had been installed at all the Environmentally Sensitive areas, bunkers raked and greens cut to their lowest height of the year), Caddies & Buggies were readied and the bar stocked.

There were no last minute team changes – all participants had played in at least 4 of the round robin matches. Following team photo’s everyone teed off from the 1^st hole on a sun drenched morning- just perfect for golf.

Apart from one lop-sided rubber, all the other rubbers were extremely close – being decided with only a couple of holes left to play. What a Final – there was good luck, bad luck, missed short putts, chip in’s, fortunate & unfortunate breaks. At the end it was Lombok Kosaido who triumphed – the Scoresheet flattered them with its 5 points to 1 result but it kept their “never been beaten at home” record intact. Congratulations.

Any Final is a nerve-wracking affair and the opportunity to play in one comes about rarely. For the Hillbillies the result of the Final itself was a great disappointment. But they gave it their all, played well, but just came up short. Typically all players mingled together post-match, told their own tales of what had happened in their matches, toasted each other, cracked jokes, applauded the winners and bought each other many a drink.

The Friends of Bali Golf League Tournament will be held at Handara as planned. Unfortunately due to a scheduling clash it cannot be held next week, but will be held later in the year. An announcement will be made in due course.

Thanks to all the Clubs for their continued support, to the Pennant Captain’s who have the toughest job of all, to the players who front up each week (mostly very nervously but who love the personal challenge of Matchplay and who want to represent their Club) and to the League Committee for their belief in the League, their devotion to it and their insightful assistance.

Once again – congratulations to Lombok Kosaido – to Jay Supriadi & Shawn Brown especially. You are worthy winners.

See you next year.

Roland O’Neill

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• Mission: To inspire and offer our guests a healthier lifestyle in harmony with nature and local community.
• Vision: To become of the most sustainable hotels in the area that offers a sustainable and quality service to our guests.
• Objective: To establish sustainability policies in order to carry out good practice in environmental, social and economic fields while implementing continuous improvement.

Our Values:

• Hospitality: we are passionate to provide an unforgettable experience to our guests.
• Respect: we honour the values of our guests, colleagues and all stakeholders.
• Integrity: we are honest and straightforward in our interaction with everyone.
• Innovation: we never stop learning to improve ourselves and the community we work in.

The Green Team:
On a daily basis, we develop a working plan that is more responsible towards both the environment and the community. The Handara Green Team is responsible to ensure the implementation of the environmental program for our hotel and golf course as required by the national and regional legislation, and communicate this policy to all stakeholders.

The Handara Green Team is headed by the General Manager and supported by the Human Resource Department, the General Affairs Manager and the rest of the Heads of Department. The Human Resource Department and the General Affairs Manager will provide regular reporting on the status of the implementation within the different part of the hotel and the golf course.

Our staff are responsible to promote, support and implement our Green Program through their daily work.

Read About What Is Golf Course Sustainability?

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Here we explain golf course sustainability, why it’s important, its potential environmental and economic benefits and why it could increase the enjoyment of players.

What is golf course sustainability?

The R&A defines golf course sustainability as: “Optimizing the playing quality of the golf course in harmony with the conservation of its natural environment under economically sound and socially responsible management.” The idea is; within club/facility budgets, to create and manage dry, firm and airy turf on a golf course populated by grasses that require the least chemicals, fertilizer and water for maintenance. This will mean less waste and reduced risk of polluting the environment.

Why is it important?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that manicured, unnaturally green golf courses maintained by excessive watering and chemical treatments are not sustainable. This is because there are ever more stringent environmental regulations on the amount of water and pesticides that can be used. In addition, the cost of maintaining a golf course in this way is becoming too great in a competitive market. A sustainable approach takes into account both environmental and economic factors while continuing to aim for high quality playing surfaces. The R&A sees sustainability as central to its goal of having more people playing golf on more facilities in more countries.

OK we’re sold on the idea of sustainability, where do we start?

Preparation is key. It’s important to assess the existing condition of the course to provide a benchmark and set realistic targets. If you’re starting with a course that is unsustainable with a heavy environmental footprint it will take time and resource, both financial and human, to move forward to where the turf is dry, firm and airy and less chemicals are required. It’s also vital to take local conditions like soil type and weather patterns into consideration.

Fine, what next?

First you must rid the turf of excess thatch and increase the ability of the sun and wind to dry the surface. There should also be a gradual replacement of unhealthy and stressed grass. The grass used should be the best suited for local conditions. In northern Europe cool season grasses like browntop bents and fine fescues are the ideal choice to establish the most sustainable turf, requiring the least input of water and fertilizers.

What about maintenance?

Effective maintenance requires a number of factors be considered.

Water Management – Effective irrigation and drainage are central to the maintenance of quality playing surfaces.

Mowing – Should be frequent without causing stress to the grasses. Verticutting and rolling should also be carried out.

Fertiliser – A course manager must establish the least amount of fertilizer that can be used to achieve the desired results.

Aeration – Hollow coring and solid tining at the correct times.

Top dressing – Sandy materials need to be applied at rates and frequencies that counter thatch accumulation.

So what are the key benefits of a sustainable golf course?

Playing Enjoyment – The overriding aim in maintaining quality, sustainable playing surfaces is to maximize the golfer’s enjoyment throughout the year.

Financial – In the long term a sustainable golf course will be less expensive to maintain. It will require less input of chemicals and water so golf club funds can be used elsewhere.

Environmental – Sustainable management of a golf course can increase habitat variety, enhance biodiversity, and protect delicate and rare habitats such as dune and heathland.

Read more about Handara Sustainability Policy here

Source: https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/features/the-game/golf-course-sustainability-95211

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Indeed the 2018 Order of Merit, now on the home straight looks to be a tight contest between holder Ross and Hillbillies Captain Carl Sandstrom. After a long season there are only 5 more competitions until the bar closes. Carl is quoted as saying “I see this competition as a true test of perseverance and performance over 12 months and I hope the best man wins. That’ll be me.”

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While the majority of proposed Rules remain intact in the final version, several important changes to the initial proposals and further clarification of many Rules were incorporated. The most significant adjustments made following review of the feedback received from golfers around the world include:

• Dropping procedure: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).
• Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in his/her bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, providing a consistent process for golfers to establish his/her relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).
• Removing the penalty for a double hit:  The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball.  (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 included the existing one-stroke penalty).
• Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance:  A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change:  this is a new addition to support pace of play)

David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said, “We are pleased to be introducing the new Rules of Golf after a collaborative and wide-ranging review process which has embraced the views of golfers, rules experts and administrators worldwide. We believe that the new Rules are more in tune with what golfers would like and are easier to understand and apply for everyone who enjoys playing this great game.”

“We’re thankful for the golfers, administrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said USGA Senior Director of Rules & Amateur Status, Thomas Pagel. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the new Rules ahead of their education and implementation.”

Major proposals introduced in 2017 that have been incorporated into the modernised Rules include:

• Elimination or reduction of “ball moved” penalties: There will be no penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player is not responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that he or she did so.
• Relaxed putting green rules: There will be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flagstick in the hole; players may putt without having the flagstick attended or removed. Players may repair spike marks and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green and there is no penalty for merely touching the line of putt.
• Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (currently called “water hazards”): Red and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.
• Relaxed bunker rules: There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a bunker or for generally touching the sand with a hand or club. A limited set of restrictions (such as not grounding the club right next to the ball) is kept to preserve the challenge of playing from the sand; however, an extra relief option is added for an unplayable ball in a bunker, allowing the ball to be played from outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty.
• Relying on player integrity: A player’s “reasonable judgment” when estimating or measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance will be upheld, even if video evidence later shows it to be wrong; and elimination of announcement procedures when lifting a ball to identify it or to see if it is damaged.
• Pace-of-play support: Reduced time for searching for a lost ball (from five minutes to three); affirmative encouragement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and other changes intended to help with pace of play.

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Cliff Rees won the cup in September which was a great performance as Pak Cliff was still nursing a recently broken wrist. Well done Mr. Rees.

And last weekend Aru Santhrian had a fabulous round shooting an 88 (including a 40 on the front) which with his 14 handicap gave him a net 74, handing him the Cup. In the absence of previous holder Cliff Rees, the cup was presented by co-founder of the Tournament, Mr. Don Lucy. High honor indeed. Well done Pak Aru.

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If you’ve teed off from hole 1 recently and dragged your eyes away from the massive area of OB on your left, you won’t have failed to miss the new playground on your right. Designed with children in mind, the playground helps to make Bali Handara a more complete resort by giving the young and young at heart somewhere to expend some energy and make adventures. Well worth a look if your family includes little ones.

Handara Gate

It seems Social media is changing the face of Bali. Everywhere tourists are making selfies and posting the pictures onto the interweb. Instagram seems to be particularly popular with it’s #hashtag system. Indeed venture onto the site and enter #handaragate and you will see more than 1,000 posts featuring our club entrance. Almost all of these are from 2018 with the oldest only 26 months old. The club, in what I consider to be a master stroke, is now charging a small fee for the taking of such photos and encouraging these camera jockeys to pop up to the breeze cafe for refreshments.

This has a couple of benefits. Firstly such are the numbers of people entering, the revenue generated is significant, helping to the profitability of the club. Additionally it generates throughput for the kitchen, helping to keep the ingredients fresh and the staff busy. I also prefer the atmosphere in the cafe when there are lots of people there enjoying the beautiful view and serene ambiance. Well done Team Handara.

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Featuring a beautiful balance between the cool highlands and the warm coastal areas, the island offers visitors a unique cultural insight resulting in the nickname known to many as ‘The Island of the Gods’. There are several fantastic golf courses to choose from around the island, one of the oldest and most famous ones is at Handara Golf & Resort.

The weather for a golf getaway

The months in-between April and September is the island’s dry season. The temperature doesn’t tend to change and is usually very pleasant. Although the best time to visit Bali for a golf holiday in terms of the best possible weather is between April and September, it doesn’t mean you will be a hundred percent avoiding the rain. However, if you travel to Bali between the month of June and September, the weather can feel very dry with low humidity and cool evenings.

The specific wet season begins between October and March, but December to March is when you should be really preparing for the worst showers. Between these months, the west monsoon can bring in the very heavy rain and an increase in humidity level, which can make playing golf at the time more difficult when compared to the other times of the year.

The temperature in Bali also depends on where you are playing golf on the island. At Handara Golf & Resort, the temperature is typically cooler being located in a mountainous area. If you choose to stay with us, a jumper during the night is advised to keep you warm.

Located in the Bedugul highlands, Handara Golf & Resort is the only golf course in Bali to feature the amazing, exotic foliage the island has. Opened in the 70’s the golf course features a resort to make your stay during your golf in Bali more convenient. For more information about the room please contact us.

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Along with the process of releasing the everyday stress, these activities also help to witness firsthand what Bali’s tropical environment has to offer. Join Handara Golf & Resort Bali to explore two of the island’s adrenaline pumping and relaxed outdoor activities!

ATV riding

Short for an all-terrain vehicle, they are easy to learn and are designed to handle a wider variety of terrain than most adventurous off-road vehicles. Popular ATV tracks to conquer include muddy pot holes, dry sandy roads, grass, and even small hills. However, riding an ATV in Bali offers you even more options!

There are diverse locations spread across the island each with a unique sensation from one to another. If you love spending your time in coastal areas, you can experience riding on sand along the shoreline and speeding through the sea water. If you’re keen on exploring more about Bali’s rich culture, you can come across villages and slow down to exchange warm smiles and friendly waves with the locals.

Golfing

It is said that playing golf is a good activity to begin with in the spiritual journey of discovery. We couldn’t agree more. Opening the first golf course in Bali in 1976, Handara Golf & Resort Bali stand as the island’s oldest golf course, and until this day, still offers visitors a unique golfing adventurous experience you can’t find anywhere else.

With Bali’s volcanic landscape and natural breeze, golf in Bali can be categorized as a leisure sport. Having a tropical climate with consistent humidity level all-year round tempts golfers all over the world to flock over to Bali for a golfing session on challenging courses.

At Handara Golf & Resort Bali, we boast our 18-hole, par 72 and provide visitors complete golfing amenities such golf lessons, our pro shop, a driving range, locker rooms, and golf club rentals. For more information about our resort, visit our website here.

Our resort also offers special packages to save you the headache of planning your own trip exploring Bali’s fantastic foliage. You can find our popular Nature Sensations here. Perfect for individuals, couples, and families.

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