Being a keen bird watcher living in the South-east Bali it is always nice to head up in the mountains to get some cool air as well as to hopefully spot a few different bird species, so I decided to book a weekend up in the mountains above Bedugul and stay at the famous Handara Golf and Resort. I am not a golfer, but I had heard about the resorts amazing views and the forests that surround the resort so it seemed like the perfect place to spend a relaxing weekend.

Driving into the resort it was obvious that I was in prime bird habitat and on the 5 minute drive from the main road I spotted a small group of pair of Ashy drongos fly over the road, a flock of Orange breasted green pigeons settle in the tree tops as well as numerous Yellow-vented and Sooty headed bulbuls, Collared kingfishers and of course the ubiquitous Spotted doves.

After checking into our room overlooking the golf course, which is spectacularly flanked by mountain rain-forest, it was evident that I would spot many more species before our two day stay was over. In the forest behind the rooms I could hear the incessant tonk of barbets and a wide range of mountain bird sounds that I just couldn’t place – it was clear that this forest was full of life!

I spent a relaxing afternoon at the resort and spotted a pair of Long-tailed shrikes hawking for insects just in front of the hotel lobby as well as a regular sightings of Whitebreasted water hens making short, hurried flights between vegetation patches – these water hens are very common in Bali and dominate scrub and water ponds from the seafront right up into the high mountains. While sitting back on my balcony in the late afternoon I was lucky enough to spot the spectacular Javan kingfisher, an endemic to Bali and Java, streak across the golf course with its turquoise blue body and bright red beak making for easy identification. Collared Kingfishers are also common on the golf course.

Just before sunset I went for a quick walk around the resort car park and with my binoculars scanned the huge trees that seem to be regularly visited by large numbers of small flower-peckers and sunbirds – while tricky to spot I could recognize the sound the clicking call of the Scarlet Headed Flower Pecker, caught glimpses of a Blood- Breasted Flower Pecker. That was enough birding for the day and after a delicious meal at the resort restaurant I went to bed early intent on being up early to meet the dawn chorus.

First light takes a while at Handara Golf and Resort as the sun needs to rise over the mountains before the first rays of sun hit the resort, so my first hour of birding was mainly just a walk along the resort road where I focused on trying to find some good spots to await some ‘bird waves’. After about 40 minutes I got lucky and a mixed flock flew into a mistletoe tree by the side of the road – I was able to observe both oriental white eyes and Javan-grey throated white eyes from just a few meters away and this was a great start to the morning. Next up, just as the sun was starting to peak over the edge of the mountains I got great view of a pair of scarlet minivet – the male is a distinctive red and black while the female is yellow and black – very easy to identify. In the same patch of roadside forest I also spotted both male and female Black-winged flycatcher shrike – these birds are quite common in the mountains of Bali and the black and white male is easy to distinguish from the ashy brown and white female.

My morning walk continues and with rays of sunshine now starting to light up the morning the bird species started to really come to life with the trees full of mixed species of sunbirds, flower peckers and white eyes. Over the next hour I spotted fulvous breasted woodpecker, grey cheeked green pigeon, orange spotted bulbul, a Flame- fronted barbet and quite a big flock of Asian glossy starling but the highlight was spotting a personal ‘lifer’ – this was a Javan whistling thrush that I spotted in a small gully on the walk back towards the main resort. I was also lucky enough to see an Indonesian Honey Eater feeding on a mistletoe tree 100 meters or so in front of the entrance to the resort.

I was back at the resort by 10am and enjoyed a breakfast and another day of relaxing and casual bird watching (sorry, I don’t play golf!) and managed to spot a few more species and heard many more in the forest that I just couldn’t identify – the really serious birder could likely do a much better job than me and I am sure there are some rare Indonesia endemics hiding away in the forests surrounding the golf course.

The next morning it was time to head back to the coast and to say goodbye to the resort but I was more than happy with the birds I had added to my ‘Bali list’ however before my next visit I am going to have to do some research as there was just so many bird songs coming out of the forest that I couldn’t identify. On my next visit I will be hoping to greatly expand my species list from the gardens and forests surrounding the Handara Golf and Resort.

Weekend Bird List from Handara Golf and Resort

• Javan whistling thrush
• Blood-breasted flower pecker
• Scarlet- headed flower pecker
• Ashy drongo
• Long-tailed shrike
• Asian glossy starling
• Scarlet minivet
• Scaly breasted munia
• Javan munia
• Olive-backed sunbird
• Black-winged flycatcher shrike
• Grey Cheeked green pigeon
• Orange Breasted green pigeon
• Oriental white eye
• Javan grey throated white eye
• Indonesian honey eater
• White-Breasted waterhen
• Fulvous Breasted Woodpecker
• Orange Spotted bulbul
• Yellow Vented bulbul
• Sooty headed bulbul
• Flame-fronted barbet
• Javan kingfisher
• Common kingfisher
• Plaintive cuckoo

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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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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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1. Don’t make the hole smaller

Everywhere, golfers continue to look for tips. Unfortunately, many of them aren’t the facts. If there is one concept our professional golf instructors would love for golfers everywhere to learn, it is: Hitting putts harder does not help. In fact, it will only make it harder for you to pull off a successful putt because you will make the hole a lot smaller.

2. Three putting

The easiest thing to fix when improving your scoring is to eliminate  the dreaded three putt. Three putting is at the top of the list of every golfer to break 100, 90, or even 80.

The most crucial part of this solution lies within your putting distance control. If you control your speed more efficiently and effectively, you will find your ball to be closer to the hole, which gives you the opportunity to make the second putt.

Putting is all about presence. When you get outside of 10 feet, your chances of making a putt dramatically falls.  And this is why you should focus on your speed in order to leave an easily make-able second putt.

3. How to improve putting distance control

Improving your performance on the greens has to be earned. You can’t completely understand this skill from theory alone, so get out there on the practice green and make some mistakes!

This means spending more time than usual on practice greens to work on your speed and distance control. One example you can follow is to play games that challenge you to lag putts at specific distances surrounding the hole. Additionally, improving the quality of your putting stroke will help you greatly. There are two ways to approach this:

• Hitting more putts closer to the centre of the face
• Focus on the timing of your stroke

To improve your speed and distance control on the greens is a necessity if you’re looking to make more putts. The only way to do it is to practice it effectively. Handara Golf & Resort is Bali’s oldest golf resort and happens to feature some of the island’s toughest greens. Golf tips and pointers are never a bad idea to improve your game, but you can really make progress with a professional lesson. Book your tee time with our professional in-house golf instructors today!

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With a large number of tourists flocking to the island and the fast development, Bali is beginning to grow a long list of environmental issues. As recently said: Bali is paying the price for its own success. We want you to enjoy and soak in the island of the Gods while being eco-conscious. Below are hip and simple ways to travel North Bali while being environmentally aware:

1. Say no to plastic bags

Luckily, the island has become aware of the overuse of plastic bags. A local company known as Avani has stepped up their eco game to engineer eco products that are sustainable, biodegradable, and compostable. If the store you’re at doesn’t use their services to pack goods, you can bring your own bag or buy one of the beautifully woven bags in Bali.

Plastic bags are one of the biggest headaches for Mother Nature, it takes forever to decompose. It could even outlive your children’s children for it to begin to start decomposing. What’s worse is that if it ends up in the ocean, it will be responsible for the deaths of much marine life.

2. Look out for water refill stations

Drinking tap water in Bali is a no go, it’s harsh and possibly contaminated. However, staying hydrated is an essential part of your journey while exploring the island. Instead of buying a new bottle and chucking it every time, there are restaurants all over the island that are happy to refill your reusable water bottle!

3. Buy hip, local, eco-friendly products to support the growing awareness in the island

Show your sustainable side and love for the island through these cool local products:

• Indosole: A stylish footwear recycled from vehicle tires. 100% handmade without fuel powered machinery.
• Eco-friendly rain ponchos: Being a tropical island, it’s bound to rain in Bali. Instead of the environmentally hazardous ponchos sold on the side of the road, try Avani’s Bioware Eco-poncho. They are also certified biodegradable and compostable.
• Bambooku linen wear and living essentials: Bamboo based furniture is common. But bamboo based towels or t-shirts? Who knew something as sturdy as the bamboo plant can be turned into soft and extremely comfortable linen wear with hypo-allergenic and antibacterial properties! Using bamboo is a viable and sustainable alternative to using cotton to produce living essentials.

4. Take part in community and environmentally friendly activities

Without a doubt it’s more convenient to be in a private car with a driver while touring North Bali. However, this contributes to heavy traffic and pollution. There is a growing abundance of eco-tourism that involves organized group tours, downhill mountain biking, white water rafting, and trekking that will take you to Bali’s most exciting and authentic spots passing traditional villages and breathtaking sceneries. Handara Resorts offers nature sensation packages complete with eco-tourism and North Bali’s most beautiful hidden gems.

Prepare yourself for a greener Bali experience by implementing these eco travel tips curated by Handara Resorts. Handara Resorts is a one stop golf resort that offers one of the world’s most scenic golf courses strategically located in the comfortable setting of North Bali. We take pride in the island’s uniqueness where the resort is surrounded by lush green mountains and pristine lakes, taking major action to conserve it.

For more information about our resort, visit our website!

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However, it is the history of this unique region that really gives guests a different taste of Bali. Being in a prime location in north Bali, Handara Resorts brings you an article of the many historical sites and attractions during you stay in Bedugul.

1. Ulun Danu Bratan Temple

The Ulun Danu Bratan Temple is a Balinese water temple situated near Lake Bratan. The Temple is photogenic and is the most photographed tourist attraction in Bali, visited daily by both foreign and domestic travelers. The Temple’s complex consists of 5 smaller Temples and a Buddhist stupa:

• Penataran Agung temple
• Dalem Purwa temple
• Taman Beji temple
• Lingga Petak temple
• Prajapati temple
• Buddhist stupa

The rich history of Ulun Danu Bratan Temple is based on archaeological data and historical events written on the papyrus “Chronicle of Mengwi”. Where in great detail it is explained how the founder of the Mengwi Kingdom, I Gusti Agung Putu, discovered this water, Temple.

2. Lake Bratan near Handara Resort

Just near the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple is Lake Bratan. The second largest Lake after Lake Batur in Bali. The lake plays an important role as the main source of irrigation in the center of the island. Lake Bratan is claimed as one of The World’s 20 Most Beautiful Lakes with its stunning view of the mountains and the fresh air that radiates from them. As the lake grew increasingly popular, it began facilitating accommodation and water sports such as parasailing, canoeing and water skiing.

3. Bali Botanical Garden near Handara Resort

Bali botanic garden is a large tropical botanic park that was manicured for further research on Bali’s flora, conservation, tourism, and educational purposes. Locally known as Kebun Raya Bali, the brainchild behind the Bali botanic garden is Prof.Ir. Kusnoto Setyodiwiryo, President of the Board of the Environmental Research Center. More than 2,000 species of flora that are being preserved here, represents the various plants from mountainous regions in Eastern Indonesia: Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua.

So now that you’re all set to visit these amazing sites, plan your accommodation with Handara Resorts! As one of the oldest accommodations in the most historical part of Bali, we are happy to provide you with knowledge about Bali’s beautiful past. For more information about our resort, contact us or visit our website!

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In the article today, our in-house golf professionals have compiled a collection of advice to get your child golfing in the right direction.

Maximize Your Child’s Practice Time

Regularly take your kids to the course or driving range and choose a time when the sun isn’t at its highest peak. Early in the morning or sunset are the best times to avoid strong rays. This is also highly recommended if you and your family are planning to stay with us at Handara Resorts.

With gorgeous golf courses overlooking Bali’s beautiful tropical greenery, we guarantee your family and children will have an enjoyable time playing golf. If you are interested to reserve a time for your child to optimize his or her golf skills, book a tee time with one of our golf professionals so you don’t have to worry about holding back another group.

Have Patience and Let Them Call the Shots

This may come to a challenge for some parents who have golf running through their veins. We all want our children to successfully play golf the right way. However, as golfers, we tend to teach them the sport in a firm manner as if the children were back at school. This is the opposite of introducing golf as a fun sport. Learning a firm grip on the golf club is fundamental, but going into great detail and adding unwanted pressure on that one topic can result negatively. They are children if it’s one thing that’s on their minds while they play golf is that they are having fun. Let them explore the game on their own. Let them lead and be there for them when they want to know something they’re curious about. Remember, you are there to do what they want to do, not what you want to do.

Provide Them with Suitable Equipment

There are 2 common problems Junior’s face when starting out. The first one is using golf clubs that are just too long, too stiff, and too heavy. And the second being the result of the first problem is that the junior holding the club will swing the club too flat relative to his or her height. Other than our in-house golf professionals at your service, Handara Resorts also provides guests with golf club rentals to save the worry of bringing your own and lugging it everywhere during your holiday.

Communicate How to Play on Their Level

Communication between a child and the instructor is crucial. Teaching golf should be expressed at the child’s level of understanding, and this should also be taken literally. As the child is comfortable with their positioning, kneel down, make eye contact, and explain what’s next. Watch what you say and how you say it because terms such as “wide arc” won’t come to them like a breeze. Replace “wide arc” with “big circle” or “descending blow” with “thump the ground” because children need a visual representation in their heads in order to execute the next step. Don’t teach them the everyday golf frustrations adult golfers face every day, always be there to lend a helping hand.

As you can see, teaching your children golf depends on how we are a role model for them. If you’re feeling hesitant to be the one to introduce golf to your children, don’t worry as Handara Resorts in Bedugul have in-house professional golfers instructors to lead your child in the right direction.

Our resort facilitates all player levels, with a driving range to get those shots right, a pro shop just in case your child is hooked on the game, and golf club rentals to suit your child’s needs. Contact us for special promo’s and packages revolving around our golf facilities.

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1. Mount Batur

The best-rated trek in Bali has got to be conquering Mt. Batur. The popular ‘Mount Batur sunrise trek’ will take your breath away, while witnessing the inky sky with shining stars transition to dawn’s break. When you arrive, enjoy a stunning panoramic view of Bali from the sacred active volcano. After descending from Mount Batur, soothe your aching muscles at the natural hot springs while enjoying brunch.

A few pointers before hiking Mt. Batur:

• Go to bed early. To see Bali in all its glory, it is best to trek Mt. Batur just in time for sunrise. To do this, you need to preserve all your energy to not only find the motivation to wake up, but to have the ability to trek your way to the top!
• This is not an easy hike for unfit people. Experienced hikers and people with good fitness might not have the problem of trekking Mt. Batur. Regardless of the rewarding view, the trek can physically take a toll on people who are unfit for the journey. Make sure you’re in good shape mentally and physically.
• Wear comfortable attire. Bring a change of clothes just in case of excessive sweating or change after a dip in the hot springs after the trek. You will also need to bring 2 pairs of footwear. One could either be trainers or hiking boots and the other flip flops for after the trek

2. Mighty Mount Agung

Known as the highest point on the island, Mt. Agung is the hardest trekking destination here in the island of a thousand temples. The great mountain is home to Pura Besakih, Bali’s holiest temple. Every time hikers would go up Mt. Agung, the same story is repeated by the guides; how when Mt. Agung erupted, it killed many people but left Pura Besakih untouched. This 12-hour trek is a challenging one that begins at this temple. Similar to Mt. Batur, Mt. Agung best treks at nightfall arriving at sunrise. The fresh cool air and views of Mt. Rinjani might just take your breath away.

A few pointers before hiking Mt. Agung:

• Listen to your body: know your physical limits and abilities. With steep paths, thick jungle foliage, no switchback trails, and treacherous rocks, Mt. Agung can come off even challenging to experienced hikers. If you’re not the type to look for an adrenaline rush while going on a nature expedition, this trek might not be for you.
• Save up as much energy as possible. Unlike Mt. Batur, you’ll begin your trek at midnight. Sleep as much as possible during the day and avoid leaving the house. The solution of staying up is unrealistic. You’ll encounter many hardships on this trek. One of them is trekking in the dark.
• Don’t forget to drink. You cannot afford to get dehydrated. Although Wikipedia claims that Mt. Agung doesn’t have any altitude sickness, you want to be prepared. Drinking water helps a lot. Especially when you’re constantly perspiring.

To be able to do these treks with no worries and at optimum condition, Handara Resorts is the perfect solution to catch up on a good night’s sleep and plan ahead for your next trekking destination. We are here to make your stay in Bali an unforgettable one, so if you have any questions regarding how to get to you trek location or tour/ group bookings, contact us!

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It’s easy to distinguish good and bad putters judging by their setups. However, what most golfers fail to understand, is that every player has the ability to putt just as well as a pro golfer. You don’t have to be the fittest, the strongest, or the most flexible out of the bunch to become a putting machine, but you do need a good set up. Not too worry, Handara Resort is here to address a few golf hacks.

Our professional golf instructors at Handara Golf Resort agree that 90% of golf errors occur before you even begin to swing. We’ll run you through the several errors many golfers make and address the elements of a good setup for better putts, and give you helpful golf hacks revolving this topic.

4 most common setup mistakes

We’re all going to mistakes; it’s the only way to learn and move on. Luckily for us golfers, golf isn’t a sport that demands perfection. So, here are 4 most common mistakes you could be making during your setup:

• Putting weight on the heels- If you’ve setup the weight on your heels instead of putting weight on the balls of your feet, your swing will travel flat around your body. This also results in the lack of balance that your body will compensate by lifting your arms that will create an unwanted backswing. This can be corrected by simply shifting the weight from your heels to the balls of your feet to regain balance.
• A faulty grip- This common mistake is where you grip the golf club with the palm of your hand instead of your fingers. This restricts the movement of your hand and prevents it from gripping in its natural position. As a result, the clubface will open as the arm stretches out during the downswing and instead of hitting, slicing the ball. To avoid this, stop your body earlier during the downswing to ensure the clubface meets the ball as crisp as you want.
• Poor posture- If it’s one thing golfer’s have always struggled with during a game, it is posture. Another common mistake is bending the back during setup instead of leaning the body forwards from the hip. The body can only turn around to its maximum potential if the back is straight, and pushing your body away from your hips allows your body to rotate freely.
  

• Aiming to the right- 90% of players aim to the right of the target thinking they are aiming straight. They must then make up for this by opening the shoulders towards the target at setup and not rotating the body entirely in the backswing in order to hit the ball. Open shoulders and a short body turn makes the club head swing in from the outside and across the line of the ball that leads to a slice. The solution to this is to aim at the target with a squared shoulder.

7 steps to follow for a good setup

• Putting posture- The putting posture you adopt should put you in a comfortable and balanced position that will allow your arms to move freely without resistance during your stroke.
• Putting alignment- Keep your shoulders, hips, knees, and feet in a straight line and parallel to your aim line.
• Putting stance- The putting stance varies from person to person. But the conventional stance is shoulder-width, feet parallel to your aim line, and with your toes pointing straight ahead.
• Position the ball- There are two major components to your ball position that denote where your ball should be located relative to your toe-line and stance.

• Grip- The most common putting grip is the traditional reverse-overlap.
• Grip pressure- Grip pressure will affect how you putt and it makes sense to find the one that will best serve your putting stroke.
• Putting triangle- Just in case you forget, make an imaginary triangle that is formed by the line of your shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands. Maintaining the shape of this triangle is important to your putting stroke.

Handara golf and resort Bali provides golf lessons and golf hacks taught by some of the island’s best golf instructors that are more than willing to give you golf tips that can improve your golf habits. Learn and practice your favorite sport with us while absorbing the best of Bali. For more information about our golf lessons and golf course in Bali, do not hesitate to contact us.

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