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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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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• In order to create more bounce and loft, you need to ensure that you have opened the face of the sand wedge. As you open the face, you will be increasing the wedges degree of loft. It is important to note that your regular sand wedge is 56° loft. If you open your wedge 20°, it makes your effective loft 76°. Opening the face means making sure that your bottom edge is pointed 20° to the right side of your target line.
• Ball placement is also critical. You should place it 2 inches in front of your stance right in the middle. You will need to make a shallow divot that starts 2 inches behind where the ball is. Your body alignment should open at the same degree as the opened face. So, if you open the face 20° open your body 20° as well.
• When you make a swing, let it be along your body line. Don’t swing across your ball, or inside or at the flag. Imagine that you were going for a pitch of 35 yards and then swing up and along your body line, turning the chest.
• The swing should not be a full one. Instead, go for a ¾ swing. You want to make sure that your chest turns 69°, your hands swing up and opposite your rear shoulder. It is important to think of your thirty-five-yard pitch shot when making this particular swing.
• Many players tend to fail in the downswing. You should follow the same trajectory swinging down that you are following in the upswing. This should be along the target line, which is your body line and not the flag. This means that you should aim for a 20° swing to the targets left.
• It is important to note how your hips, legs and lower body is positioned at this point. Put your weight on your left as you unwind and also clear your hips. The body line is what the sand divot follows and the divot is kept at 29° on the flags left. You need to maintain the angle of the spine and your posture. The ball will come up on a sand cushion.

With a bunker shot, your club will not contact the ball, but sand and the ball will them be lifted out on a sand wave. Now that you know how to deal with a bunker shot, why don’t you challenge yourself to master all of our holes at Handara Golf & Resort Bali.

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The Beginnings

The game started in Scotland whose harsh weather forced players to wear knickerbockers or short pants and heavy tweed jackets. Tweed caps and neckties were also common. This was the earliest form of golf apparel.

Early 1900s Golf Apparel

Golf players have always been well dressed and in the early 1900s, they were expected to wear a single-breasted jacket and an accompanying waist coat.  Knickers, a golf cap, cotton stockings and golf shoes defined a well-dressed golfer. As wealthy people took up golf in England and other areas, formal outfits became the norm. These players added 4 inches to their knickers, long golf socks and spectator shoes. The tradition of shirt and tie continued.

Enter the Flannels

In the 1930s, knickers were getting out of fashion in golf and players sought more comfortable apparel in form of flannels. The slacks were gray or white and neckties gradually disappeared from the golf course.

Casual Golf Attire

The modern casual golf wear is motivated by the adoption of lighter clothing, which were first chosen by players during the 1933 U.S Open. The hot weather at the time did not favor heavy clothing and players chose light wear.

Modern Golfing Apparel

The golf clothing you see at today’s courses is designed to help make players comfortable. Today, most courses allow casual wear though some conservative ones still have stringent dressing rules. Short-sleeved knitted shirts and lightweight slacks were adopted in the 1940s. Shoes with spikes were introduced and brim hats became a common feature.

Weather-resistant Eisenhower jackets were used during cool weather because they were comfortable and did not inhibit play. Today, cardigans are popular for cooler weather while colorful shirts and khakis have become part of the golf apparel today.

There are trendsetters in golf apparel today, but the main point of emphasis is to ensure the player is comfortable when taking a shot. Most have endorsements by major brands and they even design what they wear. For any question you might have contact us

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Before we get to the hole-by-hole analysis, let’s talk a little bit about the philosophy and course management techniques you need to embrace in order to play bogey golf.

1. Understand that Not Every Shot is Going to Be Perfect

If you could play at that level, you would have already closed this page. Be prepared to accept mistakes, move on to the next shot, and stick to your game plan. The stroke you try to save with a hero shot could be the stroke that starts the landslide to an 8, or worse, on the card.

2. Embrace Playing for Bogey as a Legitimate Goal

How happy would you be to walk off the course with 18 bogeys, for a score of 90? Most golfers would be happy with a good morning’s work and proud of their consistency. Probably, if you’re still reading this, you’re in this category of golfer. Remember, par is defined as the score expected to be achieved by an average scratch golfer.

3. Get Primed

Make use of Handara Golf & Resort Bali’s fantastic driving, chipping and putting areas to warm up before your round. This will help you get your swing working and get a feel for the greens. It will also give your caddy a chance to learn about your swing tendencies- where you tend to miss and how badly it goes when it does happen.

4. Listen to the Caddies

The professional caddies at Handara Golf & Resort Bali are the best on the island, hands down. They will figure out your relative skill level before you make it off the practice green, so let them use their years of experience to help you make smart decisions. Ask for help reading the break of chips and putts- you may be surprised at some of the greens here at Handara.

5. Choose the Easy Shots

Instead of trying to reach a green 230 yards away with an aggressive 3w from a tight lie, assess the range of possible outcomes of that shot. What outcomes are most likely? What are the chances you will put the ball on the green for a one-putt birdie? They are pretty slim for most golfers of our skill level. Instead, any number of unfortunate results could occur- each possibly leading to 3 or 4 more strokes before you get on the green, let alone finish the hole. Why not play a couple of 9-irons or pitching wedges, shots you know you can hit every time, and get on the green to putt for par? Even if these shorter shots go a little wrong, they don’t go 230 yards wrong.

So there you have it, a few tips to adjust your noggin before heading up into the hills of Bali. Join us next week as we begin our tour of Handara Resort & Golf Bali’s fantastic mountain course from the perspective of a bogey golfer. Fooore!

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