Nirwana Bali Golf Club - - - Closed
Course Date
Location Bali, Indonesia
Yardage 6805 yards Par 72
Course Rating  
Playing Date 9 Jun. 2003 & 30 Jun 2014
Designer Bov Harrison, Greg Norman
Opened 1997
Caddie Yes
Golf Cart Yes
Rating
Overall Rating
5.15
Course Layout
5
Difficulty Level
4
Greens Condition
5
Fairways Condition
4
Landscaping & Views
6
Level of Satisfaction
6
 

The Nirwana Bali Golf Club is a scenic seaside course that utilizes its coastal and natural terrains. The course also features wonderful views that overlook the Indian Ocean. The course also includes interesting designs, especially the rice terraces positioned on roughs and creeks that cross fairways. Some of the holes are known to provide spectacular natural hazards such as rugged cliffs, holes that run along the Indian Ocean, terraced rice paddies, and coastal landscapes. The course becomes increasingly difficult when there are prevailing strong sea winds. Notable holes on this course are the par 5 on hole 6, the par 3 on hole 7, the par 4 on hole 13, and the par 3 on hole 14. These holes are not only beautiful, but also tricky as the ocean comes into play.



A view form hotel

12th green and the sea

Splendid coastline seen from 13th green

Website played on June 2003

 
Hole 1 Par 4 383 yards
The first hole consists of a dogleg that bends to the left around a terraced rice paddy. If players accidentally land their ball in the paddy, a one-stroke penalty to drop their ball nearby should be used since it will be quite difficult to hit from the paddy. There is a reachable fairway bunker on the left at about 230 yards off the tee. The second shot will be hit over a slightly downhill slope. The green itself is guarded by a deep bunker on the left and another bunker at its rear. The small and slightly undulated green makes the putting experience interesting. Overall, I was quite impressed with the utilization of a rice terrace in a golf course as it was the first time I saw this done.
 

Hole 1 Par 4 383 yards (3)

Hole 1 Par 4 383 yards (2)

Hole 1 Par 4 383 yards (1)
 
Hole 2 Par 3 188 yards

Hole 2 Par 3 188 yards (2)

Hole 2 Par 3 188 yards (1)
The second hole is a par 3 that requires the ball to be hit over a terraced rice paddy. There is a deep bunker that guards the green on its front left and a creek that runs along its right side.
 
Hole 3 Par 4 400 yards

Hole 3 Par 4 400 yards (2)

Hole 3 Par 4 400 yards (1)
The third hole consists of a dogleg that bends to the left. A carry of 195 yards is needed in order to clear a fairway bunker located near the bend. There is a creek that runs along the left side of the green and an OB zone at the back. Green is elevated, steeply sloped, and double-tiered. The green also has three bunkers guarding it, making it a hole which tests the accuracy on the approach shot.
 
Hole 6 Par 5 501 yards
This is a short par five with a sharp dogleg that bends to the left. There is a bunker at about 200 yards off the tee. Players can enjoy a great view of the blue Indian Ocean at the second shot as they hit their ball over a gentle downhill slope. It is possible to land the ball on the green in two shots. However, players should be aware that the green is well protected by bunker on its front left and another deep bunker to the right. Since the ocean lies very close to the green, players can enjoy the beautiful sounds of the waves and enjoy the comfortable sea breeze while putting.
 

Hole 6 Par 5 501 yards (3)

Hole 6 Par 5 501 yards (2)

Hole 6 Par 5 501 yards (1)
 
Hole 7 Par 3 214 yards

Hole 7 Par 3 214 yards (2)

Hole 7 Par 3 214 yards (1)
The seventh hole is a signature hole with a great view of the ocean. As players aim for the green, they will see the famous temple of "Tanah Lot" floating in the ocean. Players will be challenged, as they will have to avoid the water on the left, the bunker in front, and the bushes on the right. There is another big bunker on the fairway that awaits any short shots. The green is wide and slopes towards the left. While the hole may be devilish enough to swallow any bad shots into the ocean or the bush, players will still be astounded by the overall experience since the view looks as if it came out of a postcard. This hole was selected as one of the best 500 holes in the world by the US Golf Magazine in 2000.
 
Hole 12 Par 4 381 yards

Hole 12 Par 4 381 yards (2)

Hole 12 Par 4 381 yards (1)
The 12th hole is a beautiful hole that consists of a sharp dogleg that bends to the right. There is a fairway bunker on the left that is reachable at 250 yards off the tee and another bunker on the right that requires a 250-yard carry to clear. The downhill approach shot will force players to use either a short iron or a wedge in order to land their ball onto the shallow green. An accurate shot is needed to land the ball as not only is the green bordered by water on its front and the left, but also an OB line at the back.
 
Hole 13 Par 4 337 yards

Hole 13 Par 4 337 yards (2)

Hole 13 Par 4 337 yards (1)
The 13th hole is a slightly uphill and a dogleg to the right, short par 4. It is an easy hole but is framed perfectly with great views of the Indian Ocean.
 
Hole 14 Par 3 185 yards

Hole 14 Par 3 185 yards (2)

Hole 14 Par 3 185 yards (1)
The 14th hole is a beautiful over-the-ocean par three. The green is guarded on the right by the ocean and on the front and left by bunkers. It is important to judge the prevailing sea winds on this hole in order to land the ball on the green.
 
Hole 17 Par 4 349 yards

Hole 17 Par 4 349 yards (2)

Hole 17 Par 4 349 yards (1)
The second to last hole consists of a sharp dogleg that bends to the right. There are two fairway bunkers on the left that are reachable at around 230-240 yards and a fairway bunker on the left that is reachable at 270 yards off the tee. There is a creek that runs in front of the wide green and two bunkers at its rear protect it.
 
Hole 19
It is a 45-minute drive from the Bali International Airport and an hour drive from Nusa Dua in order to get to the Nirwana Bali Golf Club. The Course is in Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort.

Caddies 

Restaurant

Lunch


Pan Pacific Reesort

Pan Pacific Reesort

Restaurant of the holel

After I completed my round, I went to go see the floating temple in the ocean Tanah Lot. This famous temple can be seen from the 7th hole. You can walk down during a low tide in order to get a better view. It is breathtakingly beautiful to watch the temple during sunsets.


Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot

Walking down during a low tide

According to the site top100golfcourses.co.uk, Nirwana Bali Golf Club was ranked 1st out of the 170 courses in all of Indonesia during its 2016 evaluation. Other Greg Norman designed courses in in Indonesia are Laguna Bintan GC, River Side GC, Tering Bay G&CC.