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Natodola Bay GC is a seaside and beach front course in which fifteen
holes can be played while watching the cobalt blue Pacific Ocean with
beautiful coral shoreline. The course extends from a small hill to the
coast. With multiple tight holes, with long fairways protected by thick
rough on both sides, continuing throughout, accuracy will be a key factor
on this beautiful course. Also, the intensity of the sea breeze needs
to be put into consideration. The course is suitable for intermediate
and advanced players, as it is a quite challenging course. Natadola Bay
hosted 2014-2018 Fiji International – the Joint PGA Tour of Australia
and Europe.
Scorecard
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A downhill and long par four hitting toward the sea. The landing area off
the tee is narrow with a bunker on the right and deep rough on both sides.
A greenside bunker on the front right will come into to play on the approach
shot. The green is slightly elevated and slops from right to left. |
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A par three with a beautiful ocean to the left. There are three bunkers
around the green sweepingly sloping to the left. |
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A difficult par five with a dogleg to the right. The tee shot is dynamically
downhill, and the landing area is narrow. With an uphill second shot, players
will encounter a steeper uphill launch on the third. Players should avoid
at all costs an extremely deep bunker protecting the front side of the green.
The green is horizontally wide and slopes downwards from the center to the
left and right sides. |
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A downhill par 3 with a shallow green surrounded by five bunkers. The green
slpes heavily to the left. |
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A par four with a dogleg to the right. The tee shot is dramatically downhill
into a tight fairway. The approach shot is uphill. The green is two-tiered
with a well-positioned bunker to the left side. |
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A downhill short par four that is reachable for long hitters. Because there
is a pond located just in front of the green, it may be better off to lay
up off the tee to have a good score. A nice risk & reward hole. |
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A par three in which the sea and coral reef on the left are beautifully
aligned. There is a long bunker located on the left side stretching from
the tee to the green. Both sides of the green are also protected by pot
bunkers. |
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A par four with a dogleg to the left. With a downhill tee shot, there is
a lake located on the left and two bunkers on the right. Since the fairway
is tight, accuracy will be a key factor for this hole. With an uphill approach,
players will encounter bunkers located on both sides of the green. There
is a ridge that runs in the center of the horizontally wide green, making
putting over the ridge difficult. |
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An hour drive from Nadi Airport and a 50 minutes’ drive from Denarau
Resort. InterContinetal Hotel is adjacent. Since the course is measured
in meters, it was converted to yards for this review.
Top 100 Golf Courses ranked The Pearl (top100golfcourses.com)
as No.2 in its category of 2018 top 4 courses in Fiji that has 6 courses.
During my time there, I stayed at the Westin Hotel in Denarau and enjoyed
a dinner at Rhum-Ba in Denarau Yacht Club. The experience was fantastic
as food was delicious and the view looking into the marina form the terrace
was beautiful. |
Hole 1 Par 4 496 yards (1)