New Kuta GC is located on Bali's southern shore at Dreamland Beach, and is well located for those staying in the heart of the action at Nusa Dua or Seminyak.
Designed by Ronald Fream and the Golfplan team, the course opened in 2008 to much acclaim.
It was awarded best new international course by Links Magazine in 2008 and hosted the Indonesian Open in 2009.
The course is sited on an elevated headland overlooking the Indian Ocean, but strangely players only become aware of the proximity to the briney on the three feature holes ( 14, 15, 16 ) that play on the cliffs above Dreamland Beach. For the rest of the round the course plays and look a little like a links course- but with unremarkable vistas over thick vegetation or adjacent building sites.
The course routing, and the tightness of some of the holes suggest that the available land was an issue.
And increasingly the course will be overshadowed by significant hotel and commercial developments sprouting on its boundaries. Somehow the feel is not quite the same when you are looking out from a course onto huge development sites, and multi storey hotels.
Holes 14, 15 and 16 are the holes that are used for promotions and certainly stand out in the memory banks. Hole 14 is a dogleg par 4 with the ocean in full view behind the green. The par 15 is a lovely par 3 to the point of the headland with waves crashing on the beach far below, and hole 16 provides a tee from the clifftops heading back inland on what is a oddly shaped and constructed hole.
Other holes of note are the mid length par 3 sixth hole with a island green surrounded by bunkering, and the short par 4 fourth hole with the creek running across short of the green...
In my opinion New Kuta is a decent course in pretty good condition. It has some memorable holes, but will sadly be dominated by neighbouring developments in years to come. This is not a course to travel long distances to play, however if you are in Bali and want another course to play you could certainly enjoy your day at New Kuta GC.
Other Golf Courses in the Area:
Nirwana Bali ( a MUST PLAY )
Bali National GC ( a MUST PLAY )
Bali Handara
Accommodation
There is a plethora of accommodation options available in Bali to suit every budget ann style.
We stayed at Nirwana Bali and would recommend it
Peter Wood
The Travelling Golfer
May 2015
