Tarzan’s Golf Course

The first person to tell me that Tarzan lived in Africa and not a remote island off the coast of Sumatra can go swing on a vine. What I do know is that if I were Tarzan, and I’d somehow ended up marooned on Belitung (actually Belitong, as i was informed by an islander) and I wanted to get my handicap down to scratch figures, then this is what I’d have built.

In the middle of the local jungle I found a golf course that, as far as I am concerned, wasn’t there a year ago. The other day when I arrived at the place, (courtesy of the blue sign that I mentioned in a previous  blog) that was the illusion I was under. I continued with that same illusion for two more days, in fact right up until the 5th hole when Kamil, my playing partner said, “30 years”.

In Indonesia it’s always worth checking yourself to make sure you’ve been understood. Jam dua (2hours)and dua jam (2 o’clock) mean completely different things so numbers are especially worth checking. I’d found it hard to believe the last time I was at Bilitong Golf Club that the iced tea was only Rp1000 not the Rp10,000 I assumed it must be, so with this in mind I dragged my playing companion by the scruff of his Ashcroft shirt and said “THIRTY YEARS???”

Ok, so the last part was the thought that fleeted through my mind, doubly so when the caddy repeated it. “they can’t both have misunderstood” I thought, when I realised they they can’t have both misunderstood. And of course they hadn’t, my Indonesian was perfect. I’ll say that again, my Indonesian was perfect much to my confusion, and they’d both confirmed that this course had been here since at least 1982!

Built, evidently, by one of the islands tin companies and up until recently a private course for the senior management from the tin company to use as their plaything, entertaining guests, holding ad hoc competitions or just getting away from the wife and kids on a weekend. Yes, this place now has 35 members and all of them are men.

There is a womens locker room but on the course are no signs of ladies tees.  The only women that I have seen are back at the clubhouse making perfect iced teas. Which is a shame because in Jakarta the caddies are all women.

The course could not be termed immaculate but I have played on a lot worse, Spofforth near Wetherby springs to mind. Some of the fairways are forgiving, such as on the first, some are  much tighter. The 9-hole course makes itself into 18-holes by altering the yardage, for instance, the par 3 third hole is also the par 4 twelth which is a great use of space saving. I may have mentioned but this course has been hacked out of a jungle and everyday the jungle wants it back.

Greenskeepers jobs are made doubly difficult when your job could also kill you. The four of us, Kamil, the two caddies and I, were followed around the course by plenty of people. Evidently I’m the first westerner to play here! But of our entourage, it was the job of three of them to look for errant shots. Basically, if your ball goes into the jungle it’s their job to go find it. You’ll be pleased to hear that we left no-one behind.

So what did this experience cost me? Well the whole bill thing was probably a bit contrived. When I came to pay it was Rp100,000 to hire the clubs, Rp100,000 Green Fees, even though the sign said Rp150,000, and Rp100,000 for the caddy plus RP50,000 danger money for the ball finders. Admittedly I have payed less than this at Gading Raya in Gading Serpong but golf is an expensive hobby in Indonesia and it was well worth it. With my own clubs here £15 would have been well worth it.