Some will shudder at the term “man-made links course” but New York’s Bayonne Golf Club showed us that this preposterous sleight-of-hand is doable. Now, Jakarta’s Sedayu Indo course is repeating the trick.
This Nicklaus Design creation adorns an island reclaimed from the Java Sea. To hold back the ocean, a dyke wall forms the island’s perimeter. This artificial feature is disguised with rough dunes and the architects extended that ‘links’ feel into the course itself.
Ranging between 7.132 and 4,794 yards, Sedayu Indo is actually a hybrid course. The links-style holes around the perimeter encircle a cluster of parkland-style holes situated on the island’s interior.
While nearby housing and the driving range have necessitated unsightly protective screens alongside a couple of holes, your surroundings are soon forgotten as you begin to immerse yourself in the faux- links terrain. With the sea and the owner’s insistence that housing and golf course be separated by water features for security purposes, there is barely a ‘dry’ hole out there but the architects insist they have built in sufficient space and run-off areas to ease the potential pain.
Try and avoid the deep St. Andrews-style bunker on the 3rd but enjoy the views of the course and the city beyond from the raised tees on the adjacent par 3s at 5 and 16. Both call for tee shots over a shared lake. The 12th is another of the course’s fine par 3s but this time sand is the menace; large bunkers circle an L-shaped green that offers numerous exciting pin-placement options.
Just a few miles from Jakarta’s airport, the club has an impressive bar lounge as well as The Brassey Restaurant. Spa facilities are available, and the pro’s shop is more like a superstore.