Padang Golf Sukajadi

In 2010, Padang Golf Sukajadi hosted the 1st Indonesia Golf Association Amateur Open Golf Championship. Then, in 2014, the course was rated second best course in Batam, by Golf Digest Singapore.  Sukajadi hosted the 31st Indonesia Ladies Amateur Open Golf Championship in 2015.

The Sukajadi layout measures 6,340 meters with four different sets of tee boxes that cater to golfers of all abilities. The course grass is wall-to-wall Seashore Paspalum, which gives it its year-round bright green color. The golf course is laid out across relatively flat terrain, but the clever use of earth moving has created gentle undulations and mounds that are aesthetically pleasing as well as strategic in their placement. As with many flat, parkland-style courses, water plays a big part throughout the round.  Good drainage allows for play after even the most torrential downpour, which is a frequent occurrence in the tropics.

The course opens with a long par-4. A straight well-struck drive is required to avoid the significant water hazard left and the smaller pond to the right. The challenge of the tee shot is made even harder due to a large tree encroaching onto the fairway. Long hitters can carry the tree, though most golfers lay-up left.

The 3rd hole, a par 5, is also a standout. Bunkers and out of bounds left to protect the narrowing fairway, and while the 2nd shot is relatively trouble free, accuracy is required to give the best angle into the green, which is flanked to the right and rear by water. Although the hole is not long by today´s standards, the stroke indexing of 2 shows this hole has a nasty bite.

One of the subtle points of this course is the fact that the driver is not always the play, as is the case on the 5th — a short par 4, fraught with danger. Water left, and a stream slicing the hole in two requires a well thought out tee shot and a complicated approach to the well-protected green.

The back nine opens with a challenging par four. At 384 meters, the hole requires a long, straight tee shot between the trees and out of bounds that frame the hole. The approach demands to carry a stream running in front of this small green. Hole 15 is the hardest on the course, and it is not difficult to see why as it plays over 400 meters. Find the fairway and then decide whether to go for the green or lay up short of the large lake that protects this green.

Overall the course condition is generally good; the greens are a particular delight, smooth and fast running with a consistency throughout. However, local grass varieties like Zoyzia and Bermuda invade some holes, and the fairways get soggy in the wetter months.

Padang Golf Sukajadi is a semi-private club. Public golf is welcome, and weekday tee times are always available. The course is part of the Radisson Golf & Convention Center which is convenient for golfers coming from abroad. Excellent clubhouse facilities and friendly caddies ensure that golfers will have an enjoyable day golfing at Sukajadi. The on-site spa provides full service in the locker rooms.