Capital Greens

Cengkareng is one of the preeminent courses in Jakarta and a popular choice among the expat community. Certainly the club's way of enticing golfers – male golfers, at least – becomes pretty obvious the moment you set foot inside the clubhouse; lithe young women – from the bag drop attendants to the receptionists, pro shop staff and waitresses – make up the vast percentage of the workforce. The caddies, like everywhere in Jakarta, are exclusively women. Cengkareng's motto is "True Enjoyment" and it is customary for members to take in at least one of the club's signature margaritas at the halfway house. There's even an oxygen room where pure O2 is pumped in while head-and-neck massages are administered. For many, it is the most convivial club in Southeast Asia. 

For Hong Kong visitors, Cengkareng's proximity to the airport is an added advantage, making it feasible to catch a round before getting the afternoon flight home. The sun-baked greens regularly run at 10 or more on the stimpmeter making putting a particularly tricky proposition. That said, the par-fives are a little on the short side and it is hard to imagine they provided too much difficulty for the pros when the Indonesian Open was held here back in 2005 and 2008. For the recreational player, though, this course offers plenty of interest.

While the par-three 17th would stake a claim as Cengkareng’s signature hole, several others feature imaginative use of water. However, the water-less 5th and the 13th are in our view two of the best par fours – both require careful navigation between trees and sand to find well-landscaped green complexes.