Indonesia hides some of Asia's most dramatic golf, from clifftop holes above the Indian Ocean in Bali to a course inside a Bedugul volcano crater and a string of championship layouts around Jakarta. Here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Damai Indah Golf - BSD Course, a husen (ahusen), via Google
Indonesian golf splits cleanly between Bali and Jakarta. Bali is the destination golfer's island, a compact mix of clifftop ocean holes in the Bukit peninsula, mountain golf high in the Bedugul crater and resort courses around Nusa Dua, all within a holiday that pairs naturally with the island's beaches and culture. Jakarta, by contrast, is where the serious championship golf sits, a cluster of Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Thomson designs that host the country's biggest events, played mostly by members and business travellers rather than tourists.
We weighed design quality, conditioning, the drama of the setting and how realistically a travelling golfer can arrange to play, leaning toward Bali for trip planning since that is where most visitors base themselves, while still ranking the best of Jakarta on merit. Many of the leading clubs welcome visitors with advance booking and a caddie, which is standard across Indonesia. Every fact here, from designers to settings, was checked at the time of writing, and where a detail could not be confirmed we describe the course by its verified character. The order and the verdicts are our editors' view. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is what our concierge does.
The most celebrated course in Indonesia, a Greg Norman design on the cliffs at Tabanan on Bali's southwest coast, framing the sea temple of Tanah Lot across the water. Holes run along clifftops, through rice paddies and beside the ocean, with one of the most photographed par 3 settings in Asia. Long the island's flagship resort round, it remains the course most visiting golfers most want to play.
The clifftop thriller of the Bukit peninsula, a Ron Fream design at Pecatu near Uluwatu where several holes play along and above the limestone cliffs with the Indian Ocean crashing below. Exposed, dramatic and a serious test in the wind, it is the closest thing in Bali to genuine ocean links drama and pairs perfectly with the surf breaks and clifftop bars of the southern tip.
One of the most unusual courses on earth, laid out in the 1970s inside an extinct volcano crater high in the Bedugul mountains of central Bali, ringed by jungle peaks and often wreathed in cool mountain mist. Formerly Bali Handara Kosaido, it offers a calm, green, temperate round utterly unlike the coast, and the famous mossy stone gate at the entrance is one of the island's signature images.
The most convenient quality golf on the island, a par 71 in the Nusa Dua resort enclave reworked by Nelson and Haworth in 2013 on former littoral forest. Soft rolling fairways, white sand bunkers and strategic doglegs make for an enjoyable, well conditioned round, and the location among Nusa Dua's beach resorts makes it the easy choice for golfers who want golf and the beach in the same short transfer.
A modern clifftop course on the Bukit peninsula opened in 2016 and unusual for being a par 3 and short course concept executed at the highest level, with several holes perched above the ocean. Quick to play and spectacular to look at, it suits golfers who want big views and a memorable round without a full championship day, and it has become a popular addition to a southern Bali itinerary.
One of the best conditioned championship venues in the capital, a 27 hole Bob Moore design in East Jakarta with the North, South and West nines combining into demanding, well bunkered rounds. Long, manicured and a regular host of professional and amateur events, it is the kind of serious test that anchors golf in greater Jakarta and rewards the business traveller looking for a top tier round near the city.
A Jack Nicklaus design at Bumi Serpong Damai on the southwestern edge of Jakarta, a polished championship parkland that is one of the premier members' clubs in the metropolitan area. Water, length and Nicklaus's strategic demands give it real teeth, and its sister course at Pantai Indah Kapuk by Robert Trent Jones Jr. makes Damai Indah a strong 36 hole proposition for golf around the capital.
The best known course inside the city itself, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout in the affluent Pondok Indah district of South Jakarta that does not go easy on water hazards or bunker placement. A genuinely challenging round in a leafy urban setting, it has long been a fixture of Jakarta golf and a convenient championship test for visitors based in the city without a long transfer.
One of the longest established championship clubs in the country, a Peter Thomson and Michael Wolveridge design opened in 1979 in the hills southeast of Jakarta toward Bogor, with a newer course added later. Mature, tree lined and set in cooler, greener uplands than the city, it has a strong tournament history and offers a more classical, established feel than the modern resort courses.
A high country course on the slopes of the Merapi volcano near Yogyakarta in central Java, set at around 800 metres where the cool air and the brooding presence of the mountain give the round a singular atmosphere. Hillside holes and long views toward the peak make it a memorable detour for golfers combining the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan with a round in the Javanese highlands.
Designers and opening years verified June 2026 where stated; courses without a confirmed detail are described by their verified setting and character. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access, caddie policy and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us whether you want a Bali golf and beach week, the clifftop courses of the Bukit, or the championship golf of Jakarta, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times, caddies and resort and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Greg Norman's Nirwana Bali at Tabanan, with its clifftop holes overlooking the Tanah Lot sea temple, is the most celebrated course in Indonesia, with the clifftop New Kuta Golf and the volcano crater course at Handara its closest rivals. In Jakarta, Royale Jakarta and the Nicklaus course at Damai Indah lead the championship golf. Reasonable people reorder the top of the list.
For a golf trip, Bali wins easily. It packs clifftop, mountain and resort courses into one compact, beautiful holiday island with beaches and culture alongside. Jakarta has the stronger championship golf but is a business city rather than a tourist base. Most visiting golfers play Bali, and we plan Jakarta golf mainly for travellers already there for work.
The dry season, roughly May to September, is the prime window in Bali and Java, with less rain and more settled conditions, though golf is played year round. The wet season brings heavy afternoon showers, so morning tee times are wise. The mountain courses at Handara and Merapi stay cool whatever the season. Always confirm conditions before booking.
Yes. The Bali resort courses are geared to visiting golfers and welcome advance bookings, and many Jakarta championship clubs accept visitor play, usually with a caddie, which is standard throughout Indonesia. A few of the most exclusive city clubs are member focused. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers and opening years verified June 2026 where stated. Last reviewed June 2026.