Rainbow Hills (Forest & Mountain)

Bob Moore of JMP Design laid out the original 18-hole course (the Forest and Mountain nines) across hilly terrain at Rainbow Hills Golf Club in 1995 and he returned twenty years later to renovate the layout and add a new nine (Stone Hills) along the valley floor.

Situated an hour’s drive south of downtown Jakarta, in the mountains of the Bogor region, the course is designed to make you think your way round the property, offering little advantage to golfers who want to tee it up and blast away – finesse, not power, is what counts here.

The 558-metre 13th is a thing of beauty, the undoubted signature hole on the course, with a drop of over 100 metres from the tee to a fairway that doglegs left to a heavily sand and water-protected green. It’s described in Golf Magazine’s book The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes as follows:

“Inspiring mountain views frame this strategic hole from the elevated tee. The landing area is fairly wide, though a series of bunkers can be reached by the longest hitters. From there, the upper fairway to the right provides a wider target for the second shot, but leaves a longer approach to the green.

The lower fairway is narrower, but provides a shorter route. It’s an important decision as the ridge-top green is guarded by a large left bunker and has a false front that makes it tough to gauge the correct distance.”