Papua is the most easterly province in Indonesia and it occupies an enormous 123,000 square mile region that encompasses the western half of New Guinea. The rugged landscape of Lorentz National Park epitomises much of the terrain in Papua and this ecologically diverse area of mangrove, swamp, rainforest and alpine tundra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

Grasberg, one of the largest mines in the world, is situated near Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Papua, producing prodigious quantities of gold, silver and copper on an annual basis. In the mid-1990s, the mine owners enlisted the services of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore to design a golf course for the recreational use of its employees and they somehow managed to carve the fairways out of dense rainforest jungle close to the mine. The remote Rimba Irian layout was never built with visitors in mind but we’re sure any intrepid golfer who does take the time and trouble to travel to such an isolated location will be well rewarded with a memorable round on one of Asia’s most unusual golf courses.