Handara Golf & Resort

Overview: Handara Golf & Resort is a mountain course in Bali’s Bedugul highlands, set at more than 1,142 metres above sea level inside a cool, green volcanic landscape. The 18-hole routing is surrounded by forest, meadows and mountain air rather than the beach-and-palm setting associated with much of Bali golf. Its official hole guide describes steep changes of level, doglegs, creeks, out-of-bounds lines and heavily defended greens, making accurate placement especially important on a course where the natural terrain is always present.

History: Handara’s current history page says construction began in 1974 and that the resort opened its doors in 1976. The hole guide contains an older design account, dating the initial concept and construction work to the late 1960s and early 1970s and naming Michael Wolveridge as the architect who oversaw construction. Both records identify the Peter Thomson, Michael Wolveridge and Ronald Fream design group. Because those dates do not align perfectly, the profile uses the official 1976 timeline and keeps the earlier construction history visible rather than presenting one unsupported date as certain.

Did You Know? The course’s third hole includes a double-arched stone bridge built from thousands of rocks cleared during construction, and the 15th is lined by Puspa trees, which can grow to around 45 metres and are recognisable by their reddish upper leaves and white flowers. Those details are more than decoration: Handara’s identity comes from the mountain landscape and the local planting woven directly into the routing.