Bali National is gone, here’s where expat golfers are playing instead

Bali National confirmed the permanent closure of its golf course, driving range, and all related services effective May 1, 2025. For many expat golfers who've built Bali trips around it over the years, this genuinely stings. The redesigned course that reopened in 2013, stretching to over 7,100 yards from the tips, three distinct environments from jungle canyons to lakeside finishing holes, was legitimately world-class. The island green on 17, Bali's answer to the famous 17th at TPC Sawgrass, was one of those holes you'd talk about for years. Now it's done.

The good news is Bali still has three courses worth making the trip for. The bad news is they're all very different from each other, one is currently dealing with some real growing pains, and none of them is a straight swap for what Bali National offered. Here's an honest breakdown of what you're actually choosing between.

Handara Golf Resort, The Bucket List One

Handara sits nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano, surrounded by Bali's largest rainforest, about two to two and a half hours north of the airport up in the Bedugul highlands. The drive alone tells you this is a different kind of golf trip, the air drops, the mist rolls in, the temperature falls into the low 20s. The 18-hole par-72 championship course stretches over 6,500 metres with bentgrass greens, tree-lined fairways, and significant elevation changes that challenge even experienced players. Greens are notoriously quick and hard to read, your caddie earns their tip here. Green fees for 2026 are IDR 2,000,000 per player for 18 holes, inclusive of cart, caddy, insurance, and tax, with tee times available from around 06:30 to 14:30. That's roughly SGD $165 all-in. One honest caveat from recent reviews, fairway and green conditions aren't always championship standard, and some visitors felt one round was enough to see everything. But as a golf experience, as a place, it's unlike anything else in Southeast Asia. Non-golfers in your group can visit the iconic Handara Gate, one of Bali's most photographed landmarks, which makes this easier to sell to spouses who didn't come for 18 holes.

New Kuta Golf — The Scenery One (With Caveats)

New Kuta Golf is carved from limestone cliffs on the southwestern tip of the Bukit Peninsula, Indonesia's first true links-style layout, 85 hectares with ocean panoramas on virtually every hole. The setting is genuinely spectacular, especially on the finishing holes. Green fees are IDR 2,200,000 per person, including golf cart and caddie, around SGD $180. But here's the sticky part, recent reviews are rough. Multiple golfers in 2025 reported poor course conditions with several temporary greens and heavy construction on and around the course, pace of play stretching to five and a half hours, with groups waiting on every hole on the back nine. One reviewer described the arrival as chaotic, the range as a construction site, and called it poor value. This doesn't mean avoid it forever, the layout and views are genuinely world-class when it's running properly, but right now, verify current conditions before you book. If you go, book a morning tee time for calmer winds and keep expectations calibrated.

Bukit Pandawa — The Society Trip Wildcard

Bukit Pandawa sits on a limestone cliff-top overlooking the surf breaks of the Bukit Peninsula, offering 18 championship par-3 holes backed by rustic architectural relics and Indian Ocean views. It's the newest course on the island and the only all-par-3 layout in Indonesia. A round takes around two hours to complete and green fees start at IDR 1,900,000 for 18 holes, roughly SGD $155. Serious players will find it short, and some reviewers note the greens aren't as smooth as you'd expect from a course at this price point. But for a mixed-ability group, a society trip where not everyone is a single-figure handicap, or a quick morning round before afternoon beach time, it's genuinely fun and the photography is ridiculous. Think of it as a complement to a longer Bali trip rather than the centrepiece.

QUICK FACTS

TAKEAWAY

The Bali golf landscape just changed permanently. Anyone still recommending Bali National hasn't checked recently. If you're planning a trip now, Handara is the one that belongs on your bucket list, make a weekend of it, stay on site, and build the trip around the mountain experience. Bukit Pandawa is the one to add if you're bringing non-serious golfers or want a morning round without the full commitment. New Kuta has the best layout of the three but needs its construction issues sorted before it earns a strong recommendation. Check conditions, book morning slots, and go in with eyes open.