Nirwana is definitely golf nirvana, but I must say, it really challenges a duffer like me. The Nirwana par three 7th has to be one of the most wickedly designed holes on any course anywhere. Surrounded by roaring surf and jagged cliffs, the tee shot on the 7th is high across a rocky beach to a tiny cliff top green 168 yards away, and that’s only from the "Championship" tee, which is another 16 yards in front of the Greg Norman "Shark" tee. If your tee shot doesn’t land in the ocean, you still have to hit it past a gnarly cactus patch guarding the green. I happened to be using a Greg Norman brand ball with his Shark logo and "Attack Life" slogan emblazoned on it. The ball didn’t do me much good, though, and I lost it in the aforementioned in a cactus patch. But hey, what a spectacular hole. Pebble Beach, California, you’ve got a rival in the Nirwana 7th!

There are other very memorable holes such as the 13th, which requires skill and concentration as it plays along a cliff top bending towards the ocean and the green sits at the edge of a precipice. The ricefield-lined first hole and the ocean-surrounded 14th are also well worthy of mention, yet, I must confess, my other favourite hole is the Nirwana 19th, the clubhouse.

The Nirwana clubhouse features all the amenities expected of a fine country club. Once there you will be begin to feel the spell Nirwana puts you under. Less than an hour but a world away from Bali’s famous Kuta Beach, arriving at Nirwana’s clubhouse is to be welcomed into a golfer’s fantasy of Balinese charm and fine hospitality. And in case you need a new golf shirt and such, the Nirwana Pro-shop also offers a full range of premium clubs and accessories.

Nirwana’s experienced and congenial British general manager, Nick Morgan, has in his own inimitable style fostered an atmosphere of serious golf and serene service. It’s no wonder that Nirwana was recently named the best new course in Southeast Asia.

Nirwana Bali is an International Management Group (IMG) course, and shares a spectacular location and affiliation with Le Meridien Hotel, which offers special discounts to guests who wish to get out on the links. The combination of IMG’s world-class management, and Le Meridien world-class hotel, make the Nirwana a, well, world-class golf course.

My third day of golf heaven was spent at the Bali Handara Kosaido. In a truly unique environment, the Handara is the only golf course in Asia that is set in a volcanic crater. The cool mountain air of the Handara, nestled 1,200 metres above sea level, is a wonderful change from the humidity of the lowlands. The deep bowl of the crater is covered with rainforest trees that make for a spectacular setting by the serene Lake Buyan.

The Handara course is over 7,024 yards from the "Champ" tees, so I was glad to have a cart to take me up some of the steeper slopes between holes. Once on the cart, I gazed about and marvelled at the fact that, despite my triple digit score, I was on golf Cloud Nine. Almost everywhere at Handara there are artfully designed flowerbeds and gardens that only careful attention from Balinese hands could create. Many of the fairways are also lined with thick stands of trees that make the course quite challenging. I spent so much time smacking the ball around between the arbours I could have discovered a new flora species.

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