A Weekend in Medan

29th April 2011

PakRais, one of pakdokter's golfing buddy in the SGC, invited pakdokter to join his flight of 3 to a weekend in Medan over the long Labour Day weekend last week. As pakdokter had not commited to any games in KL and that the last time pakdokter went to Medan was more than a year ago, pakdokter happily booked the airline ticket and joined them for the golfing tour.

PakRais had invited Dato Jai Suboh, an oil and gas enterpreneur and a politician from Rasah as well as one pakAmin, who is the CEO of a Korean-PNB JV company producing components for the auto industry. PakRais plays to a handicap of 12 and pakAmin to a handicap of 10. Pakdokter normally plays to a handicap of 24 and they saw it fit that pakdokter be invited to partner pakDatoJai whose handicap is 22.

PakRais is a seasoned traveller to Medan. His ground-handling crew welcomed us at the baggage collection hall and our golf bags and luggage were collected by his boys without us having to worry about them. And more impressively, we were allowed to just walk past the immigration counter - without having to queue in the long line of passengers arriving on the MAS and AirAsia flights that morning. PakRais seemed to know everybody at the airport and our experience was a perfect example of ' semua nya bisa di atur pak' in Indonesia!

Impressive!!!

We were booked to play at the Bukit Barisan Golf Course that Friday afternoon. Pakdokter had played here many years ago during one of the first trips to this city. Since then this golf course has often been bypassed because of its distance from the city and the unsatisfactory service and some unpleasant experience our golfers had there. PakRais reassured pakdokter that things have changed and improved.

The Bukit Barisan Golf Course was not unlike the RSGC and the KGNS golf courses. It is a mature golf course lined by many old trees. In fact it is the first Jack Nicklaus designed golf course in Indonesia. However due to neglect, its standard has not been maintained.

the clubhouse

long flat fairways lined by mature trees...

We all pooled 500,000 rupiah each with the understanding that the winner will take all and pay for lunch and dinner. And we also played a 'cut-throat' game against each other, hole-by-hole at 50,000 rupiah per hole and 100,000 rupiah for a birdie!

As pakAmin did not believe that pakdokter's handicap was 24 ( because pakdokter looked to him like a single-handicapper!) we all agreed that pakdokter played to a handicap of 18 together with pakDatoJai against pakRais (12) and pakAmin (10). So we got 8 strokes from pakAmin and 6 strokes from pakRais.

PakDatoJai hit a short drive at the opening hole but pakdokter's drive was long and went into a bunker about 90 metres from the green. Pakdokter's second with a pitching wedge went to the green just 10 feet to the pin. PakAmin and pakRais 'terkejut!' - this cannot be a 24-handicapper. They both chipped in to the green and 2-putted for a par. Pakdokter's birdie attempt missed by 6 inches. PakDatoJai became the first casualty for the day. Unfortunately, pakdokter's effort to play like a single-handicapper did not go beyond the first hole. The heavy downpour of the afternoon rain made things worse as the course became water-logged and the green very slow. By the time we finished 15 holes - pakAmin was convinced that pakdokter and pakDatoJai truly play to handicap 24 and generously gave us more strokes. But by then our confidence had been severely shaken and traumatised by pakAmin's repeated pars and birdies that we resigned ourselves to paying him his dues and were hoping that he would generously sponsor our ' massage' also!

PakRais took us to one of his favourite restaurant for dinner after which we checked into the 5-star Grand Angkasa Hotel. We spent the night at the "Soccer" Sports Bar where 3 energetic bands took turns to entertain the equally energetic young crowd.