Return To Tering Bay

The last time I went to Batam must have been a good 2-3 years ago but in the last 3 weeks, I went there 3 times. Many years ago, I used to go there for golf and many of my friends love to golf there too, especially beginners as there are few golfers there on weekdays. Its like having the entire course for yourselves and it has a feel of a vacation.

If you go via Harbour Front, it gets you to Sekupang which is easier to access golf courses at Southlinks, Indah Puri, Batam Hills and a newer course called Sukajadi. From Tanah Merah, you sail to Nongsapura and the nearby courses are Tering Bay and Palm Spring. There is a Tamarin Santana beside Nongsa ferry terminal which is only 9 hole, so I have never been.

The more frequented courses there were Southlinks and Tering Bay because those days we need big, open and friendly courses. Southlinks probably has the best maintained course and also the most expensive but our favourite is Tering Bay, designed by the Shark Greg Norman. It has huge,white bunkers! Convenience helps in that when you drive up to the Tanah Merah ferry terminal, you can leave your car there a whole day or even overnight. The ferry departure is just next to the car park. Driving into the ferry terminal in the early morning was surreal after such a long time.

There you are, right there at the departure hall. The arrival hall is just on the right. It will always be a breeze.

It appeared a little hazy bit otherwise a lovely morning.

After so many years, the scene remains unchanged. The gamblers, there may be 80 of them compared to 12 golfers and 12 holiday makers. May be they are still offering free ferry and lunch to entice the old folks.

Some old people could walk faster than young people when it comes to gambling. Maybe they have to rush home before family members found out? No wonder the government is worried about our CPF. But hey, I am innocent, give me my CPF. Haha.

As you can see, the Montigo Resorts is just nearby.

Tering Bay Resort and Golf! My favourite. We had the whole bus to ourselves we could have threw a party right there.

Oh on arrival, this scene greeted us and brought back so much fond memories. It was like deja vu.

In Batam you have real open space and real jungles around the golf courses. Often you have elevated tee boxes. Hole one is memorable because it is OB on the right and from the white tee only 270m. A good tee shot gets you up close.

Once, a friend saw a black snake on the fairway and he took a driver and chased it. After a short while, the black snake turned around,raised itself and opened its hood. Yes, it was a black cobra! 

Here you can see our Batam friend let rip like a true pro!

Some holes have slightly elevated fairways.

But just try not to get into the bunkers because you can't get up from there without raising your club for the caddy to pull you up as the sand around the perimeter and slope is soft. What you see here is considered a shallow bunker. 

Par 3 with an elevated tee box.

This is an interesting hole because you can buy all kinds of used balls here. There used to be a fence here and the stalls are just outside. When we were beginners, we would be the cheapest used balls for obvious reason and those with logo are the cheapest and at the time went for $10 for 36 balls. 

The trick is to play your tee shot first and not go buy the balls first lest you get distracted. 

There are some narrower fairways.

Some have interesting contours.

Par 3 can be long and protected by huge bunkers.

Sweeping fairways but if you get complacent you can still get into the jungle.

The use of caddies is a luxury we can't find in Singapore. 

It threatened to rain. Actually since morning we heard rolling thunder. 

We have even begun to feel the cold air.

We got experience a Batam drizzle. Unlike back home, it was drops here and there.

It was a fantastic day for golf!

We came across a snake at a par 3 green. The caddies were screaming "Ular! Ular!" I got closer to take a shot as it slithered away. Once, I saw a snake with a frog in its mouth, one struggling to swallow the other struggling to escape. When we got to the green the snake gave up and slithered away while the frog jumped to safety. We saved its life.

There are not many golf courses with more bunkers than Tering Bay.

Tering Bay is a fairly simple course.

Fairways are quite wide and there are not many obstacles.

Occasionally you could get a sea view.

There is a hole where from the tee box to a waterway is 160m. You will need driver shot with a carry distance of at least 200m to get across the hazard. The moment your shot veers it gets into the water. Do or die or be a sissy and lay out. Haha. You can't have a single negative thought in your mind for such a shot. I took out a driver, took a deep breath and bang! Smack right onto the next fairway across the water. I could feel the spring in my steps. At least for the moment.

For certain holes, you certainly have to have course management. 

Think a bit and save embarrassment. Heroes die young. 

After a game and a beer and shower, we were ready. We travelled to Batu Besar for seafood.

It was low tide and I could see people walking so far away perhaps to gather mussels, cockles, etc.

Rezeki. Thanks to the friends who brought us here.

Special thanks to the friend who bought us lunch.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this dish. It is like the ginger chicken with sesame oil that grandma, mum and wife used to cook. It was as good as those I had in Penang too.

This deep-fried garoupa was delicious. The sauce tasted like kechup manis. Yummy.

We had five flower crabs. Flower crabs do not have a lot of me but they are so sweet! Lovely.

We had two more dishes - tofu and kang kong and simple fruits for dessert. Also lots of beer. 

In Batam, you get good golf and good food. Most of all, you get value for money and bang for your bucks. See you again!