Ria Bintan Golf Club Celebrates 21 Years with Festivity and Fun

Bintan Island (Indonesia) – October 28, 2019 (travelindex.com) – 2019 marks the 21st anniversary of Ria Bintan Golf Club, Bintan, Indonesia, and this past weekend, the Club and its management, staff, members and guests celebrated the milestone year with a mega two day golf carnival event that included two rounds of golf, carnival games, food, entertainment and countless prizes up for grabs.

Mr Goh York Lin, President, Keppel Land Indonesia said: “We are very pleased for Ria Bintan to have reached this 21st year. Gary Player designed us an award-winning golf course that has hosted many delighted golfers and successful events. To this day, golfers continue to regale about our spectacular Ocean Holes 7 and 8, the renowned Par 3 Hole 9, and the picturesque Hole 10 along a pristine stretch of beach and ocean.” 

“Ria Bintan was faithfully constructed to the highest of standards and brought to bear by the team of dedicated leaders and colleagues of Keppel Land and Ria Bintan. We are proud that Ria Bintan has withstood the test of time and remains one of the best courses in Indonesia and Asia, challenging golfers each day. It continues to receive accolades and awards from industry stakeholders, golf media and golfers, and we hope to continue to improve,” he continued. 

Over the weekend, some 108 golfers, members and partners of Ria Bintan came together to participate in the festivities. Saturday 19 October began with participants in their ‘Yours Deerly’ Best Dressed Contest outfits, taking to assigned tee-boxes for a shot-gun start on the very unique Ria Bintan Par 3 Challenge – a total of 21 holes of Par 3 to be played by each golfer in the field, with a chance to win 21 Hole-in-One prizes of S$ 1,000.00 per hole. They also had a new Challenge the Deer contest at Hole 2 Ocean course. 

There were no Hole-in-One winners but there were 21 Nearest Pin winners, one for each hole!  Harold Langley Poole, Tan Yue Boon Gerry, Shelley Barrett and Kim Chaeah were declared the Best Dressed men and women in the day’s costume contest. 

Top 3 winners of the Par 3 Challenge are 1st Allisa Jill Barrett, 2nd Lo Yong Poo and 3rd Jackie Teo.  Saturday evening brought on the festivities in full swing! A BBQ spread was laid out, and a night of Carnival Games ensued where teams of golfers pitted golf skills against each other for team prizes, and the top five team winners were (from 5th to 1st) Flights 3, 18A, 17, 6B and 16B. 

There was also musical entertainment and merriment with a band and dancing. Guests got to enjoy a two-minute fireworks display which lit up the night sky and a huge birthday cake in honour of the club!  Bright and early Sunday morning saw the shot-gun tee-off of the golfers for the 18-hole tournament on a System 36 Stroke Play format. 

All golfers sat down to a lovely buffet lunch and prize presentation of golf as well as lucky draw prizes before setting off home on the ferry. 

Day 2 18-Hole Tournament Results: 

MEMBERS DIVISION Members’ Men Best Nett Second Place and Winner are John Barrett (Hcp 17, Nett score 72) and James Allen Tobojka (Hcp 14, Nett score 71) respectively. Members’ Ladies Best Nett Second Place and Winner are Yoong Poh Li (Hcp 32, Nett score 76) and Shelley Barrett (Hcp 28, Nett score 76) respectively. 

MEN DIVISION Men’s Division B (Hcp 16 – 36): Best Nett Second Place and Winner are Yaw Kam Meng (Hcp 16, Nett score 71) and Yuen Sai Leong (Hcp 21, Nett score 70) respectively. Men’s Division A (Hcp 1 to 15): Best Nett Second Place and Winner are Jackie Teo (Hcp 5, Nett score 70) and Olivier Alain Joseph Dhonte (Hcp 10, Nett score 69) 

LADIES DIVISION Ladies Division Best Second Place & Best Nett Winner are Wynnie Hajasi Sim (Hcp 14, Nett score 73) and Alissa Jill Barrett (Hcp 7, Nett score 72) 

OVERALL CHAMPION Best Gross – Overall Champion is Jackie Teo (Gross Score of 75) 

General Manager of Ria Bintan Golf Club, Mr John Yap said: “The event was a tremendous success with such a great field and turn-out. The course is also in terrific condition and added to the enjoyment of the field. We want to thank all our members, guests and partners for coming out to support us. Your kindness and generosity to Ria Bintan through the years is deeply appreciated and never forgotten. We hope everyone had a grand time, and here’s to more great golf! Happy 21st Birthday Ria Bintan! Big thanks to our wonderful staff for putting up a successful event.” 

About Ria Bintan Golf Club:
Spectacular and stunning, Ria Bintan Golf Club’s Certified Audubon International Classic and Cooperative Sanctuary Ocean and Forest courses designed by golf legend, Gary Player, are a prized jewel among golfers. 

Located near the northern coast of Bintan Island with breath-taking views of the South China Sea, the award-winning 18-hole Ocean Course and 9-hole Forest Course, offer a game comparable to none. Guests may also enjoy facilities including a driving range, spa, pro shop and an alfresco restaurant after a round of golf. 

Ria Bintan Golf Club has been consistently named the best golf course in Asia and Indonesia by Asian Golf Awards and has played host to numerous regional events, including the annual Ria Bintan Golf Challenge and recent Ria Bintan Golf Carnival. 

Celebrating 21 Years – The Ria Bintan Story
Situated off the coast of northern Bintan not far from the Bintan Ferry Terminal, was a piece of virgin tropical rainforest land. At a time when Bintan island was being developed into a resort playground to be readily accessed by Singapore and neighboring lands, Mr. Gary Player, one of the three most respected and loved living legends of the golf game, was asked to design a golf course for Keppel Land Singapore. 

With his amazing vision and keen golfer’s eye, Mr. Player carved out from the land the award-winning and much loved Ria Bintan Golf Club that we know today. Mr. Player and his team took some three years to complete the first 18 holes of the course, which opened in 1998. 

The Golf Course and Club Facilities
The Ocean Course of 18 holes plays to a total of 6,470 meters from the Black Tees and was opened in 1998. The Forest 9-hole Course plays to 2,987 meters from the Black Tees and opened in 2000. 

Ria Bintan is challenging and engaging for seasoned golfers at any stage of their golf play, yet enjoyable and fun even for the new golfer. The brilliance of Mr. Player is best appreciated by the Red, White, Blue and Black Tees. He also utilized to maximum effect the natural beauty, landscape, and lie of the land of Ria Bintan. 

Other facilities available to golfers include a driving range, practice green and chipping facility for practice and warming up. There is also a Pro Shop stocked with apparel and accessories, great for souvenirs to take home. 

Asmara Day Spa is at hand to tend to tired golf muscles – choose from a range of treatments and therapies. 

Hungry golfers can adjourn to Tee Off Restaurant, with a stunning view of the course. Enjoy a wide choice of Indonesian, Asian and International favorites. 

Should meeting venues be part of your trip, Ria Bintan has meeting rooms that can be set-up for smaller meetings and medium-sized meetings or events for up to 60 persons. 

Golf tournaments, corporate getaways, wellness retreats, golf clinics, and camps – Team Ria Bintan is at hand to ensure success, just call on Team RB to make your requirements known. 

For a complete stay and play getaway for personal pleasure or corporate retreat, the Ria Bintan Golf Lodge with a total of 31 rooms is conveniently located on the upper level of the Club House. The Lodge features a combination of Par, Birdie, Eagle and Albatross rooms of various sizes and configurations that come complete with ensuite bathrooms, air-conditioning, in-room amenities, and housekeeping service. 

A Natural Wildlife Sanctuary, An Enchanted Forest
Famed for its beautiful, natural setting and oneness with its environment, Ria Bintan is blessed with wondrous landscape and natural attributes. It is also the very first golf club in Indonesia to receive Audubon Certification for Classic Sanctuary and continues to be certified to-date. 

Golfers and members can attest that Ria Bintan has a wide range of wildlife on its grounds including inquisitive macaques, lazy monitor lizards, elegant deer, beautiful bird species, and lush and varied flora and fauna. So when golfing at Ria Bintan, one is truly golfing in an enchanted forest. 

Ria Bintan Benefits Exclusively Yours – with Elite Golf Plan Membership
Earlier in 2019, Ria Bintan relaunched a new term membership program for golfers to sign up as members. The attractive membership package includes many benefits and exclusive member-only services, including unlimited green fees year-round, complimentary Ria Bintan Golf Lodge vouchers, VIP Lounge Access and handling, personalised membership card, participating partner vouchers, Dining and Spa vouchers, and Ria Bintan golf gifts, not to mention a complimentary Callaway or Srixon Golf Set. 

Other exclusive Member-only benefits include EGP golf buggies for members to ride single in the buggy with caddy; 20% to 46% discounts off Dining, Pro Shop, Spa and Lodge Rooms; regular RiaElite Members’ Newsletter with news on EGP Member Events, Golf Medals and golf trips; golf club affiliation access around Asia; discounts off Ria Bintan golf and Lodge rooms and more! 

Proud Accolades Through The Years
Ria Bintan Golf Club has been riding the crest of being consistently voted and awarded Best Golf Course in Indonesia/Asia since two years after opening, including Asian Golf Awards Best Golf Course 2000 to 2008, Asian Golf Awards Best Golf Course in Indonesia 2000 to 2017, Ali Golf Network Asia Top 10 Golf Course 2014, Certified Audubon Classic Sanctuary 2009 to 2019, Golf Travel Magazine’s Top 100 Golf Courses in Asia 2019, TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2014 to 2019, TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame 2019 and more.