Fourteen years ago, while ostensibly in retirement, Brian Bowley of Perth started a business on a whim, selling hotel and golf packages in Bali.

Today his company Easy Golf Bali is the largest inbound golf tour operator on the island, booking up to 5000 rounds of golf every year.

I had a chat with Brian while he was awaiting a flight to Bali from Perth Airport and asked him what the deal was with golf holidays in Bali.

DAVE: Bali isn’t really known as a golfing destination, is it?

BRIAN: Golf holidays in South-East Asia have always been focused on Thailand, and Vietnam has become very popular too. But Bali has three great 18-hole golf courses and because it’s so close to Perth, you can see the attraction.

Most golf clubs in Australia have a group of guys who go on at least one trip each year, either to another state or abroad. We get groups of four to 30 guys — there’s real camaraderie among them — and we’ve done a few trips for groups of women from Sydney and Perth.

Tell me about the golf courses in Bali?

There’s Bukit Pandawa 40 minutes south of the airport on the Bukit Peninsula. It’s an executive par-three course. To some golfers, par three conjured up the perception of ‘pigeon putting’ — but this course is so far away from that it is not funny. We’ve had many low-handicap golfers play there and say ‘let’s play again’. Bukit Pandawa is like a flash American golf course, with a country club, big swimming pool and an exclusive community with luxury villas.

Then there’s the Handara Golf Resort up in the mountains in Bedugul. It’s a lot cooler up there, and the drive up there, which is more than two hours, is stunning. The course was built inside the crater of a dormant volcano: some of the best scenery you will ever see. They’ve recently got an injection of funding and upgraded the facilities with luxury cottages and a new restaurant. We recommend an overnight stay there with two rounds of golf.

But my favourite has to be New Kuta, which is also on the Bukit, but right on the cliffs, so some of the holes look right onto the ocean. Everyone who we take there is blown away by the views.

Because it’s Bali, I’m guessing golf is cheaper than it is in Australia?

No, it’s the other way around. In Perth you can pay $40 to $100 for a round of golf. In Bali you’re looking at an average of about $185. But that includes a buggy and a caddie. And in the back of the buggies are an esky with cold water, fruit juices and Bintang beers.

I heard all the caddies in Bali are women. Is that true?

Most are women, but at Handara they have male caddies. The thing is, 99 percent of golfers in Australia have never played with a caddie, so it’s a completely different experience. The caddies in Bali are very well-trained and many of them are good golfers themselves so they can advise you on distances and what club to use. They’re really nice young people, really good fun and they add to the experience. The more fun you have, the bigger their tips.

What time of the year is the best time to play golf in Bali?

Generally during the dry season from May through to October, though nowadays the rain is hard to predict. It’s now May and last week it poured in Bali. But even when it rains, the courses dry quickly. It’s also a little less hot during the dry season, and if you’re not used to the humidity, it can get to you during the rainy season.

Should I take my own golf clubs?

Depends on how serious a golfer you are, though we have 50 sets of premium clubs that we hire to our customers. If you do bring your own clubs to Bali, the airlines will slug you another $50 because golf clubs count as separate items. And when you land in Bali, golf clubs don’t come out on the conveyor with everything else.

They end up in the oversized luggage counter on the other side of the hall, which nobody tells you about, and as for how long it takes to get them, well, you’re at the mercy of Indonesian efficiency. That’s one of the reasons people book with us. We take all the guesswork out and book everything for you