MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia (AP) -- The caddies have fled. A pair of cleaning ladies squat beneath the shade of a tree close to the 18th hole. The club's manager sits and smokes, knowing he is in for a quiet couple of weeks.
When dormant, the volcano that gives Golf Merapi club its name is its biggest draw.
Golfers from around the world come for the unique experience of playing on the flanks of a still-active volcano, the crater of which is just five miles from the course. But when the mountain is erupting, it stops play like nothing else.
"I tell people, it is probably safer to stay at home," said manager Sukirman, as the 9,800-foot peak belched out massive clouds of ash and sent searing hot gas clouds rolling down its slopes on Monday.
The club, which is situated just outside the peak's mandatory evacuation zone, is not the only business that is suffering because of Merapi's wrath, which scientists say could last for several weeks.
Scores of guesthouses popular with adventure tourists are now off limits, as are camp sites and restaurants catering for day trippers from Yogyakarta, the nearest city to the volcano. The peak sputtered into life several weeks ago and activity has steadily increased.
On Saturday, officials hiked its alert status to the highest level, and more than 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
Many are staying in temporary shelters close to Merapi Golf. Sukirman said the caddies that ply the 6,969-yard, par-72 course ran home when a particularly large eruption shook the mountain on Monday. The club closed its gates, and most ofits 250 staff were told not to come to work.
"This is the risk of putting a club here," said Sukirman, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name. "When there is an eruption, it can make the future look pretty unclear."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
