OOTY GOLF COURSE
The
Ooty golf course follows the soft contours of downland, with its tonsured effect
of tree-bare heights, ringed with gorse and thickly wooded copses of eucalyptus,
oak, rhododendron and fir in the hollows. The course is surrounded by the thickly
wooded Avalanch Range.
The altitude of 7,600feet, a few degrees above the equator, provides a combination
of light and thin air which is a near intoxicant, and the ball travels much
further than it would in the plains because of the rarefied atmosphere. The
Ooty golf course is not only scenic but also quite trying, and it would be wise
for the visitor to play only nine of the 18 holes on the first day.
Nine of the 18 holes on the Ooty course are blind in that you cannot see the
green from the tee because of the undulating landscape. Guide posts fixed
on the intervening ridges give the player the necessary directions. The most
gruelling hole on this course is the fifth, all uphill and a good 200 feet
higher. But the green is rewarding, with a breathtaking view across the hill
ranges. The most exciting green is undoubtedly the 13th. It's here that the
player could be interrupted by the baying of hounds as he bumps into a fox
hunt in progress. Dating back to 1847, the Ooty hunt has carried on uninterrupted,
and Class I foxhounds and beagles are still bred and trained here.
The Ooty fairways are lush but tight, and the greens are large and well maintained.
A unique feature of the Ooty greens is the fencing that protects them from
the wild animals that occasionally stroll on the course. In fact, a pug mark
or a hoof print is a free lift! Where could anyone play more challenging golf?
Crowning the Nilgiri mountains in the south of India is the town of Ooty,
as Ootacamund is more popularly known. Viewed from Coimbatore (89 km), the
blue mountains, as the Nilgiris literally denote, seem to be permanently enveloped
in blue. This could be brought about by the large number of gum trees that
dot the mountain side, or by the gentle mist, which is so characteristic of
the local weather. Ooty, at an altitude of 2,286 meters, is characterised
by gently undulating downs and neatly planted tea gardens. It was Ooty's Wenlock
Downs that caught the eye of Col. Ross Thompson, who wasted no time in converting
the spectacular area into a golf course, and founded the Ootacamund Gymkhana
Club in 1896. The Wenlock Downs closely resemble the South Downs of Sussex,
complete with yellow flowered prickly gorse bushes.
| Ooty Golf Course Highlights
|
| Year of Foundation : 1896 (incorporated).
Became 'greens' in 1929 a Ross Thompson designed golf course. |
| Altitude : 7,600 feet |
| Open : Round the year |
| No. of Holes : 18 |
| Distance Ladies : 5,125 yards |
| Distance Gentlemen : 6,074 yards
|
| Par : 70 |
| Additional Facilities : Bar &
restaurant, table tennis, card room, billiards. |
| Accommodation : Six huts; annexe
with ten rooms. |
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SHILLONG GOLF COURSE
Close to the Polo Ground is one of the most attractive locales of the town,
the Shillong Golf Club. Golf was introduced to Shillong in 1898 by a group of
British Civil Service officers who initially constructed a nine hole course
at an area called Laban. lt was only after the first world war that Shillong
gained popularity as a golf resort for European golfers from East Bengal and
Calcutta, and in 1924 the present 18 hole course with its picturesque club house
was inaugurated.
The layout of the new course was done by Capt. Jackson and C.K.Rhodes, who
were remarkably successful in preserving the natural beauty of the area while
giving it an excellent layout. The course is set in an undulating valley covered
with thick groves of pine and rhododendron trees. The tight fairways are carpeted
with an indigenous species of lo cal grass which hardens the soil and makes
the course tough to play. The longest hole on the course is the 594 yards,
sixth, which makes it an extremely trying hole, and also one of the longest
in India.
The tight fairways are difficult to negotiate in any case, but the task is
made even more trying by the number of 'out-of-bounds' streams that criss-cross
almost every fairway. Most of the approaches are uphill shots, and even veterans
opt to play safe. The greens are as challenging as the fairways. They are
lightning fast and are invariably trapped by heavy sand bunkers.
The 372 yards, par five, ninth hole is a dog leg, and one of the most picturesque
on the course. The tee off is from a pine grove elevated some 200 feet above
the fairway. The tiger line is onto a steep ridge and to the left of the single
pine tree which demarcates the common eighth and ninth fairway. The second
shot is placed into the elbow of the dog leg which is in a valley, and from
where the green is now visible on a hillock ahead. The third stroke has to
be lofted to gain height as well as negotiate the tight fairway. It requires
a good chip and a lucky putt to get a par on this hole, as the area around
the green is uneven, and the green itself extremely fast. Not only is the
Shillong course scenic and enjoyable, it's also challenging. Obstructions
don't come only in the form of bunkers and trees, but also rain. Shillong
is just 56 km from the wettest place in the world!
| Shillong Golf Course
Highlights |
| Year of Foundation : 1898 |
| Open : Round the year |
| No. of Holes : 18 |
| Distance Ladies : 5,231 yards |
| Distance Gentlemen : 5,873 yards |
| Par : 70 |
| Additional Facilities : Bar &
cafeteria |
| Accommodation : In the City |
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KODAIKANAL GOLF COURSE
Kodaikanal Golf Club came in to existence on June 17, 1895. An 18 hole, par
66 course, it is laid over natural grasslands and is criss-crossed by streams.
Located about 6 kms from the center of town on the road to pillar rocks. Total
length of the course is 6426 yards. An 18 hole, par 66 course, it is laid over
natural grasslands and is criss-crossed by streams. The fun loving British were
the architects of the course; the course and the clubhouse are situated on Golf
links Road connecting the Kochi road, near the famous tourist attraction view
point 'Suicide Point' or 'Green Valley View'. The course with its well furnished
club house recently gave up the 19th hole, for the license was too costly. Some
of the finest greens adorn the course like emeralds; one can play the full 18
holes here. The spread of the course is about 150 acres.
The jungle which runs very close to the course attracts wild animals sometimes.
Wild boars are commonly sighted in herds. Tigers used to be sighted near the
6th hole, and the hole itself is named 'Tiger Hole'. Some of the other holes
are also given very interesting names, depending on the challenges they offer
the golfer. The 4th hole is called the Devil's Dip, for the fairway from the
tee-box to the green is a solid dip, which runs on as far as one's sight can
carry. The 12th hole, due to the strenuousness of the walk and the stroke,
is called the 'Cardiac Hole'. A hard hitters' course, the thirteenth green
is not visible from the tee box. The 15th hole, which has the longest yardage
of 587 yards, needs two good shots to sight the green. The entire course takes
about 3 hours to play all the holes.
At least 50 tournaments are conducted during the year. Palani Hill Open, Veday
Cup, Rudrappan Memorial Cup, Contessa Open and A V Thomas Tournament (introduced
recently), are some of the major tournaments generally held between end April
and the beginning of June. A par rating of 72, the course is a long-hitting
course.
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JAYACHAMARAJA WODIYAR
GOLF COURSE, MYSORE
In 1906 The Late Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar chose the foothills of
the famous Chamundi Hills as the location for the Race and Golf courses. Located
on 110 acres in the premises of the Mysore Race Club. The course was redesigned
in 1996 by Pacific Coast
A brown course, the JCW Golf Course is laid out within the Race Course at
Mysore. The size of the course is one hundred acres. Krishnarajaa Wadiyar,
the Prince of Mysore, started the course and maintained it until he lost his
privy purse. With a par rating of 63 when it was started, it is 70 today.
The course is out of bounds during the racing season in Mysore.
The two major tournaments conducted here are Maharaja's Tournament and Addicts
Golfing Society of Southern India.
| Mysore Golf Course
Highlights |
| Year of Foundation : 1906, redesigned
in 1996 by Pacific Coast Design Company of Australia |
| Open : Round the year; best season
(July-October) |
| No. of Holes : 18 |
| Lenght : 5920 yards |
| Distance Gentlemen : 5,873 yards |
| Par : 70 |
| Accommodation : In the City |
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