Sri Lankan Airlines Golf Classic Coverage

Sri Lankan Golf Classic, Victoria, Kandy – 27th, 28th Oct 2006.

Imagine my extreme pleasure and surprise when I received a phone call absolutely out of the blue from Mr Hari Achanta of Golfline Magazine, apologizing for the short notice and asking me most tentatively if I would be interested in visiting Sri Lanka to play some golf on an all expense paid basis!

I mean, hey, who in his right mind would grumble at a Business Class ticket on Srilankan, First Class Hotels everywhere, a Private Chauffeur driven Car completely at my disposal and loads of Golf thrown in at some of the most scenic golf courses in the South Asian Region – all of this completely on the house! Wow!

Completely sponsored by Srilankan Airlines, this was truly a brilliant opportunity for an enthusiastic golfer, traveller and hobbyist writer like me! Whoopee, I said, grinning to myself from ear to ear and with some difficulty, desisted from doing handsprings on the roadside! At once I asked permission from the office too, which happy to say, I was given, by the kindness and large-hearted-ness of my bosses at Madura Garments where I work!

Well, I experienced at first hand the gentle hospitality of these soft-spoken, kind hearted and immensely charming islanders as soon as I hopped onto the Srilankan Airlines flight from Bangalore on 24th October, right from the first gentle “Ayubowan” (meaning welcome), onwards. Lugging my trusty golf clubs, many boxes of golf balls, tees, assorted clothing, shoes and golfing paraphernalia, I was thoroughly pleased to be going. It would be rather remiss of me if I didn’t at this point, mention the kindness of the Sri Lankan Airlines team, especially Mr Chandana De Silva, Mr Lalit Fernando and Mr Niroshan Ranawake in enabling so many varied and enjoyable experiences for me in a thoroughly enjoyable manner, during my 5-day sojourn there.

This superbly extravagant annual effort by Sri Lankan Airlines on their Golf Classic Tour teed off on the 25th and holed out on the 28th of October 2006. An experience par excellence, if I may say so, which enabled more than 200 odd Golf enthusiasts from points of origin as far and wide as the UK, US, Scotland, Hong Kong, Japan, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Kuwait, China, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka, to meet in the true spirit of fellowship and play the game we all love so well amidst some truly beautiful and sylvan surroundings!

27th & 28th October - Victoria Golf and Country Resort – Digana, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

The Srilankan Airlines Golf Classic, played in the Stable ford format, took place in the Victoria Golf and Country Resort is located in Rajawella, Digana in Kandy, the little hill Kingdom in Sri Lanka, a lower elevation hilly area where a massive hydel project was begun some years back with the Victoria Dam and Reservoir.

The tournament was played over two consecutive days 27th and 28th Oct with some absolutely extravagant prizes from Srilankan being up for grabs. Tickets between any two destinations on Business Class and some really elegant trophies as well! Special prizes for the longest drive and of course “closest to pin” and a Senior’s trophy also were presented.

The Golf course per se was designed by the renowned Golf Course Architect, Donald Steel in 1997 and I do believe that he had his task cut out, working through mist clad mountains, brilliant natural rock formations and some equally interesting wildlife!

Opened in 1999, this Par 73, 6945 yard golf course is a masterpiece of landscaping, built and maintained to USGA standards and rated in the Top 100 Most beautiful courses in the world by Golf Digest and Asian Golf Monthly – with very good reason I may say, since I was simply overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and contrasting landscape. The most arresting point is that it is blessed with towering mountains as well as brilliant views of Water all along the course.

The golf resort has some lovely cottages in the typical Swiss chalet style and even offers other sports like trekking and equestrian sports since this is also the home of the Victoria Equestrian Stables. The clubhouse is a functional and smart one, smart and clean in terms of architecture and with the functionality and facilities required by the new-age luxury-seeking golfer.

Very ably managed by Mike Varney, a giant of an Anglo Saxon who is also a Tiger of a Golfer and a British PGA Professional, the maintenance of this place is simply fantastic. High quality shrieks at you from every aspect, right from the Driving Range offering beautiful views of the Reservoir, to the staff who are extremely pleasant, friendly and knowledgeable and the brilliantly maintained fairways and greens.

Thus, on 27th and 28th October I was able to play a round here along with the tournament, something which was kindly arranged for me as a very late comer by some kind gentlemen and now friends of mine, Mr Jehan Kumara, Mr Raju Chandiram, Mr Chandana De Silva and of course Mike Varney himself.

Nuwan, my small built caddy and I set off to make our way around this masterpiece of natural beauty combined with man made perfection. I played along with Mr Alan Sheppard, a fine gentleman of middle years and a young tiger-cub of a Golfer, Roshan De Silva who normally plays at the Royal Colombo.

The 1st Tee from behind the clubhouse required me to clobber my driver well into the middle so as to negotiate the right dogleg to the green. This Par 4 – 403 yards can be done with the Driver and Rescue / Long Iron. Beautiful putting surfaces and undulating greens do definitely require a lot of skill to keep the score low.

The Par 4 – 384 yard 3rd hole is a beautiful dogleg left where if one is a brave man, one may choose to clunk the ball well over the rise on the left, causing a short approach and definitely one less shot to reach the green in regulation. Woe betide you though if you don’t carry the rise and end up in the evil buffalo grass roughs that abound here. A tamarind tree to the right guards the green and one needs to be pretty accurate to get there placed well.

My favourite hole – the wickedly pretty Par 3, 116 yard 4th is called the “Terror” because it has a pocket hanky sized undulating green usually attacked by a 9 or Pitching Wedge. If you go right you will go straight into hell signified by deep devilish rough and of course the sharp drop direct into Victoria Lake! I was happy both times I played here to make par on this hole. (Largely I suspect because I had paid homage to the Water Gods prior to arriving here!) One simply must pause here, please, to take in the breathtaking views all around of the Victoria Reservoir and of course the surrounding mountains. Paradise regained, a la the late John Milton! Believe me, I cannot even begin to describe the beauty of this place!

Climb up to the 5th tee – and you need to decide whether you want to go left or right or centre of the knoll or mound in the centre of the fairway. Long hitters can get there, but be humble, gentlemen, is my sincere suggestion! This 314-yard Par 4 looks deceptively easy! Incidentally here I was almost snuffed out rather permanently by a ball hit by the chap in the group behind us who decided to drive off the tee with his driver just as our group was putting on the green. Ian Tait, the BPGA Tournament Official, a crusty Marlboro smoking Scotsman, had rather a lot to say about this to that poor gent, Steve Munro. Personally I take my hat off to Steve’s distance combined with accuracy.

The 6th Tee is also a deliciously high one, very tempting to pull out the “big dog” –with the fairway lying well below – maybe 100 odd feet below going into a nice long 473 yard Par 4 where your fate will be determined by your Tee shot and very little else. Very tough, as I found out to my cost!
The 7th is a pretty 182-yard par 3, which is rather straightforward despite a split-level green. Smartly attacked with a 4 iron, one should putt in to make par unless of course one is struck by ill luck.

One must simply take a break after the 7th since there is an excellently appointed golf hut with some seriously great snacks like hot dogs, puff pastries and practically any kind of soft drink. Lovely staff – so very solicitous for one’s comfort!

Move through to the 422 yard- Par 4, 8th where one simply tees up and clobbers the little white sphere – man, if you find the fairway centre you only need to launch the ball again over the two guarding Mara trees with your rescue or 5 wood to be on in regulation and make par. Not that I did, to be honest, but that was entirely due to the buffalo grass roughs and then getting trapped by the Mara trees – perhaps I didn’t pay sufficient homage to the Tree Gods and the Gods of the Buffalo Grass Roughs, because the combination of these were my complete undoing!

The 9th is a monster – Par 5 520 Yard hole. I was forced to scratch because of a wayward tee shot which caused me to enter the buffalo grass rather deeply and then of course, short of using a bulldozer or some other state-of-the-art earthmoving equipment, there was no way to get out! All it needs is accuracy, but then as we all know, this is easier said than done!

Pressing on then, to the back nine after a quick Banana and Water break to keep the energy reserves up and to bolster one’s rapidly weakening resolve to conquer the rest of the course!

Attack the 357 Yard Par 4 10th with either a Driver or a 3 wood if you tend to slice or hook, because it is important to be amongst the Jack Trees on the fairways so as to be on in regulation. True to my form that day, I promptly took a couple of practice swings and then simply let fly with my rescue, wishing to be humble. Humility doesn’t work, accuracy does, because as I found out to my cost, I was in the death–guff once again! Wincing and steeling myself again I ended up making a triple on the 10th!

The long 534 yard-Par 5 11th is pretty straightforward hole if one is careful. Playing down from the tee over the undulating fairway, one goes up an incline to the guarded green. Working one’s way through the Jack trees, one generally can make bogey at the very least.

Number 12 is another brilliant 210 yard Par 3 played off a high tee. Don’t try stunts with anything but your long irons guys because there is a wicked drop to the left, which will cause you to abandon all hope if you land there. It is far more sensible to whack short of green, chip up and putt in for Par. Tra la la. What fun!

The Par 4 – 430 yard 13th hole invites you to drive downhill with the big dog but preferably one must send a mid iron across on the second shot, flying the ball just high enough to plop on the green. (I did this nice sounding plop on the green bit in 5, to make triple bogey because as seemed to be the order of the day, I was battling the long, knee high buffalo grass yet again!)

The signature hole of Victoria Golf Club is supposedly the Par 4-393 yard 14th! However, the 4th hole, simply because of its beauty and terror closely juxtaposed, is a strong contender for the title of Signature hole. It shall, at least for me, remain the real signature hole on this course! At the 14th, a narrow coconut tree lined valley invites one to do a serious bit of thunking, but the wicked little natural rock formation to the left before the dogleg ends all hopes! Doglegging left to get to the green one lands up trying to skitter the ball on the green from behind the majestic Mara tree right there. Disaster man! I made a triple! Horrendous!

The 15th which is a 553 yard Par 5 is a brilliant hole offering rather gorgeous low land views of the Reservoir with its surrounding necklace of misty mountains and a portion of the extreme edge of the Driving range as well can be seen from the tee. Ideally one plays to the left onto the fairway, freeing one up to go over the sharp wadi (a natural water course which allows rain water run off to drain direct into the reservoir but remember, the fabled buffalo grass abounds both left and right of fairway. Move sharp right onto the fairway past the dividing watercourse and then you can be on the green in three if you're a bit of a Wolf! Or as someone else in he group behind us did, one can get rather beautifully tangled up in the coconut palms on the right and left. Sheer fun this challenge!

Hole 16 – we reached huffing and puffing since this is a long course, which requires a decent level of physical fitness in order to be enjoyed. Shallow green Par 3 – 195 yards. Deceptive. Watch the bunker on the left boys, please! Somewhat similar to the 8th hole at Coorg Golf Links in Coorg though that is a Par 4.

The 17th – 441 yard par 4, is a super-brill downhill drive through the coconut palms but be cautious of the chaos on the left side and right side of this exhilarating hole since the dear old buffalo grass lurks here too, apart from some completely wicked bunkers, just waiting to catch the poor lost souls of golf like me unawares. Death by Grass it seems – like my Death by Water experience in Thailand! Terrible score, which I wont even reveal, lest I lose my coveted position as the Founder President of the Duffers Golf Club!

The 18th and ultimate hole of the dear old Victoria is a long 545-yard Par 5. Huff Puff Huff Puff I went, since I had walked through in slightly sultry conditions and covered a distance of nearly 6500 yards by then over undulating terrain! A clear valley beckons and tempts you like the Sirens in the old Greek Myth who tempted Ulysses, to pull your driver out, set up and try to hit the cover off the ball. A good drive (not my drive) should land you on fairway centre and then cause you to play up the valley onto the pretty clubhouse green with its collar of coconut palms around the bowl in which it is set. I think I had a disagreeable 8 on this hole because of the death guff again, but it was without a doubt an exhilarating experience, purely on account of the sheer natural beauty of the place, one’s close communion over several hours, with nature and the sheer enjoyment of the game of golf.

I will tell you one thing and clearly. It has certainly motivated me to go right back and play this course all over again and soon, if I can manage that!

28th October - The After Party – Mahaweli Reach Resort, Kandy.
Of course after these strenuous few days of driving across Sri Lanka’s pretty countryside and more often than not, crowded and broken roads, and playing several taxing though enjoyable rounds of golf, nothing could possibly have been more welcome to us weary souls than the superbly organized prize distribution party hosted by Srilankan Airlines at the Mahaweli Resort in Kandy.

The winners of the tournament were suitably felicitated with the usual speeches and glowing tributes made to their skill, sportsmanship and competitive spirit, all in the great spirit of bonhomie unique to the Sri Lankan people!

The winners according to the main levels of competition were:
Prize
Golfer
Best Score for the Day
Ian Tait (Sco)
Longest Drive (Ladies)
Pat Rodgers (UK)
Longest Drive (Men’s)
Alain Gyi (Fra)
Nearest to Pin (Ladies)
Pat Rodgers (UK)
Nearest to Pin (Men’s)
Romesh Abeyratne (SL)
Senior Division Trophy (Ladies)
Ling Joon Too (Chn)
Senior Division Trophy (Men’s)
Rohan Athuraliya (SL)
Best Aggregate Nett Stable ford Score (Ladies)
Lin Joon Too (Chn)
Best Aggregate Nett Stable ford Score (Men’s)
San Gunaratne (SL)
Best Aggregate Gross Stable ford Score (Ladies)
Suwen Selvaratnam (SL)
Best Aggregate Gross Stable ford Score (Men’s)
Khun Monkol Varee (Tha)
Overall Winner (Ladies)
Suwen Selvaratnam (SL)
Overall Winner (Men’s)
Khun Monkol Varee (Tha)

The typical generosity and large heartedness of the people of our little neighbouring island nation was more than evident in the catchy music, the easy living lifestyle, the flowing rivers of the rather excellent bacchanalian kind straight from the establishments of the Chivas brothers, Scotland, the tottering mountains of superbly crafted dishes of exotic meats and fish, the unobtrusive and caring service of the waiters and sous-chefs manning the food counters………… I can go on and on and on, but sadly I have a clear and finite number of pages, which I am allowed, by the kindness of ‘mon patron’, Hari!

A superb setting and a whole evening of fun, laughter, drinks, much dancing and great food gave this rather excellent annual event a fitting finale. Well-done Srilankan! “Bohama Stuthi” as they say in the soft sounding Sinhala language– Thank you most kindly for a very well organized, extremely enjoyable, brilliant golfing and cultural experience.