Mercara Downs Golf Club, North Coorg – A Hidden Jewel.
Recently, on the red-letter day of our first wedding anniversary, my wife and I decided to take a quick week-end break by way of a little plantation holiday amidst the sylvan surroundings of Coorg. A very good friend/ schoolmate and now golf-bud of mine, who was at a loose-end that weekend, decided to join us, since of course I had also planned the added pleasure of some hill-country golf, at my home club; Mercara Downs Golf Club, which is located within easy driving distance of where we were staying.
Loading our golf bags and other paraphernalia into our brand new jeep (our anniversary present to ourselves!!), a couple of phone calls to make the necessary arrangements at the club; and there we were, on our way, roaring off in a cloud of turbo-charged dust and gravel! Arriving at our destination a scant four hours later, after an enjoyable drive, we felt that we had sufficiently proven to ourselves, the superb mile-munching abilities of the new Scorp.
Cheerfully steering the dear wife and her golf bag off to the pleasant club-house and consigning her to the tender mercies of the local caddies, for some chipping and putting practice, my friends and I teed off onto the wide, undulating fairways of MDGC.
Mercara Downs Golf Club was established by British Planters in the late 1800’s, making it a very serious contender for the distinction of being amongst the oldest golf courses on the Indian sub-continent. However, most unfortunately, all the original papers and articles of the club have somehow gotten lost or misplaced in the miasmic mists of time.
Located about 6 km from “Madikeri” or “Mercara”, the capital of Kodagu (Coorg) District, amidst 70 or 80 odd acres of swelling, rolling landscape and beautiful scenery, this is one of the lovely natural “parkland” golf courses in India, a living, breathing example of the setting in which the game was played by the home-sick planters of the early years. The course is clearly of “Mother Nature’s Design”, rather like the way The Royal & Ancient is said to be!
The Brits must have felt very much at home in these surroundings; The rolling “downs” are reminiscent of their own “Sussex Downs”, the weather varying from temperate and pleasant to sometimes chilly, clean, fresh air, lush vegetation, the quick build-up of thunderclouds disgorging large drops of rain; all these must have added considerably to their impression, topped off by the pleasant distraction of the pale grey mist rolling down the lush coffee and jungle clad slopes of the hills encircling the area. The club-house itself is relatively new and its position has been picked not for commanding views and imposing presence, but rather, for coziness and warmth, nestling as it does, in a little hollow amidst the undulating landscape.
MDGC is a full sized 18 hole golf course of 5194 yards, offering an interesting as well as testing experience for golfers of differing types and abilities. One of the unique points of this course was its 18 “Browns”, not greens, as we know them, which require to be played with great caution, fine tuning one’s game to meet the challenge. However, in the recent past, nine of these browns have been converted into greens, with the foundations having been laid for five more, which are coming up in the near future. All the “Browns” on this golf course will be converted to greens within the year 2008.
While the purists and others amongst us may jib at these changes and perhaps state in a mealy-mouthed manner that the “purity of the turf” etc is at stake, I for one, (as a golfer, writer and indeed, member of this club), whole-heartedly welcome the positive impact these changes will have!
Of course, all this costs very considerable sums of “Vitamin M”, but that hurdle has been overcome with the excellent efforts of the Captain of the Club, Mr. M.A. Bopanna and the Club Secretary, Mr. K. P. Ranjith, who, along with several of the club’s more active members, have secured a grant from the State Tourism Ministry, to develop and maintain the course, for the promotion of Tourism.
The fairways of MDGC are of the coarse local stubby grass which is “maintained” in a sense by some local four legged’s munching away at it, thereby causing little tufty outcrops to form all over the course. The earlier cattle nuisance has largely been contained now, so the grass is getting a chance to grow and renew itself.
The new greens have been carefully crafted using the special grasses generously donated by the KGA and imported from Bangalore. Since the greens are newly constructed, they require some little time to establish themselves and I am sure that they will “clutch and hold” the ball once they settle down a bit.
It is incidental that some of the greens have a distinct “Army Golf Course” feel to them, rising in a slight slope off the fairways, with small-ish aprons and deep-bunded collars falling away on the far side. When we visited, it was the time of the first few cuts, but given the kind of effort the green keepers there are putting in, I may safely say that this course will truly be a pleasure to play after the impending monsoons!
Of particular importance is the mammoth task of irrigating the fairways, which the club has already embarked upon - laying gravity tank fed pipelines with sprinklers mounted at regular intervals, to ensure that the quality of year- round growth remains unhindered by lack of rainfall.
MDGC does not abound in the thick golfing roughs, lurking buffalo grass, gorse bushes, thorns, inconveniently placed bushes, water bodies, trees whose branches almost reach out to grab the ball and all the other wicked hazards that we amateur golfers are exceedingly familiar with, but don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security because, believe me, if one were to be guilty of a mis-hit, one would most certainly have to pay a heavy price by way of strokes, since the ball rolls a great deal on the Downs, covering a good distance in a surprisingly short space of time!
There are some interesting local rules here (which were probably more attuned to play on the “browns”) but one assumes that these rules will undergo a series of amendments and modifications, since they have to adapt to the changing nature of the course itself, with the advent of the “greens”.
However, since at MDGC they do encounter some amount of damage and interference from some of the more recalcitrant members of the animal kingdom, notably Wild Boars and Pigs, I am reasonably sure that local rule (b) at least will remain; i.e.; one gets a free pick through the green if the ball lies within fresh pig diggings/ cow dung and footpaths/tracks only in the fairway!
Almost all of the holes on this course are of open aspect with wide sweeping vistas of fairway which fill the eye, coupled with some superb views of the collar of lush green hills surrounding the course. My own particular favourite though, is the 7th, which is the real “Signature Hole” at Mercara Downs and which is indeed, somewhat reminiscent of the 7th hole at the Ooty Gymkhana Club.
Walking downhill from the 6th green, one is awe-struck by the sheer beauty of this hole. Step onto the 7th tee and unfolding before one, is a sharp 45 degree drop, with a water body below, around 100 yards away, with the ground sloping very steeply above and behind the tank towards the green located 180 yards away. Normally met with a well struck 4 iron, rescue or in some cases a 5 wood, in case of a miss, one may as well concede the hole. This is because a water trap lies lurking there to swallow the ball, or the lovely lush expanse of thick jungle on either side of the narrow fairway, will put paid completely, to any chances of recovery, however slender, that one may have! And I am sure that if one were to mis-hit here, regardless how much of a nature lover one may be, all thoughts of admiration for the jungle will swiftly turn to deep dislike and one will shuffle along thinking somewhat unkind thoughts of it!
Another interesting thing is that both the front nine and the back nine end with Par 3 Holes, the ninth being about 129 yards long and the 18th about 149 yards long. This is a little experience that I haven’t personally come across before.
The day we played, we were forced, rather reluctantly, to choke off play after the 14th, because the rain was threatening to come down in buckets! More than the rain, with the entire area being of open aspect, with relatively few tall trees, there is a possibility of being struck by lightning, if playing in the midst of a thunder storm, since there are few other targets for lightning to hit.
Now while along with my friends, even I may subscribe to the belief that “even God can’t hit a One Iron”, we still preferred prudence, exercising discretion over valour and made for the clubhouse and a welcome cup of tea! (The haste also occasioned perhaps, because none of us actually had a “One Iron” in our bags!)
Mercara Downs Golf Club welcomes golfing visitors all year round and indeed, the guests at the nearby Club Mahindra Resort in Madikeri, will find it a breeze to visit the club and enjoy a round there. It would be sensible though, to make arrangements with the Secretary, reasonably in advance, for caddies and other accoutrements, or at least inform the club through the hotel/ resort management where one has booked to stay.
Probably the best time to play this course would be in the post monsoon season when the heavy rains have come and gone, but as mentioned earlier, with all the arrangements being made there and all the huge efforts going in to improve the facilities and services, I am very sure that this “Hidden Jewel” of a club will soon be on the map as a great year-round golfing destination, located within a Good Drive, (Pun most certainly intended!) of towns like Mysore and Bangalore!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Sustainability by Design - Glimpses into Howard Swan's re-design of the KGA, Bangalore
“Sustainability by Design”
Glimpses into Howard Swan’s re-design of the KGA.
Meeting Howard Swan, a dapper gentleman of middle years, one is immediately aware of the energy, strength of purpose, candour and commitment, combined with the essential humility that surrounds the man. Spending an evening in his company proved to be an eye-opener for me and it was interesting to get a glimpse into the immense efforts which are going into giving us a “new-improved KGA”.
Swan Golf Designs was established in 1987 following Howard Swan’s 16 years of work in the field of international golf course design, architecture and construction. Indeed, his pedigree is impeccable - he is a second generation golf course designer-architect, since his father engineered and constructed almost all the courses visualized and designed by Henry Cotton, the great golfer of yester-years. Apart from his work at the KGA, his first in India, (with a few more to come), Howard is involved in golf course design-architecture-construction across the globe, from China, through Dar-es-Salaam, Russia, Slovenia, Portugal, the UK and Brazil.
“The Challenge must be to do as little as one needs, to create the golf course which is couched in nature itself” – Swan Designs motto and mission statement is indeed a commendable one, in these modern days of “high roller developers” and “instant gratification” where the indiscriminate use of heavy-duty machinery in golf course design, with little or no care for the surroundings and often fragile eco-systems, is the order of the day! Golf course architecture has largely lost its essential simplicity and has become needlessly complicated.
As Howard says, “The careful use of modern techniques and best practices in golf course architecture will become evident over time, when the course has been allowed to grow around the changes within it. With time and patience comes a certain mellowing and nature’s slow softening processes will result in an aesthetic, yet challenging course, for golfers of varying abilities. The responsible use of design and technology combined with high quality of maintenance will ensure first class presentation as well as a fair test.”
He calmly states (if a trifle tongue- in- cheek), that golf course architects have an unique opportunity to play with and mould the emotions of golfers, golf being an emotional game. Rather like the master conductor of a symphonic orchestra, the visionary golf course designer-architect, will bring one’s emotions to the fore and one’s heart-strings into play, alternately stoking, stroking and stimulating the emotions of fear, anger, relief and happiness, while one is playing the course. (Who would ever have thought that so many emotions entered into this sphere of activity, largely viewed by the majority amongst us, as an enjoyable leisure pursuit, over four and a half hours of communion with nature and the great open spaces?)
A well deserved word of appreciation here, for the foresight shown in the 1970’s by the original committee and founder members of the KGA, along with Peter Thompson, the original course designer, for the use of sewage water for irrigation and building a sewage treatment plant in those early days. Fantastic!
It is truly gratifying to see the fruits of Howard’s actual labour of love at the KGA, using the natural limitations and moulding the subtleties of the landscape by hand, into a more aesthetic, better laid out golf course, while not changing the essential clockwise progression of play, course routing and basic contours. He is most appreciative of the staff and workers, especially the ladies (all 600 of them), who have quite literally had “many hands” in helping him execute his vision into reality at the KGA. He commends their precision, attention to detail and the execution of it, because, as he says, “it will be destructive, to do too much”. “By Jove!” he interjects, “the workers are so interested in and committed to the activity around them and they do make the effort to see and understand why they are being requested to do what they are doing! “
Howard’s partner / associate David Whitaker, himself a highly competent Green-Keeping Consultant amongst other things, softly adds, “First steps, sorting out the persistent Water-logging problem by sustained functionality of the water resources, careful water management, minimizing wastage and improving storage. Next, raising the entire landscape by a metre and a half in some places, only 35mm in some, always according to the natural contours of the land, layering the course with the natural clay soil at first for the base, followed by red soil for firmness and fertility, with the top layer of fine white river sand (imported all the way from Kollegal near Mysore), to promote the growth of the fine Bermuda grass on the course, creating an excellent playing surface all year round as well as an open grassland area for the local flora and fauna.”
The fairways, semi-roughs and golfing roughs will have “Tiff-way 2419” grass, cut to 12-14mm, 25-30mm and 50-60mm respectively and which species is aggressive enough to overcome the depredations of the common “Dhoop” grass which it is replacing. The Collars and Greens will have “Tiff-dwarf” cut to 8-10mm and 3.5mm respectively, which will send the stimp-meter completely nuts and the unwary golfer scrambling all over the place to save his slithery putts!
Unlike some International Golf courses, especially the new fangled ones in South-East Asia, Howard is completely against the use of polythene to separate the different grades and varieties of grasses on the course, from tee, through fairway, through collar and through the green. He is very clear that with proper maintenance, timely, correct trimming and weeding, there will be no cross- migration between the different species, grades and varieties at all.
Knocking off some of the middle aged eucalyptus trees on the back nine was a necessary step, because they were planted there at a time when the golf course was carved out of a water logged semi-swamp, in order to drain away the excess water. Now that the course character has been morphed, heightened and raised, the issue is to conserve, re-use and nurture water as a fast-dwindling resource. The eucalyptus trees have thus in a sense outlived their functionality. They will however, be replaced by extensive bougainvillea on the periphery which will thrive on the sandier soil while providing the function of a hedge or boundary with a colourful visual aspect as well as helping to contain top-soil erosion with their strong shallow roots.
With the deepening and enlarging of all the tanks, reservoirs, canals and the system of waterways within the course, water will actually be made to irrigate the course at night and via an ingenious system of gravity, bolstered by pumping, be forced to recycle, renew and aerate itself by day, while being exposed to sunlight, which is very healthy.
Each tank and reservoir has been re-designed to quite an extent, with a sloping shoulder packed tight with the local granite to prevent soil erosion, the introduction of a safety shelf/ collar just below the slopes and deepening considerably below that to provide and facilitate adequate gravity led storage.
The ingenious thing is, that all the water bodies, while providing a lovely visual treat and contributing a great deal to the local eco-system, flora, fauna and the various avian species who make it their natural habitat, can also be sluiced out if necessary at the time of the monsoons, into the feeder canal outside the course, to drain away excess water, lower the levels and then function as fresh rain water catchment areas.
A cart-path will wind through the slightly re-designed garden towards the 9th tee and become like a pit-stop there. There is also a St. Andrew’s inspired “Swilcan” – like grey stone bridge giving access to the 9th fairway which looks rather pretty and quaint. No doubt, over time, this will acquire some of the character of the original, at least by inference, if not much else.
“Golf course design-architecture isn’t just about making a visual and playable treat of a golf course; it is also about things executed properly and sensibly, with close attention to responsibility, environmental and otherwise. It is about building something of lasting value, for future generations to enjoy and revel in.”
At the end of it, we will see a superb, all-weather course, which will not be closed off in the monsoons!
With its new length of 7150 yards (Par 72) and with a choice of 5 sets of tees on each hole, the course will surely be more testing. The KGA will be of International Championship Standard, most definitely and will also conform to the recent requirement for Ladies Championship Course yardages to be more than 6000 yards.
Indeed, with the deepened water bodies and changes like the semi-island 8th green, we had better watch out for mis-hits, because there will be slim hope of retrieving the ball without proper aqualung equipment!
One can heave a small sigh of relief for there won’t be any cross-bunkering and the new layout will provide a reasonable view of every potential hazard- no blind approaches with hazards lurking just around the corner to trap the unwary or over-confident. Also being addressed are the potential safety hazards along the front nine and the periphery, with first class, high fencing, preventing chaos on the roads outside.
It is important to note that Howard’s and David’s work doesn’t stop with the design-architecture and re-construction of the golf course. They are even creating a Vision document for the KGA, which outlines Course Policy, procedures for conservation, recycling, maintenance and indeed, “green keeping education”, a subject which is sorely lacking in knowledge and expertise in India at the moment.
(After all, as we all know, every club has the same number of green keepers and course maintenance experts as it has members, but it is important and necessary, for the greater good of the greater number, to maintain discipline.)
The processes and best-practices, which are what Howard is trying to establish through his vision document, MUST (as all of us in the corporate world know), outweigh the opinions of any individual or group of individuals, to ensure a common benefit to everyone.
All these steps will go a long way to making the KGA truly an International, Championship, All-Weather Golf Course, propelling it rapidly to five, maybe ten years ahead, as a benchmark for all the other golf courses in India.
Maybe very soon, we can even expect the INDIAN OPEN and other such tournaments of International importance and prestige, to be played at the KGA instead of remaining concentrated around the North and West of India. Truly, when this comes to pass, as it surely will, sooner rather than later, it will be a matter of great pride for the KGA and for the rest of Bangalore!
Experiencing, listening to and imbibing this “bottom-up” vision in golf course design; straight from the horse’s mouth so to say, has given me a whole new insight and perspective of the KGA.
Having seen Howard’s actual work on-the-ground at first hand, I, for one, look forward very keenly, to play and experience the course once the re-design and re-construction project is completed.
Glimpses into Howard Swan’s re-design of the KGA.
Meeting Howard Swan, a dapper gentleman of middle years, one is immediately aware of the energy, strength of purpose, candour and commitment, combined with the essential humility that surrounds the man. Spending an evening in his company proved to be an eye-opener for me and it was interesting to get a glimpse into the immense efforts which are going into giving us a “new-improved KGA”.
Swan Golf Designs was established in 1987 following Howard Swan’s 16 years of work in the field of international golf course design, architecture and construction. Indeed, his pedigree is impeccable - he is a second generation golf course designer-architect, since his father engineered and constructed almost all the courses visualized and designed by Henry Cotton, the great golfer of yester-years. Apart from his work at the KGA, his first in India, (with a few more to come), Howard is involved in golf course design-architecture-construction across the globe, from China, through Dar-es-Salaam, Russia, Slovenia, Portugal, the UK and Brazil.
“The Challenge must be to do as little as one needs, to create the golf course which is couched in nature itself” – Swan Designs motto and mission statement is indeed a commendable one, in these modern days of “high roller developers” and “instant gratification” where the indiscriminate use of heavy-duty machinery in golf course design, with little or no care for the surroundings and often fragile eco-systems, is the order of the day! Golf course architecture has largely lost its essential simplicity and has become needlessly complicated.
As Howard says, “The careful use of modern techniques and best practices in golf course architecture will become evident over time, when the course has been allowed to grow around the changes within it. With time and patience comes a certain mellowing and nature’s slow softening processes will result in an aesthetic, yet challenging course, for golfers of varying abilities. The responsible use of design and technology combined with high quality of maintenance will ensure first class presentation as well as a fair test.”
He calmly states (if a trifle tongue- in- cheek), that golf course architects have an unique opportunity to play with and mould the emotions of golfers, golf being an emotional game. Rather like the master conductor of a symphonic orchestra, the visionary golf course designer-architect, will bring one’s emotions to the fore and one’s heart-strings into play, alternately stoking, stroking and stimulating the emotions of fear, anger, relief and happiness, while one is playing the course. (Who would ever have thought that so many emotions entered into this sphere of activity, largely viewed by the majority amongst us, as an enjoyable leisure pursuit, over four and a half hours of communion with nature and the great open spaces?)
A well deserved word of appreciation here, for the foresight shown in the 1970’s by the original committee and founder members of the KGA, along with Peter Thompson, the original course designer, for the use of sewage water for irrigation and building a sewage treatment plant in those early days. Fantastic!
It is truly gratifying to see the fruits of Howard’s actual labour of love at the KGA, using the natural limitations and moulding the subtleties of the landscape by hand, into a more aesthetic, better laid out golf course, while not changing the essential clockwise progression of play, course routing and basic contours. He is most appreciative of the staff and workers, especially the ladies (all 600 of them), who have quite literally had “many hands” in helping him execute his vision into reality at the KGA. He commends their precision, attention to detail and the execution of it, because, as he says, “it will be destructive, to do too much”. “By Jove!” he interjects, “the workers are so interested in and committed to the activity around them and they do make the effort to see and understand why they are being requested to do what they are doing! “
Howard’s partner / associate David Whitaker, himself a highly competent Green-Keeping Consultant amongst other things, softly adds, “First steps, sorting out the persistent Water-logging problem by sustained functionality of the water resources, careful water management, minimizing wastage and improving storage. Next, raising the entire landscape by a metre and a half in some places, only 35mm in some, always according to the natural contours of the land, layering the course with the natural clay soil at first for the base, followed by red soil for firmness and fertility, with the top layer of fine white river sand (imported all the way from Kollegal near Mysore), to promote the growth of the fine Bermuda grass on the course, creating an excellent playing surface all year round as well as an open grassland area for the local flora and fauna.”
The fairways, semi-roughs and golfing roughs will have “Tiff-way 2419” grass, cut to 12-14mm, 25-30mm and 50-60mm respectively and which species is aggressive enough to overcome the depredations of the common “Dhoop” grass which it is replacing. The Collars and Greens will have “Tiff-dwarf” cut to 8-10mm and 3.5mm respectively, which will send the stimp-meter completely nuts and the unwary golfer scrambling all over the place to save his slithery putts!
Unlike some International Golf courses, especially the new fangled ones in South-East Asia, Howard is completely against the use of polythene to separate the different grades and varieties of grasses on the course, from tee, through fairway, through collar and through the green. He is very clear that with proper maintenance, timely, correct trimming and weeding, there will be no cross- migration between the different species, grades and varieties at all.
Knocking off some of the middle aged eucalyptus trees on the back nine was a necessary step, because they were planted there at a time when the golf course was carved out of a water logged semi-swamp, in order to drain away the excess water. Now that the course character has been morphed, heightened and raised, the issue is to conserve, re-use and nurture water as a fast-dwindling resource. The eucalyptus trees have thus in a sense outlived their functionality. They will however, be replaced by extensive bougainvillea on the periphery which will thrive on the sandier soil while providing the function of a hedge or boundary with a colourful visual aspect as well as helping to contain top-soil erosion with their strong shallow roots.
With the deepening and enlarging of all the tanks, reservoirs, canals and the system of waterways within the course, water will actually be made to irrigate the course at night and via an ingenious system of gravity, bolstered by pumping, be forced to recycle, renew and aerate itself by day, while being exposed to sunlight, which is very healthy.
Each tank and reservoir has been re-designed to quite an extent, with a sloping shoulder packed tight with the local granite to prevent soil erosion, the introduction of a safety shelf/ collar just below the slopes and deepening considerably below that to provide and facilitate adequate gravity led storage.
The ingenious thing is, that all the water bodies, while providing a lovely visual treat and contributing a great deal to the local eco-system, flora, fauna and the various avian species who make it their natural habitat, can also be sluiced out if necessary at the time of the monsoons, into the feeder canal outside the course, to drain away excess water, lower the levels and then function as fresh rain water catchment areas.
A cart-path will wind through the slightly re-designed garden towards the 9th tee and become like a pit-stop there. There is also a St. Andrew’s inspired “Swilcan” – like grey stone bridge giving access to the 9th fairway which looks rather pretty and quaint. No doubt, over time, this will acquire some of the character of the original, at least by inference, if not much else.
“Golf course design-architecture isn’t just about making a visual and playable treat of a golf course; it is also about things executed properly and sensibly, with close attention to responsibility, environmental and otherwise. It is about building something of lasting value, for future generations to enjoy and revel in.”
At the end of it, we will see a superb, all-weather course, which will not be closed off in the monsoons!
With its new length of 7150 yards (Par 72) and with a choice of 5 sets of tees on each hole, the course will surely be more testing. The KGA will be of International Championship Standard, most definitely and will also conform to the recent requirement for Ladies Championship Course yardages to be more than 6000 yards.
Indeed, with the deepened water bodies and changes like the semi-island 8th green, we had better watch out for mis-hits, because there will be slim hope of retrieving the ball without proper aqualung equipment!
One can heave a small sigh of relief for there won’t be any cross-bunkering and the new layout will provide a reasonable view of every potential hazard- no blind approaches with hazards lurking just around the corner to trap the unwary or over-confident. Also being addressed are the potential safety hazards along the front nine and the periphery, with first class, high fencing, preventing chaos on the roads outside.
It is important to note that Howard’s and David’s work doesn’t stop with the design-architecture and re-construction of the golf course. They are even creating a Vision document for the KGA, which outlines Course Policy, procedures for conservation, recycling, maintenance and indeed, “green keeping education”, a subject which is sorely lacking in knowledge and expertise in India at the moment.
(After all, as we all know, every club has the same number of green keepers and course maintenance experts as it has members, but it is important and necessary, for the greater good of the greater number, to maintain discipline.)
The processes and best-practices, which are what Howard is trying to establish through his vision document, MUST (as all of us in the corporate world know), outweigh the opinions of any individual or group of individuals, to ensure a common benefit to everyone.
All these steps will go a long way to making the KGA truly an International, Championship, All-Weather Golf Course, propelling it rapidly to five, maybe ten years ahead, as a benchmark for all the other golf courses in India.
Maybe very soon, we can even expect the INDIAN OPEN and other such tournaments of International importance and prestige, to be played at the KGA instead of remaining concentrated around the North and West of India. Truly, when this comes to pass, as it surely will, sooner rather than later, it will be a matter of great pride for the KGA and for the rest of Bangalore!
Experiencing, listening to and imbibing this “bottom-up” vision in golf course design; straight from the horse’s mouth so to say, has given me a whole new insight and perspective of the KGA.
Having seen Howard’s actual work on-the-ground at first hand, I, for one, look forward very keenly, to play and experience the course once the re-design and re-construction project is completed.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Golf in the Blue Mountains - Ooty Gymkhana Club
Golf in the Blue Mountains – Ooty Gymkhana Club.
On the weekend of my birthday (I won’t tell you which one though!), I decided on the spur of the moment to show my wife the truly lovely sights and landscape of the Nilgiri Hills where I had spent all of my schooldays and indeed, much of my childhood and early youth, since my dad was a planter in the district. (After all, what’s better than to spend one’s birthday, marking the passing of yet another year, while at the same time, renewing association with the surroundings one loves most in the world, with the added bonus and pleasure of some golf thrown in!)
Therefore, on 8th March, we loaded up our assorted paraphernalia and our golf bags, hopped into the jeep and drove the 290 odd km up the hills from Bangalore. Using the steeper but considerably shorter approach via Masinagudi and the Sigur Ghats; some 5 and a quarter hours later we were pulling up in front of the Ooty Gym Club-house.
Founded in 1896 by British Planters and situated about 7000 odd feet above sea level, the Ross Thompson designed, Par 72, 6700 yard, Ootacamund Gymkhana Club (Ooty Gym) Golf Course is a veritable treat for the Golf Enthusiast. Practically everything in the main club-house, save the modern-ish bar, is redolent with history, steeped in heritage and evocative of the expansive comforts of days gone by.
Meeting and fixing up the afternoon round with Ashok Kumar, the obliging local pro/ course superintendent was short work. Since the dear wife has also taken up the game seriously, we assigned her a caddie/ coach and sent her along to get in some practice at the 17th which doubles as a driving range at OGC. Giving my bag to Ilyas, my elderly caddie and enjoying the fresh, clean, crisp, eucalyptus scent-laden air, I toddled along to the first tee, located on the hill above left in front of the club house.
Tee-ing off on this longish par 5 (583 yds), one typically has to place the ball to the right in the direction and line of the clubhouse, so as to make maximum use of the undulations of the course and find one’s self in good position to get on the smallish green which is located deep down in a natural hollow. If you’re a wolf, you are welcome to smack the driver on this, so as to be sure of distance. I chose to play my rescue which landed me fair and square, positioned well for the second. It is certainly better, in my opinion, to be humble.
The second is a relatively peaceful Par 3 of 223 yards, requiring you to place a little to the right with a 4 or 5 iron, so as to take advantage of the natural rolling landscape.
This golf course is carved from the natural rolling landscape, much of it similar to the original landscape of the Nilgiris, largely undulating grass and scrubland, with clumps of bushy trees, tree shrubs like Rhododendrons in part, loads of gorse and brambles (imported and introduced no doubt, by some home-sick Scotsman in the dim, distant past), and guarded by stands of Eucalyptus trees, those tall, timeless sentinels, watching and waiting to see some hapless soul hunting for his lost ball!
The fairways are neither manicured nor carefully tended like the newer, city-slicker type golf courses that one sees these days. Indeed, while the course is irrigated with a system of ingenious gravity tanks and pipelines laid by the British, there are no other real modern aids (except a recently acquired TORO Green trimming machine!). In fact, the fairways are pretty much kept in mown condition by the stray cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock that somehow, despite all precautions AND perimeter fencing, find their way onto the course. However, if you are fond of the game of golf, are a bit of a traditionalist at heart and maybe want to experience the game the way those original Scottish shepherds must have played it, then, this is a pretty good approximation!
Having said all this, it would be very remiss of me if I didn’t appreciate the quality of green keeping at OGC. No matter what the time of day, the greens were well moistened, nice and soft, almost reaching out at times to clutch and hold the ball! The putting lines held true, with a bit of a twist occasionally, but then, that is an occupational hazard in golf!
The 5th hole is worth talking about because it really tries your soul, with its awesome 500 yards going steeply uphill at first, with lots and lots of wicked gorse and bramble bushes lying in wait quietly to swallow your ball, possibly smiling to themselves, in anticipation of your frustration! Coming down and located right-ish is the green, guarded by a flattish, rough-ish bunker.
Clamber up to the 7th Tee at OGC which overlooks a deep valley, with a multitude of gorse bushes scattered all over. Once you have regained your breath and your heart has stopped thumping with the exertion and when your eyes have stopped bubbling and regained their focus, you will be greeted by a sweeping vista ahead with the green about 200 yards distant, guarded by a steep-ish rise to the right side, a bunker to the front right and a wicked drop to the left.
This is the real signature hole of the Ooty Gymkhana Club, according to my estimation. I can compare it in some measure to particular holes on two other golf courses I have played, the 7th hole at the Mercara Downs Golf Club in Coorg and the 4th hole at Victoria Golf Club, Kandy, in Sri Lanka.
It is as well to take a little break at the ninth, where one can arrange before-hand with the club dining room staff for a light snack of tea and some of the most wonderful scrambled egg sandwiches I have ever eaten. A sense of déjà vu for me, certainly, coming back home to Ooty again. First class Colonial style or in local terms, “Dorai” style at its best, with a uniformed bearer in attendance, catering to your every whim! This level of service with this peculiar Colonial flavour can be seen only in a few “hill” golf clubs in my experience – OGC, Wellington Gymkhana Club, High Range Club, Kundale Club in South India and Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. (Please don’t forget to order some tea and biscuits for your poor caddie though, since it is certainly not an easy task lugging all your equipment and golf bag up and down).
Take a few minutes here to enjoy the crisp air around you and the fact that even food and drink actually taste so much better. This is a land that time has thankfully forgotten and if one seizes the moment to commune with one’s self, one would do very well to leave one’s cell phone and PDA and the other rubbishy, nonsensical trappings of so-called “civilized city life” behind.
Since this place is in the lap of nature and relatively less populated (and may it stay that way!!), one is quite likely of a morning on the course, to come across some wild boar damage or porcupine damage on the fairways, which they dig up to uncover some juicy morsel. It is equally likely that you will hear the peculiar wailing crowing cry of a wild fowl or “jungle fowl” as also catch a flash of its brilliant plumage when you walk along.
Going over to the back nine, one will find that it is relatively flatter, with wider fairways and relatively easier approaches to the greens, provided of course, that one plays to place the ball well – local knowledge certainly helps and one would be very well advised not to argue club selection with one’s caddie unless one wants to experience the vicious thorns of the abundant gorse bushes at first hand!
Worth mentioning on this is the lovely Par 3, 212 yard 11th hole, which is pretty well met with either a rescue or a 4 iron, placed slightly to the left of the green so as to allow it to trickle down to the green for birdie or at the very least, par.
On the 15th, (Par 4, 308 yds) one shoots a three wood off a far-away and down-below tee, avoiding a stand of tall eucalyptus interspersed with gorse, to come onto the steep uphill fairway, leaving one with only a well hit Pitching Wedge to the green. Once you crest the rise one is welcomed by the glorious sight of the ball sitting pretty on the green!
The 16th (Par 5, 576 yds) is simply brilliant, shooting the driver onto the right-sloped fairway, smashing the second with either a three wood or even a rescue a little left-ish so that the ball rolls down to the right and onto the semi-sunken green. Careful though, if you fall short of this green on the left side and are chipping on to it, because there is a wicked bunker behind!
The 17th (Par 4, 328 yds) is probably the only green which has some interesting upward undulations – if one is below, with the pin placement in the centre, it does become a bit of a poser but if you putt decisively and firmly you should be home for par.
The 18th (Par4, 370 yds) homeward is a nice semi- blind shot with a driver. Placing one’s self to the right side would be better because the slope is to the left and the ball does tend to kick and roll a great deal. However, there are not many other dangers on this hole (as if in compensation for the trials and tribulations that one has already faced if one has played the entire course), and one should be quite comfortably on the green in two, putting for birdie!
I will leave a cautionary statement here, for the typical cigar or cigarette-puffing, whisky-swilling, out-of-condition city-slicker type. Let me tell you quite plainly that the front nine at the OGC will leave you huffing and puffing, rather short of breath as you reach the ball, leaving you to negotiate very hard with your mind and body and requesting, nay, begging them to do your bidding! It will take you all your time to get your jelly like limbs, trembling knees and runaway legs under control and then try and address the ball, prior to taking your next shot!
If one is on the wrong side of 35 and normally leads a sedentary, desk-bound life, with little exercise, it is worth investing a little time in getting fit, acclimatizing one’s self to the slightly thinner air there and then embarking on a round of golf at Ooty Gym! This is quite decidedly NOT a course for the unfit, the faint hearted or the lazy amongst us.
However, all things said and done, considering the very reasonable access and comfortable driving distance from Bangalore, this land that nature has blessed with such beauty, is well worth the effort of visiting, if only for the golf experience alone! I loved it and so I am sure, will you!
On the weekend of my birthday (I won’t tell you which one though!), I decided on the spur of the moment to show my wife the truly lovely sights and landscape of the Nilgiri Hills where I had spent all of my schooldays and indeed, much of my childhood and early youth, since my dad was a planter in the district. (After all, what’s better than to spend one’s birthday, marking the passing of yet another year, while at the same time, renewing association with the surroundings one loves most in the world, with the added bonus and pleasure of some golf thrown in!)
Therefore, on 8th March, we loaded up our assorted paraphernalia and our golf bags, hopped into the jeep and drove the 290 odd km up the hills from Bangalore. Using the steeper but considerably shorter approach via Masinagudi and the Sigur Ghats; some 5 and a quarter hours later we were pulling up in front of the Ooty Gym Club-house.
Founded in 1896 by British Planters and situated about 7000 odd feet above sea level, the Ross Thompson designed, Par 72, 6700 yard, Ootacamund Gymkhana Club (Ooty Gym) Golf Course is a veritable treat for the Golf Enthusiast. Practically everything in the main club-house, save the modern-ish bar, is redolent with history, steeped in heritage and evocative of the expansive comforts of days gone by.
Meeting and fixing up the afternoon round with Ashok Kumar, the obliging local pro/ course superintendent was short work. Since the dear wife has also taken up the game seriously, we assigned her a caddie/ coach and sent her along to get in some practice at the 17th which doubles as a driving range at OGC. Giving my bag to Ilyas, my elderly caddie and enjoying the fresh, clean, crisp, eucalyptus scent-laden air, I toddled along to the first tee, located on the hill above left in front of the club house.
Tee-ing off on this longish par 5 (583 yds), one typically has to place the ball to the right in the direction and line of the clubhouse, so as to make maximum use of the undulations of the course and find one’s self in good position to get on the smallish green which is located deep down in a natural hollow. If you’re a wolf, you are welcome to smack the driver on this, so as to be sure of distance. I chose to play my rescue which landed me fair and square, positioned well for the second. It is certainly better, in my opinion, to be humble.
The second is a relatively peaceful Par 3 of 223 yards, requiring you to place a little to the right with a 4 or 5 iron, so as to take advantage of the natural rolling landscape.
This golf course is carved from the natural rolling landscape, much of it similar to the original landscape of the Nilgiris, largely undulating grass and scrubland, with clumps of bushy trees, tree shrubs like Rhododendrons in part, loads of gorse and brambles (imported and introduced no doubt, by some home-sick Scotsman in the dim, distant past), and guarded by stands of Eucalyptus trees, those tall, timeless sentinels, watching and waiting to see some hapless soul hunting for his lost ball!
The fairways are neither manicured nor carefully tended like the newer, city-slicker type golf courses that one sees these days. Indeed, while the course is irrigated with a system of ingenious gravity tanks and pipelines laid by the British, there are no other real modern aids (except a recently acquired TORO Green trimming machine!). In fact, the fairways are pretty much kept in mown condition by the stray cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock that somehow, despite all precautions AND perimeter fencing, find their way onto the course. However, if you are fond of the game of golf, are a bit of a traditionalist at heart and maybe want to experience the game the way those original Scottish shepherds must have played it, then, this is a pretty good approximation!
Having said all this, it would be very remiss of me if I didn’t appreciate the quality of green keeping at OGC. No matter what the time of day, the greens were well moistened, nice and soft, almost reaching out at times to clutch and hold the ball! The putting lines held true, with a bit of a twist occasionally, but then, that is an occupational hazard in golf!
The 5th hole is worth talking about because it really tries your soul, with its awesome 500 yards going steeply uphill at first, with lots and lots of wicked gorse and bramble bushes lying in wait quietly to swallow your ball, possibly smiling to themselves, in anticipation of your frustration! Coming down and located right-ish is the green, guarded by a flattish, rough-ish bunker.
Clamber up to the 7th Tee at OGC which overlooks a deep valley, with a multitude of gorse bushes scattered all over. Once you have regained your breath and your heart has stopped thumping with the exertion and when your eyes have stopped bubbling and regained their focus, you will be greeted by a sweeping vista ahead with the green about 200 yards distant, guarded by a steep-ish rise to the right side, a bunker to the front right and a wicked drop to the left.
This is the real signature hole of the Ooty Gymkhana Club, according to my estimation. I can compare it in some measure to particular holes on two other golf courses I have played, the 7th hole at the Mercara Downs Golf Club in Coorg and the 4th hole at Victoria Golf Club, Kandy, in Sri Lanka.
It is as well to take a little break at the ninth, where one can arrange before-hand with the club dining room staff for a light snack of tea and some of the most wonderful scrambled egg sandwiches I have ever eaten. A sense of déjà vu for me, certainly, coming back home to Ooty again. First class Colonial style or in local terms, “Dorai” style at its best, with a uniformed bearer in attendance, catering to your every whim! This level of service with this peculiar Colonial flavour can be seen only in a few “hill” golf clubs in my experience – OGC, Wellington Gymkhana Club, High Range Club, Kundale Club in South India and Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. (Please don’t forget to order some tea and biscuits for your poor caddie though, since it is certainly not an easy task lugging all your equipment and golf bag up and down).
Take a few minutes here to enjoy the crisp air around you and the fact that even food and drink actually taste so much better. This is a land that time has thankfully forgotten and if one seizes the moment to commune with one’s self, one would do very well to leave one’s cell phone and PDA and the other rubbishy, nonsensical trappings of so-called “civilized city life” behind.
Since this place is in the lap of nature and relatively less populated (and may it stay that way!!), one is quite likely of a morning on the course, to come across some wild boar damage or porcupine damage on the fairways, which they dig up to uncover some juicy morsel. It is equally likely that you will hear the peculiar wailing crowing cry of a wild fowl or “jungle fowl” as also catch a flash of its brilliant plumage when you walk along.
Going over to the back nine, one will find that it is relatively flatter, with wider fairways and relatively easier approaches to the greens, provided of course, that one plays to place the ball well – local knowledge certainly helps and one would be very well advised not to argue club selection with one’s caddie unless one wants to experience the vicious thorns of the abundant gorse bushes at first hand!
Worth mentioning on this is the lovely Par 3, 212 yard 11th hole, which is pretty well met with either a rescue or a 4 iron, placed slightly to the left of the green so as to allow it to trickle down to the green for birdie or at the very least, par.
On the 15th, (Par 4, 308 yds) one shoots a three wood off a far-away and down-below tee, avoiding a stand of tall eucalyptus interspersed with gorse, to come onto the steep uphill fairway, leaving one with only a well hit Pitching Wedge to the green. Once you crest the rise one is welcomed by the glorious sight of the ball sitting pretty on the green!
The 16th (Par 5, 576 yds) is simply brilliant, shooting the driver onto the right-sloped fairway, smashing the second with either a three wood or even a rescue a little left-ish so that the ball rolls down to the right and onto the semi-sunken green. Careful though, if you fall short of this green on the left side and are chipping on to it, because there is a wicked bunker behind!
The 17th (Par 4, 328 yds) is probably the only green which has some interesting upward undulations – if one is below, with the pin placement in the centre, it does become a bit of a poser but if you putt decisively and firmly you should be home for par.
The 18th (Par4, 370 yds) homeward is a nice semi- blind shot with a driver. Placing one’s self to the right side would be better because the slope is to the left and the ball does tend to kick and roll a great deal. However, there are not many other dangers on this hole (as if in compensation for the trials and tribulations that one has already faced if one has played the entire course), and one should be quite comfortably on the green in two, putting for birdie!
I will leave a cautionary statement here, for the typical cigar or cigarette-puffing, whisky-swilling, out-of-condition city-slicker type. Let me tell you quite plainly that the front nine at the OGC will leave you huffing and puffing, rather short of breath as you reach the ball, leaving you to negotiate very hard with your mind and body and requesting, nay, begging them to do your bidding! It will take you all your time to get your jelly like limbs, trembling knees and runaway legs under control and then try and address the ball, prior to taking your next shot!
If one is on the wrong side of 35 and normally leads a sedentary, desk-bound life, with little exercise, it is worth investing a little time in getting fit, acclimatizing one’s self to the slightly thinner air there and then embarking on a round of golf at Ooty Gym! This is quite decidedly NOT a course for the unfit, the faint hearted or the lazy amongst us.
However, all things said and done, considering the very reasonable access and comfortable driving distance from Bangalore, this land that nature has blessed with such beauty, is well worth the effort of visiting, if only for the golf experience alone! I loved it and so I am sure, will you!
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