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!
Showing posts with label GolfBlog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GolfBlog. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Monday, October 1, 2007
St. Andrews the Mecca of Golf - My Impressions
September 8th 2007– Notes made at the Mecca of Golf – St. Andrews!
I was fortunate to visit and pay homage at the Royal and Ancient at St. Andrews while recently on holiday with my wife in Scotland, that lovely land of Malt Whisky, Heather clad Moorland, Kilts, Old Nessie and of course, the home of the game we all love so well, Golf!
Contrary to popular belief that the game was invented here and so on, the facts appear a little different, with racial types as far removed from the Anglo Saxons, as the Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Chinese and the Medieval Dutch laying claim to the invention of the Game of Golf. Indeed there even seems to have been some sort of similar game called “Kolven” having been played in Medieval Holland.
It also happens indeed, that the Scots Shepherds, to while away the interminable hours spent on the vast, wild and bleak moorland, watching their woolly wards, played a game involving their staffs or some sort of stick and a rounded object, probably a stone, which can, I presume be loosely compared to the game of golf as we know it. Having said all this, whatever its roots, we do know for a fact that the first organization per se around the game of golf, was the “Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers” and that the first ever competition was played at Muirfield in Scotland.
Over the last six hundred years, with the steady development of the game, St. Andrews has assumed command as the “Home of Golf” and indeed, simply and indisputably IS, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club – possibly being occasioned to some degree by the fact that this little coastal town bears the name of the Patron Saint of Scotland, St. Andrew.
As a golfer or golf enthusiast, it is necessary to visit this Hallowed Ground at least once in one’s lifetime, to pay homage, as it were, to the “Mecca” of the game. I can personally swear to getting ‘gooseflesh”, and a queer prickling sensation at the back of my neck while I padded by the entrance to the “Caddie Pavilion” and the “Starter’s cabin” – somewhat akin to the feeling one gets when one visits sanctified ground at other hallowed places in the world; for example the Vatican or even Wimbledon or Lord’s.
The town of St. Andrews is situated on a little tip of land at the eastern edge of Fife, Scotland, overlooking the North Sea. As a town, though quaint, it is rather unremarkable except as a centre for production of wool. However, its predominantly grey-brown stone buildings are today deeply impregnated with all manner of things to do with golf as a religion, no doubt partially due to the famed business acumen of the Scots, and aimed at the masses of golf-mad visitors from all over the world.
Practically every stone in this area is steeped in enormous amounts of History and Tradition, with the line of quaint, beautifully preserved shop fronts like “Bobby Jones at Auchterlonies” (located in the town), “Old Tom Morris’ Golf Shop”, “The St. Andrews Links Golf Shop” and of course, “The Old Course Shop”, all engaged in purveying vast quantities of a wide array of golf merchandise and occupying some superbly valuable real estate, overlooking the Old Course. Also notable is the Museum of Golf abutting the road on Eastern edge of the clubhouse – a lovely and highly interesting experience and very well worth visiting.
The extent of facilities on the links are surprising to the first time visitor; Two luxurious clubhouses (one of which was the scene of the (now infamous) turning away of that famed “professional golfer”, Walter Hagen, as he was not an amateur and not a member, despite being one of the most famous, skilled and flamboyant exponents of the game) – lots of unquestioning tradition and of course in hindsight, water under the (Swilcan!!??) bridge; because in its best traditions, golf was never intended by any means to be a preserve of the Elite or a Select few. However, the St. Andrews Links remains completely Public Land giving thousands of enthusiasts a chance to play the same links that their heroes have played. The famous golf club, with its five 18 hole golf courses and one 9 hole course, all of which I may add, are public courses, appears to a small degree to have ceded some of its hallowed antiquity to sybaritic modernity in the imposing presence of the famous and luxurious St. Andrews Golf Resort, Hotel and Spa to the left perpendicular of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and which also overlooks the First Fairway with the Ocean in the middle-distance.
Seeing it now, the casual visitor will marvel that what once was a single track hacked into gorse bushes and heather has developed into six golf courses attracting thousands if not hundreds of thousands of golf pilgrims! The “designer” of the Old Course is said to be Mother Nature herself, with so many changes of perspective and memorable details.
The beautiful old clubhouse looks (from the outside) to be exactly the same as it probably was, when the likes of Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen drew up outside it in their Rolls Royce’s, to meet in their gentlemanly clash, in the “Open” ! Today, by rather stark contrast, I observed vehicles of the likes of Honda, Audi, Volkswagen, Lexus etc parked quite possibly in the same places!
Worth mentioning is the fact that each hole here carries an unique name; ranging from the Par 4, 376 yard “Burn” going out, whose fairway is spanned by the famed “Swilcan” bridge and at whose close comes the famous “Himalayas” putting green! (As a Proud Indian I was pleased to set eyes on this, I can tell you!), to the Par 4, 411 yard “Dyke”, the Par 4, 419 yard “Ginger Beer” and “Short” (which can readily be visualized as a Par 3 of 166 yards.) The back nine coming in, has names ranging from the great Par 4, 340 yard “Bobby Jones”, the Par 4, 316 yard “Heathery” which is also the home of a rather nasty family of pot bunkers, the Par 4, 381 yard “Corner-of-the-Dyke”, the famous 455 yard Par 4 “Road” and back to the great Par 4, 357 yard “Tom Morris”!
Standing at the edge of the first tee with its sweeping view of the ocean on one side and the fairway on the other, in absolute awestruck silence, I fervently muttered a little prayer that one day I might get to “pay and play” this great course or at the very least, one of the five others, in the company of some of my good golf buddies. I was forced by the constraints of time, to turn reluctantly away from there and wandering over to the golf shops I bought some memorabilia and gifts to cement my ties to the place, taking lots of photographs all the time to create my own visual memories of the visit, prior to resuming our tour.
But I promised myself then, to be back someday and get in a round of 18, possibly washing the spirit of each hole down with a wee dram of that rich golden malt, rather in the manner of Archie – Bobby Jones’ one time golf tutor!
I state here most definitely, that St. Andrews simply must take its rightful place amongst those ”1000 places to see (as a golfer) before you tee off onto the fairway to heaven”!
I was fortunate to visit and pay homage at the Royal and Ancient at St. Andrews while recently on holiday with my wife in Scotland, that lovely land of Malt Whisky, Heather clad Moorland, Kilts, Old Nessie and of course, the home of the game we all love so well, Golf!
Contrary to popular belief that the game was invented here and so on, the facts appear a little different, with racial types as far removed from the Anglo Saxons, as the Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Chinese and the Medieval Dutch laying claim to the invention of the Game of Golf. Indeed there even seems to have been some sort of similar game called “Kolven” having been played in Medieval Holland.
It also happens indeed, that the Scots Shepherds, to while away the interminable hours spent on the vast, wild and bleak moorland, watching their woolly wards, played a game involving their staffs or some sort of stick and a rounded object, probably a stone, which can, I presume be loosely compared to the game of golf as we know it. Having said all this, whatever its roots, we do know for a fact that the first organization per se around the game of golf, was the “Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers” and that the first ever competition was played at Muirfield in Scotland.
Over the last six hundred years, with the steady development of the game, St. Andrews has assumed command as the “Home of Golf” and indeed, simply and indisputably IS, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club – possibly being occasioned to some degree by the fact that this little coastal town bears the name of the Patron Saint of Scotland, St. Andrew.
As a golfer or golf enthusiast, it is necessary to visit this Hallowed Ground at least once in one’s lifetime, to pay homage, as it were, to the “Mecca” of the game. I can personally swear to getting ‘gooseflesh”, and a queer prickling sensation at the back of my neck while I padded by the entrance to the “Caddie Pavilion” and the “Starter’s cabin” – somewhat akin to the feeling one gets when one visits sanctified ground at other hallowed places in the world; for example the Vatican or even Wimbledon or Lord’s.
The town of St. Andrews is situated on a little tip of land at the eastern edge of Fife, Scotland, overlooking the North Sea. As a town, though quaint, it is rather unremarkable except as a centre for production of wool. However, its predominantly grey-brown stone buildings are today deeply impregnated with all manner of things to do with golf as a religion, no doubt partially due to the famed business acumen of the Scots, and aimed at the masses of golf-mad visitors from all over the world.
Practically every stone in this area is steeped in enormous amounts of History and Tradition, with the line of quaint, beautifully preserved shop fronts like “Bobby Jones at Auchterlonies” (located in the town), “Old Tom Morris’ Golf Shop”, “The St. Andrews Links Golf Shop” and of course, “The Old Course Shop”, all engaged in purveying vast quantities of a wide array of golf merchandise and occupying some superbly valuable real estate, overlooking the Old Course. Also notable is the Museum of Golf abutting the road on Eastern edge of the clubhouse – a lovely and highly interesting experience and very well worth visiting.
The extent of facilities on the links are surprising to the first time visitor; Two luxurious clubhouses (one of which was the scene of the (now infamous) turning away of that famed “professional golfer”, Walter Hagen, as he was not an amateur and not a member, despite being one of the most famous, skilled and flamboyant exponents of the game) – lots of unquestioning tradition and of course in hindsight, water under the (Swilcan!!??) bridge; because in its best traditions, golf was never intended by any means to be a preserve of the Elite or a Select few. However, the St. Andrews Links remains completely Public Land giving thousands of enthusiasts a chance to play the same links that their heroes have played. The famous golf club, with its five 18 hole golf courses and one 9 hole course, all of which I may add, are public courses, appears to a small degree to have ceded some of its hallowed antiquity to sybaritic modernity in the imposing presence of the famous and luxurious St. Andrews Golf Resort, Hotel and Spa to the left perpendicular of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and which also overlooks the First Fairway with the Ocean in the middle-distance.
Seeing it now, the casual visitor will marvel that what once was a single track hacked into gorse bushes and heather has developed into six golf courses attracting thousands if not hundreds of thousands of golf pilgrims! The “designer” of the Old Course is said to be Mother Nature herself, with so many changes of perspective and memorable details.
The beautiful old clubhouse looks (from the outside) to be exactly the same as it probably was, when the likes of Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen drew up outside it in their Rolls Royce’s, to meet in their gentlemanly clash, in the “Open” ! Today, by rather stark contrast, I observed vehicles of the likes of Honda, Audi, Volkswagen, Lexus etc parked quite possibly in the same places!
Worth mentioning is the fact that each hole here carries an unique name; ranging from the Par 4, 376 yard “Burn” going out, whose fairway is spanned by the famed “Swilcan” bridge and at whose close comes the famous “Himalayas” putting green! (As a Proud Indian I was pleased to set eyes on this, I can tell you!), to the Par 4, 411 yard “Dyke”, the Par 4, 419 yard “Ginger Beer” and “Short” (which can readily be visualized as a Par 3 of 166 yards.) The back nine coming in, has names ranging from the great Par 4, 340 yard “Bobby Jones”, the Par 4, 316 yard “Heathery” which is also the home of a rather nasty family of pot bunkers, the Par 4, 381 yard “Corner-of-the-Dyke”, the famous 455 yard Par 4 “Road” and back to the great Par 4, 357 yard “Tom Morris”!
Standing at the edge of the first tee with its sweeping view of the ocean on one side and the fairway on the other, in absolute awestruck silence, I fervently muttered a little prayer that one day I might get to “pay and play” this great course or at the very least, one of the five others, in the company of some of my good golf buddies. I was forced by the constraints of time, to turn reluctantly away from there and wandering over to the golf shops I bought some memorabilia and gifts to cement my ties to the place, taking lots of photographs all the time to create my own visual memories of the visit, prior to resuming our tour.
But I promised myself then, to be back someday and get in a round of 18, possibly washing the spirit of each hole down with a wee dram of that rich golden malt, rather in the manner of Archie – Bobby Jones’ one time golf tutor!
I state here most definitely, that St. Andrews simply must take its rightful place amongst those ”1000 places to see (as a golfer) before you tee off onto the fairway to heaven”!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Water's Edge Golf Club- Sri Lanka
Water’s Edge Golf Club, Colombo – Sri Lanka-Sep 18th 2007.
Arriving recently in Sri Lanka after a long and tiring overnight flight, at the tail-end of an exceedingly well spent holiday, I was more than pleased, despite the lack of real rest, to get a chance to play a round with some friends at “Water’s Edge Golf Club”.
Again, as seemed to be fast becoming a habit with me, strategically steering the dear wife off to the tender mercies of some Retail Therapy at Odel, Noritake and Crescat Boulevard, I vanished in a cloud of dust and small pebbles to beat the ball off the tee at Water’s Edge!
This being the last leg of our holiday and faced with the immediate and not-so-welcome prospect of going back to work from the very next day onwards (somewhat the same feeling as at the end of the school holidays), I was very keen to make the most of our last day and play and enjoy this course. Additionally, the last time I had visited Sri Lanka, only 11 of its 18 holes were open for play and it is only in April this year (2007) that all 18 holes were readied.
Located in the Capital City of Sri Jayawardenepura, a mere 20 minutes drive from the Colombo city centre, this is a massive MICE resort facility set in about 200 odd acres of lush green landscape and targeted at Corporates, Institutions and the Wedding business.
The Emerald Green Island of Sri Lanka numbers just Four Golf Courses amongst its varied attractions, two of these being in Colombo proper; the traditional and classy Royal Colombo Golf Club and Water’s Edge with the other two being Victoria in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in the Hill country respectively. However, each of these four courses embodies considerable differences in character and “feel”.
Adjoining the luxurious club house and spa etc at Water’s Edge is an 18 hole, par 72, 6500 odd yard golf course. Apparently this entire area was a lowland swamp in the not too distant past and this fact can readily be believed if one were to consider the extensive water bodies all over the course.
My friend Jehan had very kindly arranged with his Brother Senaka and two other friends, Raju Chandiram and Chanaka (fondly known as Casper the Friendly Ghost), to take me around Water’s edge. The round was great fun, though pretty chaotic for all of us in the foursome comprising the three Merry Islanders and myself.
Playing off the black markers, the first hole is an interesting Par 4 360 yard devil, with a water body ahead and another long strip of water between the fairway and the green, where the ideal play would be to lay up and smoothly cross the strip to get on the green for a decent score.
Senaka having kindly purloined a beautiful set of his father’s clubs (a complete set of forgiving Taylor made R7 Irons, an dreamboat of an Odyssey 2 Ball Putter, a couple of Oil Can finish Cleveland Wedges, a Ping Rapture Rescue, a Regular Flex Ping G 2 Driver with the additional choice of a wicked Nike SQ monster, I was completely spoiled for choice and it certainly would be very bad form to blame my scores on the tools given to me!)
I observed here that after holing out, it was a bit of a walk to the next tee, which went on to a longing 376 yard par 4 where the urge was to pull out the Big Dog, to complete, un-utterable, indubitable destruction!
The fourth hole of Water’s Edge is a lively Par 3 of some 214 yards – with the Wind in evidence that afternoon, some of us hauled off and trashed the ball with the Three wood but electing to play carefully, I preferred a four Iron, but only for a bogey unfortunately.
All sorts of dangers abounded on this course, not the least of which were the bulrushes abutting almost all the fairways – fuelled and fed by the abundance of water, these serve as superbly laid lurking traps for the wayward balls which most of us are guilty of clobbering.
Meandering along laughing, joking and generally having ourselves an afternoon of fun, I don’t think any of the four of us would willingly confess to the scores we racked up on our cards. Even our caddies were surreptitiously sworn to silence lest they unwittingly let the cats out of the bags!
There is really no signature hole as such on this course – it having been entirely designed by the firm of architects who were instrumental in building the main resort itself, but having said that, with the exception of the excessive criss-cross which could prove a bit of a walk, the course itself is scenically very beautiful and a near perfect setting for a leisurely round where time means nothing.
Moving up to the 8th hole, another Par 3 of 142 yards, we found ourselves faced with the usual water and rushes but didn’t do too badly with Bogey, considering…
The front nine ends quite close to the clubhouse, with a bit of a walk up from there to the actual terrace, where we sat for a while, sipping a soft drink and giving our caddies a drink too.
Then it was on to the second half of the course, wherein the 10th hole lies completely in a different direction and the whole back nine bears a completely different aspect to the front. For all of us it was completely unknown territory, since as mentioned before only 11 holes were first opened and the remaining 7 were opened for play only in April 2007. Consequently, all of us were playing that bit for the first time and making if I may say so, pretty much the same wrong judgements of club and distance.
The feel of the round was more like a familiarization exercise than anything else – however, this fact was more than compensated for, by the lovely setting in which we were.
Notable on the back nine is the 15th hole, a long and difficult par 5 which Senaka and Chanaka, made par on, the rest of us having fallen prey to the various hazards that infest that area.
Indeed, at one point Raju, even informed me sotto voce that a well known reptile research scientist had even released a few baby crocodiles into the water bodies on this course and this was done some time ago. Therefore, it may well be that one of our average wayward shots, might have been found if at all, reposing in the giant maw of a fully grown Saurian! (We didn’t however; see any such denizens and I can tell you quite categorically that this knowledge served to cure completely any urge that one might have had, to chase after mis-hit golf balls!)
By way of compensation for our lost balls and generally guffy golf was the lovely sight and photo op, of a pair of beautiful “Blue Coot”, water fowl, which were flapping about in one of the Water bodies along the Fairway. Apparently Water’s Edge is home to several varied species of birdlife, which will delight the nature and wildlife enthusiast. I’ve never seen this particular species before and they are really very pretty I may tell you.
The mantle of darkness was coming upon us as we were going over to the 17th which is a 193 yard Par 3, ideally met with a Three Wood if one is an accurate hitter or with a Number four if one wishes to control the ball better. At least this wasn’t a complete botch up!
The 18th and final hole is another long Par 4 of 441 yards – tough, because one has to again carry some water on one’s second shot, though the fairway is wide enough for a Driver off the Tee. With the fast failing light and the 18th green being lit up by the reflected lights of the clubhouse garden lamps, we finished a rather long round of over four and a half hours.
Meeting Mr. Billimoria, the amiable Pro, at the clubhouse, we were told a few home truths about this course – it would certainly not seem so daunting if one were to play percentage golf, carefully using one’s irons off the tees rather than horsing around with the Big Drivers etc. In hind sight (as with most other things in life), I realize that if one were to play humble as it were, one would be able to play to one’s handicap or even better it because though long and winding, the course per se is not really a monster!
Having said all this, I still do believe that it would be difficult to stage a tournament here, like for example the Sri Lankan Airlines Golf Classic, which has over 200 golfers on shotgun start on the course at any given time, because of the huge amount of criss-crossing that one has to contend with.
However, it would still prove to be an interesting and worthwhile challenge if they were to at least stage one of the practice rounds here, to show all those International Wolves that a healthy respect for Water bodies and the bulrushes at the Water’s Edge (Pun Intended), is absolutely necessary, for low scores!
Arriving recently in Sri Lanka after a long and tiring overnight flight, at the tail-end of an exceedingly well spent holiday, I was more than pleased, despite the lack of real rest, to get a chance to play a round with some friends at “Water’s Edge Golf Club”.
Again, as seemed to be fast becoming a habit with me, strategically steering the dear wife off to the tender mercies of some Retail Therapy at Odel, Noritake and Crescat Boulevard, I vanished in a cloud of dust and small pebbles to beat the ball off the tee at Water’s Edge!
This being the last leg of our holiday and faced with the immediate and not-so-welcome prospect of going back to work from the very next day onwards (somewhat the same feeling as at the end of the school holidays), I was very keen to make the most of our last day and play and enjoy this course. Additionally, the last time I had visited Sri Lanka, only 11 of its 18 holes were open for play and it is only in April this year (2007) that all 18 holes were readied.
Located in the Capital City of Sri Jayawardenepura, a mere 20 minutes drive from the Colombo city centre, this is a massive MICE resort facility set in about 200 odd acres of lush green landscape and targeted at Corporates, Institutions and the Wedding business.
The Emerald Green Island of Sri Lanka numbers just Four Golf Courses amongst its varied attractions, two of these being in Colombo proper; the traditional and classy Royal Colombo Golf Club and Water’s Edge with the other two being Victoria in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in the Hill country respectively. However, each of these four courses embodies considerable differences in character and “feel”.
Adjoining the luxurious club house and spa etc at Water’s Edge is an 18 hole, par 72, 6500 odd yard golf course. Apparently this entire area was a lowland swamp in the not too distant past and this fact can readily be believed if one were to consider the extensive water bodies all over the course.
My friend Jehan had very kindly arranged with his Brother Senaka and two other friends, Raju Chandiram and Chanaka (fondly known as Casper the Friendly Ghost), to take me around Water’s edge. The round was great fun, though pretty chaotic for all of us in the foursome comprising the three Merry Islanders and myself.
Playing off the black markers, the first hole is an interesting Par 4 360 yard devil, with a water body ahead and another long strip of water between the fairway and the green, where the ideal play would be to lay up and smoothly cross the strip to get on the green for a decent score.
Senaka having kindly purloined a beautiful set of his father’s clubs (a complete set of forgiving Taylor made R7 Irons, an dreamboat of an Odyssey 2 Ball Putter, a couple of Oil Can finish Cleveland Wedges, a Ping Rapture Rescue, a Regular Flex Ping G 2 Driver with the additional choice of a wicked Nike SQ monster, I was completely spoiled for choice and it certainly would be very bad form to blame my scores on the tools given to me!)
I observed here that after holing out, it was a bit of a walk to the next tee, which went on to a longing 376 yard par 4 where the urge was to pull out the Big Dog, to complete, un-utterable, indubitable destruction!
The fourth hole of Water’s Edge is a lively Par 3 of some 214 yards – with the Wind in evidence that afternoon, some of us hauled off and trashed the ball with the Three wood but electing to play carefully, I preferred a four Iron, but only for a bogey unfortunately.
All sorts of dangers abounded on this course, not the least of which were the bulrushes abutting almost all the fairways – fuelled and fed by the abundance of water, these serve as superbly laid lurking traps for the wayward balls which most of us are guilty of clobbering.
Meandering along laughing, joking and generally having ourselves an afternoon of fun, I don’t think any of the four of us would willingly confess to the scores we racked up on our cards. Even our caddies were surreptitiously sworn to silence lest they unwittingly let the cats out of the bags!
There is really no signature hole as such on this course – it having been entirely designed by the firm of architects who were instrumental in building the main resort itself, but having said that, with the exception of the excessive criss-cross which could prove a bit of a walk, the course itself is scenically very beautiful and a near perfect setting for a leisurely round where time means nothing.
Moving up to the 8th hole, another Par 3 of 142 yards, we found ourselves faced with the usual water and rushes but didn’t do too badly with Bogey, considering…
The front nine ends quite close to the clubhouse, with a bit of a walk up from there to the actual terrace, where we sat for a while, sipping a soft drink and giving our caddies a drink too.
Then it was on to the second half of the course, wherein the 10th hole lies completely in a different direction and the whole back nine bears a completely different aspect to the front. For all of us it was completely unknown territory, since as mentioned before only 11 holes were first opened and the remaining 7 were opened for play only in April 2007. Consequently, all of us were playing that bit for the first time and making if I may say so, pretty much the same wrong judgements of club and distance.
The feel of the round was more like a familiarization exercise than anything else – however, this fact was more than compensated for, by the lovely setting in which we were.
Notable on the back nine is the 15th hole, a long and difficult par 5 which Senaka and Chanaka, made par on, the rest of us having fallen prey to the various hazards that infest that area.
Indeed, at one point Raju, even informed me sotto voce that a well known reptile research scientist had even released a few baby crocodiles into the water bodies on this course and this was done some time ago. Therefore, it may well be that one of our average wayward shots, might have been found if at all, reposing in the giant maw of a fully grown Saurian! (We didn’t however; see any such denizens and I can tell you quite categorically that this knowledge served to cure completely any urge that one might have had, to chase after mis-hit golf balls!)
By way of compensation for our lost balls and generally guffy golf was the lovely sight and photo op, of a pair of beautiful “Blue Coot”, water fowl, which were flapping about in one of the Water bodies along the Fairway. Apparently Water’s Edge is home to several varied species of birdlife, which will delight the nature and wildlife enthusiast. I’ve never seen this particular species before and they are really very pretty I may tell you.
The mantle of darkness was coming upon us as we were going over to the 17th which is a 193 yard Par 3, ideally met with a Three Wood if one is an accurate hitter or with a Number four if one wishes to control the ball better. At least this wasn’t a complete botch up!
The 18th and final hole is another long Par 4 of 441 yards – tough, because one has to again carry some water on one’s second shot, though the fairway is wide enough for a Driver off the Tee. With the fast failing light and the 18th green being lit up by the reflected lights of the clubhouse garden lamps, we finished a rather long round of over four and a half hours.
Meeting Mr. Billimoria, the amiable Pro, at the clubhouse, we were told a few home truths about this course – it would certainly not seem so daunting if one were to play percentage golf, carefully using one’s irons off the tees rather than horsing around with the Big Drivers etc. In hind sight (as with most other things in life), I realize that if one were to play humble as it were, one would be able to play to one’s handicap or even better it because though long and winding, the course per se is not really a monster!
Having said all this, I still do believe that it would be difficult to stage a tournament here, like for example the Sri Lankan Airlines Golf Classic, which has over 200 golfers on shotgun start on the course at any given time, because of the huge amount of criss-crossing that one has to contend with.
However, it would still prove to be an interesting and worthwhile challenge if they were to at least stage one of the practice rounds here, to show all those International Wolves that a healthy respect for Water bodies and the bulrushes at the Water’s Edge (Pun Intended), is absolutely necessary, for low scores!
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Army Golf Course Bangalore - Thoughts
Some thoughts and suggestions for the ASC Golf Course, Bangalore.
I have been fortunate to experience the kind hospitality of many different golf clubs and top class golf courses around the Globe by virtue of my IGU membership and of course, as a keen traveller, golfer and hobbyist golf writer.
Several friends of mine and I play golf regularly at the ASC Golf Course in Bangalore and indeed, have been playing here over the last few years with a great deal of enjoyment. IGU members have access to this course and are able to play here by paying the applicable Green Fees and of course the relevant Caddy fees etc.
Indeed, in my memory of the ASC golf course, unlike the BGC and KGA (which are also far more crowded), there has always been much gentlemanly camaraderie and give and take here between various groups of golfers in terms of courteously letting faster groups through, accommodating other keen golfers who may not sometimes have a regular playing partner with them or those golfers who have been stood up by their partners or what have you!
Indeed, it is to be commended and appreciated that, albeit in an unspoken, un-stated manner, the ASC course has always visibly had many of the old value systems stay very easily in place, a fact largely due to the decorous Army culture.
Now the Green fees charged by ASC have gone up by over 60% in one fell swoop a couple of months ago. I may mention that one is yet frankly to really see any real and tangible results at the course since this raise, given the standard of maintenance of this course and the facilities provided there at the moment. However, given today’s economic situation and the relative value of the rupee, no one grudges this at all, even remotely. Indeed, like is the norm all over the World, most of the IGU golfers playing here even tip the poor ASC caddies a bit over the norm as a simple gesture of appreciation and gratitude for what can be a rather trying job (for the caddies of course)!
As a regular golfer on this course, I would definitely consider myself amongst its more outspoken well-wishers and would therefore like to suggest certain small pointers which could be taken into account to ensure that those who use this course continue to enjoy it and at the same time, with the growing popularity of this game, more people take it up.
The Turf cut from the KGA whose course is undergoing a major overhaul has been brought in (donated by KGA) to the ASC. However, this turf has been placed all over the ASC course in a rather haphazard and unscientific manner without even the benefit of the staff having prepared the ground adequately to accept new turf. This fact, combined with the complete lack of water resources in this dry season, will seal the NON - SURVIVAL of this turf, as anyone with common sense will be able to see!
Ideally, in this season, the turf should be carefully nurtured in a typical plantation -type hessian covered nursery, so as to ensure diffused, controlled, indirect sunlight. The turf should be watered frequently to ensure its preservation, till the root formation process takes place. In tandem, the course should be prepared by digging wherever required and placing proper growth promoters and fertile soil.
The actual placement of the strips of turf should be planned properly at the right places on the fairways, where a well hit ball is likely to land, in order to ensure the proper and valuable deployment of this excellent turf!
Similar to the other good clubs, the ASC could have a simple caddy line up (looper) system with a caddy master cum starter, who completely controls the movements of all the caddies.
At the moment, I’m sure a lot of people will agree that it is rather haphazard and unlike anywhere else, it is not on a first come first served basis; indeed the caddies run rapidly after those golfers from whom they think they will gain most by way of tips! While at the caddie’s level, tips are all important, this “running after tips” is a fact which can get rather irritating for the Senior Serving Officer Golfers who play here regularly, as also for the equally important Early Bird Golfers, who are forced to wait for no fault of theirs! After all, time is a valuable commodity in today’s world and must definitely be respected.
A way around this could be that Caddy Fees at acceptable levels for a 9 hole round or 18 hole round as applicable, are collected at the start along with the Green Fees and paid to the caddies at the end of the round by the starter.
In addition, there could be a simple caddy welfare drop box introduced, to which golfers are encouraged to contribute a “little something” over and above the regular caddy fees and whose contents are shared between all those caddies on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
The manners of the starter and some of the full and regular members, sometimes leaves much to be desired, as also the etiquette of some of our playing compatriots. Just imagine our chagrin when recently, some of us were told by the starter at ASC (who indeed is NOT the regular starter), that any “Guests” including all IGU members and “suchlike” would only be allowed on the course at a time suitable to the ASC management and full members, when until now, it has been on a purely first come -first served basis, which system has worked quite well. Bearing what I have said above in mind, this state of affairs seems rather ironic, especially considering that the current President of IGU is General J.J. Singh, the Chief of Army Staff!
Let it be quite clear that those who do play at ASC either play as full and regular members, OR, via their IGU memberships by paying the normal green fees. It is a documented fact that as per the rules and bye-law’s of IGU, those members who have paid green fees and registered for a round at any of the IGU affiliated clubs, are deemed to be and considered as full-fledged members of the club for the duration of the round and thus, entitled to the use of all the normal club facilities during that time.
Thus, it would be quite fair and correct to state that the ASC Course and its full and regular members are really not doing the IGU members any great favour by allowing them to use the course – it is a simple commercial transaction which most definitely benefits the course considerably in terms of revenue gains, word of mouth publicity and is a working system which has hitherto been handled in a decent and gentlemanly manner as befitting the ideals of Golf, the “Gentleman’s Game”! After all, it is the people frequenting it that make or break any place!
Of course, it goes without saying that the rules, regulations, decorum, manners and other etiquette of the game, the club and the course need to be adhered to, which I am sure everyone would be happy to follow.
It would genuinely be nice if the ASC Golf Authorities would please take these views into account so as to enable the continued conviviality of this game and an enjoyable atmosphere at the Army Golf Course for all the regular golfers there!
I have been fortunate to experience the kind hospitality of many different golf clubs and top class golf courses around the Globe by virtue of my IGU membership and of course, as a keen traveller, golfer and hobbyist golf writer.
Several friends of mine and I play golf regularly at the ASC Golf Course in Bangalore and indeed, have been playing here over the last few years with a great deal of enjoyment. IGU members have access to this course and are able to play here by paying the applicable Green Fees and of course the relevant Caddy fees etc.
Indeed, in my memory of the ASC golf course, unlike the BGC and KGA (which are also far more crowded), there has always been much gentlemanly camaraderie and give and take here between various groups of golfers in terms of courteously letting faster groups through, accommodating other keen golfers who may not sometimes have a regular playing partner with them or those golfers who have been stood up by their partners or what have you!
Indeed, it is to be commended and appreciated that, albeit in an unspoken, un-stated manner, the ASC course has always visibly had many of the old value systems stay very easily in place, a fact largely due to the decorous Army culture.
Now the Green fees charged by ASC have gone up by over 60% in one fell swoop a couple of months ago. I may mention that one is yet frankly to really see any real and tangible results at the course since this raise, given the standard of maintenance of this course and the facilities provided there at the moment. However, given today’s economic situation and the relative value of the rupee, no one grudges this at all, even remotely. Indeed, like is the norm all over the World, most of the IGU golfers playing here even tip the poor ASC caddies a bit over the norm as a simple gesture of appreciation and gratitude for what can be a rather trying job (for the caddies of course)!
As a regular golfer on this course, I would definitely consider myself amongst its more outspoken well-wishers and would therefore like to suggest certain small pointers which could be taken into account to ensure that those who use this course continue to enjoy it and at the same time, with the growing popularity of this game, more people take it up.
The Turf cut from the KGA whose course is undergoing a major overhaul has been brought in (donated by KGA) to the ASC. However, this turf has been placed all over the ASC course in a rather haphazard and unscientific manner without even the benefit of the staff having prepared the ground adequately to accept new turf. This fact, combined with the complete lack of water resources in this dry season, will seal the NON - SURVIVAL of this turf, as anyone with common sense will be able to see!
Ideally, in this season, the turf should be carefully nurtured in a typical plantation -type hessian covered nursery, so as to ensure diffused, controlled, indirect sunlight. The turf should be watered frequently to ensure its preservation, till the root formation process takes place. In tandem, the course should be prepared by digging wherever required and placing proper growth promoters and fertile soil.
The actual placement of the strips of turf should be planned properly at the right places on the fairways, where a well hit ball is likely to land, in order to ensure the proper and valuable deployment of this excellent turf!
Similar to the other good clubs, the ASC could have a simple caddy line up (looper) system with a caddy master cum starter, who completely controls the movements of all the caddies.
At the moment, I’m sure a lot of people will agree that it is rather haphazard and unlike anywhere else, it is not on a first come first served basis; indeed the caddies run rapidly after those golfers from whom they think they will gain most by way of tips! While at the caddie’s level, tips are all important, this “running after tips” is a fact which can get rather irritating for the Senior Serving Officer Golfers who play here regularly, as also for the equally important Early Bird Golfers, who are forced to wait for no fault of theirs! After all, time is a valuable commodity in today’s world and must definitely be respected.
A way around this could be that Caddy Fees at acceptable levels for a 9 hole round or 18 hole round as applicable, are collected at the start along with the Green Fees and paid to the caddies at the end of the round by the starter.
In addition, there could be a simple caddy welfare drop box introduced, to which golfers are encouraged to contribute a “little something” over and above the regular caddy fees and whose contents are shared between all those caddies on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
The manners of the starter and some of the full and regular members, sometimes leaves much to be desired, as also the etiquette of some of our playing compatriots. Just imagine our chagrin when recently, some of us were told by the starter at ASC (who indeed is NOT the regular starter), that any “Guests” including all IGU members and “suchlike” would only be allowed on the course at a time suitable to the ASC management and full members, when until now, it has been on a purely first come -first served basis, which system has worked quite well. Bearing what I have said above in mind, this state of affairs seems rather ironic, especially considering that the current President of IGU is General J.J. Singh, the Chief of Army Staff!
Let it be quite clear that those who do play at ASC either play as full and regular members, OR, via their IGU memberships by paying the normal green fees. It is a documented fact that as per the rules and bye-law’s of IGU, those members who have paid green fees and registered for a round at any of the IGU affiliated clubs, are deemed to be and considered as full-fledged members of the club for the duration of the round and thus, entitled to the use of all the normal club facilities during that time.
Thus, it would be quite fair and correct to state that the ASC Course and its full and regular members are really not doing the IGU members any great favour by allowing them to use the course – it is a simple commercial transaction which most definitely benefits the course considerably in terms of revenue gains, word of mouth publicity and is a working system which has hitherto been handled in a decent and gentlemanly manner as befitting the ideals of Golf, the “Gentleman’s Game”! After all, it is the people frequenting it that make or break any place!
Of course, it goes without saying that the rules, regulations, decorum, manners and other etiquette of the game, the club and the course need to be adhered to, which I am sure everyone would be happy to follow.
It would genuinely be nice if the ASC Golf Authorities would please take these views into account so as to enable the continued conviviality of this game and an enjoyable atmosphere at the Army Golf Course for all the regular golfers there!
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