Golfing at Coimbatore

Coimbatore is one of India’s largest centers for cotton manufacturing and has been this way for years. The relatively cool climate at the Nilgiris foothills provides a welcome change from the humidity of Chennai. Being one of the business centers of the country and especially so during the British raj, it is interesting that there was no golf course developed here until the late 1980s.

The pride and joy of the golf ourse... its greens

The Coimbatore Golf Club history is unique; in fact it could well be the oldest private club in South India. The golf course was created by a few enterprising local gentlemen who decided that the city would benefit from a good golf course closer to Coimbatore, rather than having to travel up to Coonoor or Ooty. They believed it would improve tourism in the area, especially as this was inherently a business town and golf is regarded as a business and recreational sport.

The Coimbatore golf club is spread over 90 acres; unfortunately it is almost 20km from the city which makes access to the property difficult. The course is very well laid out with rolling fairways that are lined with trees (there are some trees in the middle of the fairway that can be tiresome for the golfer!). The greens are the pride and joy of the course and feature bent grass and are some of the quickest in the South. The hidden breaks on the greens make this course more challenging. The fairways on the other hand feature a mix of a local grass. They have limited maintenance due to cost pressures, but for the most part they are mowed and relatively playable. There are not too many hazards on this course and the fairways are open, so getting to the green is no problem; the real challenge is putting the ball in the cup!

The trees are a very familiar sight on the course

Over the years the course has been through tough times. Unfortunately the distance from the city has not worked in its favor. Not many members visit the course during weekdays. The green fees are pretty steep for affiliated members, so guest visits as well have begun to slow down.  This course has a history and reputation with the people of Coimbatore but now it needs major rejuvenation. It is one of the most beautiful with peacocks and peahens roaming the fairways. It even hosts one of the most unique tournaments, the Coimbatore Open, where the winner is given a grey jacket, in similar fashion as the masters.

The course now is facing competition from a new development project, the Kovai Hills Golf Course which is being developed much closer to the city. The club needs to reinvent itself to combat this new difficulty. In the future I hope this club will innovate to attract more golfers locally and out of state, perhaps even lowering the green fees. The course already has a place in the hearts of the people and this can be leveraged.

The next few years for this course are crucial, there is still time to rebuild its image and become the most beautiful course in Coimbatore. It would be a shame for the course, with its illustrious past, to fade away; though it will never die… it will be shadow of what it once was…