My Journey to Explore Golf Courses in the North: First Stop Kalahaar Blues and Greens

Tucked away in Ahmadabad is a new 18 hole golf facility that hopes to become the leading golf course in the country. This is quite possible. It is the Kalahaar Blues and Greens located 20 km from the city. This golf course by Nicklaus Design and is one of the toughest courses that I have encountered. The course has very tight fairways with water in play on almost every hole. The greens are also very narrow and require accurate approach shots from the golfer. Even the bunkers are challenging as they are beach bunkers which brings the water into play even in the bunker!! Every hole demands prudent play from the golfer and any wayward shot will be punished, either from the tee or fairway.

The Large Bunkers are a standard feature on the course

 The course is currently almost ready for play, with 2 holes to be completed on the back nine. Once this course is operational it will most certainly have a shot at the title of ‘India’s Championship Golf Course’. It is safe to say that if you are below a 15 handicap, this course will be stimulating to play as it forces the golfer to carefully plan each shot. On the other hand, this could also be a potential problem.

Ahmadabad is one of the oldest cities in India with a rich historical tapestry. It is most renowned for Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram located here. Gandhi spent much of his life in the Ashram and consequently Ahmadabad was the epicenter for many skirmishes during the freedom struggle. Post-independence this city has grown steadily; in recent years benefiting greatly from initiatives launched by the Gujarat government to encourage foreign investment into state. However, the cities tryst with golf has only just begun. For many years Ahmadabad had only one private golf course, the Gulmohar Greens, located 25 km away from the city. A few years ago, the Kensville Golf and Country Club was added, located approximately 1.5 hours away from the city. The later was the first 18 hole golf course developed in Ahmadabad.

A view of the tight fairways the course offers 

The Kalahaar Blues and Greens has a distinct advantage of being relatively closer to the city than Kensville; but, is this city ready for a championship golf course when golf here is still a growing sport? Are there enough golfers (Below a 15 handicap) who can appreciate the challenge this golf course presents? These are some tough questions to answer, and only time can tell. From a golfer’s point of view it is about time this happened; this country needed a course that can be on par with the best courses in the world and attract world class players. This is a must watch course for me. I will be very interested to see how the course develops and raises the standard of golf played in India. Kalahaar Blues and Greens is going in forefront of Indian Golf soon.

As a first stop on my travels to golf courses in the North, this set the tone for the rest of the journey… Next stop: ‘Gulmohaar Greens’…

Indian Golf Expo; Feb 21-23

Over the next few days, all eyes will be on Pune as India's only golf expo gets underway. It is an opportunity for those in the industry to meet, connect and discuss common issues faced by those in the industry.

As India develops and the golf industry expands events such as these will be necessary to showcase the different golf courses and even the latest developments by Indian companies in the field of turf management and golf course development. Since golf in India is very new, events such as these are important as they help shape the future of the industry.

This is only the second year of the expo and already the issues being discussed are growing, with even more illustrious members joining the panel. A golf expo the world over is important as it helps the companies connect with their consumer, it also helps clubs connect with their potential golfer. This interaction is important for all parties, as clubs need to understand the demands of their market and from a consumers perspective it is always important for them to see where the future of the industry lies.

I have been looking forward to this event for some time and am eager to see all that is in store. This is a step in the right direction, earlier there were very limited opportunities for those in the industry to meet, unless they were members of organisations such as the PGAI, IGU, IGAI etc. This event has enabled people from various facets of the industry to be brought under one roof where they can connect with each other. In the future though I do hope many more events are organised, it would be wonderfully to have multiple trade shows for the various regions in india, because each region affects golf so differently
I urge many a golfer to participate and support such events and look forward to seeing you there!

The Indian Open

October 18^th-21^st at Karnataka Golf Association Bangalore

Golf in Bangalore will not be the same again. In what hopes to be a great boon for golf in the South, the Indian Open has made its début at the Karnataka Golf Association for the first time. Some of the best names on the Asian and European tours (along with some phenomenal desi talent) will descend onto India's first ‘silicon valley’.

This tournament is by far India’s biggest professional golfing event, it was conceived a few years ago and over the years has been gaining momentum and interest from players across the world. Just like other South East Asian nations, India has some very unique golf courses, even historic ones and it is important for large events such as these to draw attention to and golfers to these locations. There is a move afoot to rotate the location of the Indian Open. I am in favour of this because it allows different courses to experience this event, of course assuming the said golf course meets the minimum requirements set by the organizers.

Unfortunately this is the only major Indian golfing event of this scale. It is equally important to encourage more tournaments such as these. Rotating this event can help, but it begs the question, why does the entire future of Indian golf depend on this event. Can there not be many more events organized, and even the current tournaments that are played, shouldn't spectators be encouraged to view these events as well?

The effort that this tournament is making is applaud able and needs to be supported by all golfers in the across India.  I do hope people turn up in large numbers entry is free so bring your friends. This is a great showcase of what Indian Golf can be and what the future holds!

See you at the event! 

A very Interesting Golf Course....

Wellington is a small quiet outpost just outside the busy town of Conoor in the Nilgiris Mountains. This area of lush jungle provides a reprieve for residents who like a place of natural beauty reminiscent of what hill stations used to be. Earlier the area was occupied by plantation owners, and a small section of British troops. Along with them came some traditional British pass times, including golf.

The Wellington golf course was set up differently from other courses I have seen. It was a joint development between the plantation owners and the troops stationed there. The army provided the land and the plantation owners helped to develop and maintain the golf course. What makes this unique is that years after the British have left, this partnership continues. It is one of the few army courses that allow civilians to play and remain as members. Over the years the troops stationed here have greatly reduced, and only the Officers Academy remains.

Some Golfers hiking up to the Green 

It is evident that the course grew organically, as more land became available in response to demand and the number of players. This golf course is mostly a par 3 course, with a few par 4s and one par five. What is curious about this golf course is the design. It is quite evident that there was no prior planning for the interlinking of holes, and access, and comfort for the golfer. At some points one has to walk almost 300m     (through the college, across a road), to access the next hole. The course features some unique greens that are nearly vertical with steep inclines to get to them, which is a huge challenge and a great workout to get to the hole.

All said and done, it was fun to play to play here. It is unfortunately not a recognized golf course because of its design and shorter length of the holes. But as a fun round there is really nothing better. The course is kept in decent repair, with the greens protected through the year. The fairways have lost the original grass and are over run by a local zoysia variant which is more of a weed, but it is mowed down well enough to provide the golfer with a decent lie.

Another difference is that guests are allowed to use the clubhouse and play for a reasonable fee (not so in other nearby courses). Over the years the club has begun to limit the number of new members particularly civilians. This is unfortunate because this golf course displayed a unique relationship between the army and civilians; which I feel can be adapted to other army courses throughout India.

Wide Fairway, Beautiful Mountains.... Must be heaven

There are currently a little over 200 courses in India, and the army owns more than 50% of them. My thought is that the army can continue to own the course but the management can be outsourced to civilians in a partnership arrangement. This would keep the courses alive and promote the game as well. The critical part in all this is the willingness of the military to participate in such activities and their interest in developing sports such as golf. Thus far the military has been very possessive of the land they control and want to limit civilian interaction. I hope the day will come when civilians and the military can join forces in the interest to develop the greatest game ever played.

Coimbatore's Catalyst

Coimbatore has always been a popular business city. It has been the center of the textile industry in South India and after Chennai, is one of the biggest cities of Tamil Nadu. Interestingly this city never had a golf course until only recently. The Coimbatore club was only developed in the late 1980’s but was some distance from the city. There was no other choice for golfers. If they needed to play another course the nearest one was 2 hours away in Ooty. Now there will be some variety, as an international standard golf course is being created in the city and it hopes to raise the standard of golf in the city and revitalize the game in the state of Tamil Nadu.

A View of the Golf Course

Welcome to the world of the Kovai Hills Golf and Country Club. This super luxury development is slated to be one of the largest in South India and the first of its kind for any Tier 2 city. The project is spread over 1000 acres and will include an international school, super specialty hospital, multiplex and shopping mall, luxury villas and apartments, a tennis academy and one of the largest club houses in the South. And of course… the international standard 18 hole golf course.  

 The golf course will feature pas palim through the green. This is a very demanding course, which requires an accurate driver off the tee along with solid approach shots to score well. The course is also very windy which adds to the challenge and the well placed bunkers ensure any wayward shots will not be forgiven. The backdrop of the course is truly spectacular with the name sake ‘Kovai Hills’ watching over the golfer through his round. The pas palim grass adds a beautiful color to the course and makes it challenging to putt as it can hide some of the subtle breaks on the green.  The course also features a unique 9 hole executive golf course that is attached to the driving range. The golf course plans to use this to use this in its coaching program, as the par three course is more effective to train on. The course plans to leverage this and become one of the best coaching facilities in the south.

This is the second development of this nature that I have seen after the Boulder Hills Golf course. It is evident that for now the golf industry appears to be heading in the direction of luxury developments because it is expensive to have a stand alone golf facility. This development is the first of its kind in a tier two city like Coimbatore. Can a large scale development like this be successful? And is there a demand for such a golfing lifestyle? Only time will tell…

Some Stunning Visuals As One Plays Golf

In recent times the number of these luxury developments have been increasing and it is about time that the state of Tamil Nadu had a premier golfing destination. Most of the activity has been restricted to the North, with some golf courses in the south now making news with the quality of their golf course. Cities like Bangalore have always been the best known golfing destinations in the South. It is important that this has spread to other cities in different states. The Kovai Hills golf course hopes to establish itself as a premier training center and golf course and I think this could be a big boon for that cit city and state. I believe it would build interest in the city of Coimbatore, and put it on the golfing map. Coimbatore needed a catalyst to take it into the 21^st century, and why not through golf…?

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…

The Mental Side of Golf...

Golf has never been an considered a physical sport of exertion; however, the fluidity of the perfect golf swing is addictive to both professional and amateur and drives one to take the game to the next level. The interesting part is: The competition is primarily ‘You’.

Producing that perfect golf swing requires a complex coordination of muscles in the human body, ranging from the scapular muscle in the shoulder all the way to the gluteus muscle behind the quadriceps. This means the perfect golf swing is achieved by practice and repetition, (similar to improving your math… or maybe a dance step), imprinting on the mind what one hopes to achieve by sending the electrical impulses to the required muscles. Unfortunately this is not an exact science as it takes time for the brain to reinforce this coordinated movement; as a result one occasionally has a bad shot, when the brain defocuses and triggers the wrong combination of muscles. Harnessing the brain to enable the execution of a pre planned strategic shot requires training and focus beyond what the brain is normally called upon to do.

This aspect of golf has always fascinated me, where the sport is really a harnessing of one’s mind and the calmer mind is the better one to play with. Every person who has played the game reasonably well is aware of this. Unfortunately one does not really perform many mental exercises to prepare for a round, even ones as simple as running through the entire round in the mind before play. Over the years, the link between the game of golf and the ‘mental side’ has only gotten stronger, so that now even amateur golfers looking to improve their game are encouraged to harness the power of the mind.

In recent times Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) has become popular, especially in the area of self help and development. NLP utilizes the power of positive thought to encourage and bring about a positive change in behavior of an individual. This process operates at the subconscious level of the human brain and the changes made can be subtle. Yet the effect it has on ones outlook and even performance is dramatic.

Can there be a marriage of these two ideas? As a single digit handicapper, is it possible for mental training and technique to take ones game to the next level? Even for the average golfer, can a little more concentration over a putt, or a more positive outlook on a certain shot lead to more consistency, thereby positively impacting one’s game? As discussed the golf swing is a coordinated movement of a number of moving parts, with the control center in the brain. Anything that can enhance this brain control will certainly impact the attitude and physical output of the golfer in his game.

There are golfing comments, ‘not to think too much over a shot’ and ‘take ones head out of the game’ but the key to this is mental detachment is not systematically taught. Good mental training can benefit the golfer as he strives to take his game to the ‘next level’. I believe NLP could be one such idea to achieve this… Could there be any other? Golf is not about hitting that 300 yard drive once; it’s training your mind to hit that 280 yard drive 18 times in a row, right down the middle.