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.

Some Final Thoughts After my Visit

On this trip I was exposed to three very distinct styles of golf, and threes of the most common seen in India today; the extremely private and exclusive golf development, the association style of club, and army golf. It is interesting to see that golfing as a hobby or as an interest has always been part of the history of an area, be it in an army golf course or association style. Now there is a third dimension being added that of the luxury golf courses. In the next few years the golf industry is bound to transform as interest in the game is increasing. Barely a few years ago members of the armed forces would have laughed if their junior officers had even suggested that they wanted to learn and play golf. Now there are inter battalion tournaments and in some courses they help the officers themselves become better golfers!

Unfortunately I have slowly begun to realize that golf is heavily influenced by the area that it is in. for instance in the metros of India, developing and encouraging people to take interest in the game is much easier than if one was in a tier 3 city. On the other hand the metros also serve as a model to replicate for other cities as people tend to be aspirational and want to emulate the lifestyle they see in the metros. In either instance the sport must trickle down to encourage more participation from various sections of society, golf needs to be embraced by many other individuals. And all three styles of golfing developments can serve to do this. I am confident in the future there are going to be many more cities with such a variety of developments attached, the golf bug seems to be spreading and it is exciting to see where next it strikes!  

Poona Golf... Army Style

Golf has been a part of the history of Pune. With the Poona club being one of the oldest courses in the city along with the 3 other army courses, the EME course, NDA Course and RSI Southern Star golf course.  In fact a tournament is organized between these four courses, and is played to this day. This is one of the oldest tournament shields being played in the country. The third stop on my visit takes me to the RSI Southern Star Army golf course, one of the four in the said tournament shield.

This course was created a number of years ago during the British raj and was used only by the military stationed in the area. To this day it remains so, with only military personnel (ex service or existing officers) being allowed to use the club. However, this course does have an understanding with the members of the Pune club where a reciprocal arrangement has been created, but they are the only civilians who are allowed to the use the club.

Being a small course, some holes double back on each other

The RSI golf course is located in the cantonment area of the army and close to the residents quarters for the officers and ex service men. The course is also short in length and of a compact design. Due to the short length one is able to finish a round in a short period of time, which makes it very popular as they can easily schedule their time around golf because it takes much less time to play. The course features American blue grass on the greens and tees. This golf course has a limited number of golfers who use it, much smaller than the Poona club etc, thus maintenance of the course is very expensive. The course thus follows only basic maintenance practices and ensures the fairways have good lies, with the greens and the tees being protected.

Some of the holes on the golf course are very unique. One hole runs right next to a railway station, with numerous locomotives passing by, which is sight one does not get to see very often on a golf course. The area on which the course is constructed is an environmental park and as a result there are a variety of trees and animals that inhabit the course. This land also contributes as a major lung for the city of pune.

A view of the finishing hole of the course

Unfortunately golf is a very restricted sport in the army that is generally played by officers and some junior officers. However in recent times there has been a shift in the mind set, especially with the armies mission Olympics and golf being named as an Olympic sport. One hopes that more young talent will be nurtured and encouraged to play the game.  Currently more than 50% of all the golf courses in india are controlled by the army. this can potentially be a huge resource if more personson are allowed to use these facilities. unfortunately like the pune course, entry to the army area is restricted for civilians thus the will and the interest to encourage the game must some from within the army. This depends on the commandant and the golf secretary, and since postings are only for three years in one area continuity of policies is questionable.

As interest in golf grows the army will become more willing to let individuals learn the game and golf becoming an Olympic sport is a huge support for this idea. In the few years since, there has been an increase in participation in inter service tournaments, and even some commands have begun to organize inter battalion and regiment golf tournaments. This is extremely encouraging especially with the amount of resource the army has. 

Oxford Golf and Country Club…Raising the Bar

The second stop on my trip to Pune took me to one of the newest luxury developments in the region, the Oxford Golf and Country Club. This project is located 5 km away from the city and covers approx 1100 acres of land. It marks the first major development that is close to the city of Pune (The Sahara Amby Valley is 1.5 hours away from Pune). This project envisages a large number of villas and bungalows that will surround the golf course, with some even nestled in the surrounding hills. The project shall also feature a five star hotel and one of the largest club houses in India on over 10,000 sqft. 

One of the many tough bunkers on the course

Although in its early stage, with only the golf course completed, it is truly spectacular as it is situated on the slopes that surround the Symbiosis Campus. The course is very tight and the greens are quick which make a deadly combination. However a few holes are wide and flat, offering some respite for the golfer. There are numerous sand traps both on the fairways and the green, requiring a solid mid iron game. The course features a Pas Palim grass though the green that is well maintained by a comprehensive and mechanized course maintenance department.

The style of golf on the course is different, where only carts are used and no walking is allowed (the golf course does offer caddies and fore caddies). The main reason for this was the length of the holes and the distances between greens and subsequent tees being greater than most courses. This style of golf is new with only a few golf courses moving in this direction and it remains to be seen how successful this will be. So far this course has 65 carts and plans add at least another 50 by the end of the year. So, as one can imagine, playing the course is on the expensive side, with green fees at Rs.3000 for a guest in addition to Rs.1000 for the cart and Rs.250 for the caddie. 

An Aerial View of the Oxford Golf Course

The Oxford Golf Club showcases a new style of golfing development that is becoming more popular in India. It is and a move away from the traditional stand alone courses. However, these projects continue to make golf more exclusive especially with the higher green fees. Unfortunately, creating a golf course requires high capital cost that can only be offset if there is another activity taking place on the land besides golf. Developments such as these showcase the potential for golf in the Indian market. Golf is a new idea, a new concept and it is difficult to predict what shape or form the industry will take. Here, golf is being used to project a lifestyle that is very different to what I experienced at the Pune Club golf course.

Surrounded by the Mountains...

This development, unlike the Pune Club is very new; 2-3 years old. it is just building a reputation and an image for itself, something the Pune Club course has been able to achieve by sheer dint of being around longer.  As the project continues to take shape, I am sure it will carve out a niche for itself in the Indian golf industry. I am very keen to observe the future of this course as it sets the bar high for new courses in India. In the coming months the massive club house will be completed as well as ground breaking for the hotel and other facilities. This poses some very real competition for the likes of Aamby Valley.

The bar just keeps being raised as I visit more courses throughout this beautiful country.