Nuwara Eliya - Sri Lanka

Besides it's age and history, this walking course only is more like a mountain trek than a golf game. A test for your cardio than your golf skills. The climbing and walking made me quit after 14 holes.

Nuwara Eliya Golf Club lies on a pristine hillside. The course is rich in tradition with over 110 year’s history. The course is short, 6,070–yard par 71 but the fairways are very tight and bordered by mature trees and thick bushes, which makes it a highly challenging course with the hilly 12th, 13th and 14th holes amongst the most daunting. It also demands skilful “position play” so players can cope with uphill & downhill lies. The course is located at 1,859 meters (6100 ft.) above sea level, it is much cooler than Colombo on level ground and balls can travel some 10% farther than normal thanks to the high elevation. You can enjoy the views of Mt. Pidurutalagala which is 2,525 meters (8,300 ft.) above sea level and the highest mountain in Sri Lanka. Moreover, the views inside the course are superb, so it is worth playing here. It also features public paths & roads crossing through the golf course.

The par 4 388-yard 12th is a straight hole with a downhill tee shot and an uphill approach. The tee shot is intimidating as trees on both sides guard the tight fairway well. But in fact, the fairway opens up when you hit 230 yards or longer off the tee and the landing area is generous. The fairway slopes steeply to the right, and half of the fairway is shared with the 14th hole. The second shot is an uphill hit toward a mountain. The par 3 193-yard 13th over a ravine is challenging. The apron in front of the green falls off sharply and an approach shot from there is difficult. Bunkers and sticky rough protects the green on both sides. You need to hit the green in regulation on this challenging hole. The par 4 439-yard 14th consists of slight dogleg to the left with the downhill tee shot. You need to hit onto a narrow fairway surrounded by a forest, so a precise shot is needed. The fairway is shared with the 12th and slopes steeply to the left which is the opposite slopes on the 12th, you must hit onto the right half of the tight fairway. When you hit the tee shot to the left, you can’t aim at the green on your approach because the trees in front will block a clear view & a route to the green. To read more about Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, click here to visit my website.