The
town of Udhagamandalam – or Ooty for short – was established by
the British in the early 19th century as a hill station, allowing
government officials to retreat there during the summer when the
temperatures are a little cooler at 7,000 feet above sea level.
It
serves as an Indian Army officer training centre and, as many of the
country’s golfers are military or former servicemen, the course at
Ooty is one that a large number of folk have fond memories of. It’s
reached by a switchback road or via the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, the
only rack railway operating in India.
“The
course is every bit as hilly as one might expect from the drive up,”
wrote Tom Doak in Volume V of his Confidential
Guide to Golf Courses
book. “From the very first tee, you know you’re in for a
roller-coaster ride: the tee shot on the long par-5 opener skirts
past the clubhouse just across the road, before the fairway plunges
downhill so steeply as to remind me of the 10th at Augusta.”
The
author continues: “Conditions are rough and ready: cows and buffalo
are the sole keepers of the fairways, which are marked out by blues
stones for definition…any Scotsman would vouch for Ooty as a true
outpost for the royal and ancient game. It is perhaps a better model
for golf in India than everything that has come since.”
In
the book Golf
in India: The Ultimate Golfing Guide
by Phil Ryan and Paul Reeves (2nd edition published 2011) the authors
have this to say about Ooty Golf Course:
“At
an altitude of 2,286m golfers get extra distance on a well hit ball
but the downside is that walking the sometimes steep layout you can
get tired quickly. Designed in 1896 by Col. Ross Thompson the 18-hole
golf course is a par 72 of 6235 yards and is set in the hills just
outside of Ootacamund, one of the original British Raj hill stations.
The
golf course is surrounded by forest and at dawn or dusk you may
glimpse the forest inhabitants enjoying the ambience of the course.
The golf course is… well quirky to say the least with many of the
holes having blind shots into the green, a good caddy is a must and
you must place you faith in him completely.”
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