Tashkent Lakeside

The course at Tashkent Lakeside Golf Club is a largely foreign affair; designed, constructed and operated by Koreans, as the club Chairman explains: “It was upon the suggestion of the president of Uzbekistan, on an official visit to South Korea in 1995, that the creation of a golf club was initiated. At the time I was ambassador extraordinaire of South Korea in Uzbekistan and I was approached with the proposal to realize this project.”

“From a choice of several potential areas for golf, we selected the one that corresponded to the ideal: close to the city, amongst a hilly landscape and with a unique microclimate. Famous players were regularly invited for design consultations, making use of the greenery available at the Rokhat nature reserve.”

The Lakeside course is conveniently located on the outskirts of the Uzbekistan capital, a short 20-minute drive from the city centre, and - as its name might suggest - water comes into play at more than half the holes on the scorecard, posing a significant strategic challenge at the par threes, in particular.

The toughest of these short holes is the 173-yard 17th, where tee shots are played from one side of a lake to a green perched on the other side, requiring an all-carry shot across a large expanse of water. Coming at such a crucial point so late in the round, this do-or-die hole certainly tests the mettle of golfers pegging their ball up on the penultimate tee box.