Shiv Kapur?s front-nine heroics during the first round of the British Open last month had Indian fans of the game in thrall. Far away from the action at clubhouses in the metros, where self-appointed experts excitedly crowded LCD screens as the Delhi golfer took the lead at the most hallowed golf tournament in the world, a different scene unfolded at the northernmost green course in the country. At the Gulmarg GC, Mohammed Sadiq, a big swarthy teaching pro, with a John Daly-inspired golf swing, was giving lessons on how to extricate the ball from thick rough?akin to the kind Kapur had to contend with at Muirfield (Scotland). ?You?ve got to keep a tighter grip than usual, and open the clubface to compensate for the club getting twisted shut by the thick grass. You?ll notice that?s the exact technique Kapur has been using at the Open!? he said to the group assembled at the driving range near the first fairway.
It was an ironic spectacle on many levels?the assembled group of tourists, drawn by the absolutely stunning Gulmarg GC, and hoping to get an introduction to the game, had probably never heard of Kapur, nor did they know anything about the Open. Yet here they were, at what is, indisputably, the most authentic Scottish links-style layout in the land, and established, appropriately, by the British, getting a lesson on how to play links golf.
Sitting inside the historic clubhouse of the Gulmarg GC, and glancing at the fading wooden panels on the walls, which carry names of the club?s medal-round winners over the years, is a bit like getting an insight into the origins of the game in the country. The clubhouse was built not long after colonel Robert Neville Chamberlain of the British Army arrived in Gulmarg in 1890, and laid out six holes after deciding that the contours of the valley lent themselves ideally for a links-style layout. And now, after a recent remodelling and addition of nine holes by course designer Ranjit Nanda, the Gulmarg GC, is amongst the most spectacular courses in the country, possibly the world, to tee it up at. At 7,505 yards, including the 665 yard par-5 fourth hole, coupled with the elevated tees, up and down fairways, and penalising rough, it presents a severe test of physical and golfing abilities. Sadiq told me that I?m the first person to have gone around all 18 holes in a while. ?It?s a long course, and most people don?t play more than nine,? he said, while reminiscing about the last time a corporate tournament?the Express Powergolf organised by The Indian Express?had brought a large group of golfers to this course, which now barely sees one or two groups tee off in a day.
It?s a travesty that?s repeated in Kashmir. And nowhere more so than at the Lidder Valley Golf Club in Pahalgam. Considering the paucity of quality golf courses in this country, it?s downright astonishing to find a layout of this calibre in a small resort town, where less than a dozen people tee it up daily. The setting is visually spectacular?the fairways wind up and down undulating hillocks and around a smattering of water bodies all within a pristine forested area, surrounded by peaks of the middle Himalayas. The course is so pretty that it?s hard to keep your mind on the game. This course, also designed by Nanda, features possibly the narrowest fairway in the country?a five-yard wide opening to the long par 3 third hole, and glassy greens?as quick as you?re likely to find on any championship layout in the country. The challenge is made even more piquant by ravens on the course that fly away with your golf ball every chance they get?a fore-caddy is absolutely essential. For sheer location and natural beauty, this course defies imagination?a golfing Xanadu, no less.
Phil Mickelson?s dream run on the back-nine on the final day of the Open was the hot topic of the day as I signed off my golf trip to Kashmir at the Royal Springs GC in Srinagar. Indisputably the jewel in the crown in India?s golfing firmament and dramatically poised between the Zabarwan range and the legendary Dal Lake in Srinagar, this Robert Trent Jones Jr creation takes its name from the ?Chashme Shahi? (royal springs), which adjoin the course. The springs, surrounded by an exquisite walled garden, were prized sources of fresh water during the reign of Mughal emperor Jehangir and exist to this day. The course, situated at an altitude of 6,445 ft, was carved out of a deciduous forest and fruit orchards, which ensconce the elaborate 300-acre layout. The setting imbues the course with a rolling landscape, natural marsh and wilderness. The magnificent ruins of Pari Mahal overlook the course and are best seen while walking the 14th fairway. Royal Springs GC is located adjacent to the palace of the erstwhile maharaja of Kashmir, which is now a five-star hotel. History, golf, and magnificent vistas come together to make a round at the RSGC so much more than just a golfing experience.
This narration would be incomplete without a mention of the defunct golf course of Sanasar, which I stumbled on to on my way back to Jammu. Located about 19 km from Patnitop, Sanasar is a small hidden valley with an alpine-esque meadow, which a bureaucrat decided to fashion into a golf course a decade or so back. This lovely natural layout has since fallen into disrepair: The overgrown greens lie futilely barricaded against cows and sheep, which graze on the course, while children can be found playing cricket and galloping horses on the fairways. In any other country, the natural setting of the course?on a clear day, the snow-clad peaks are within kissing distance?would have made a tee-time here much sought after.The potential for golf, in this troubled state, is mind-boggling.
A golfer, Meraj Shah also writes about the game