The slippery, narrow road winding up from the last foothill town of Kathgodam to the upper reaches of the Kumaon hills is hardly the motoring equivalent of a walk in the park. Earlier in the night, after we left Delhi, the monsoon?which seems to have given the Capital a miss?decided to dispense with the niceties and showered down uninterrupted fusillades of its fury all the way through the hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. We had been warned?the monsoon is hardly a conducive time to drive to the hills?and the chances of actually getting a sunny day to get in a round of golf looked pretty bleak. Our agenda was simple enough: avoid the multitudes rushing towards the historic (but hopelessly over-visited) hill station of Nainital, and take instead a circuitous route via the lake town of Bhimtal, passing by Mukteshwar and eventually ending up in Ranikhet. From this old cantonment town, still a picture of perfect idyll, it?s possible to get unobstructed views of the magnificent Panchachuli peaks. And here, since pre-independence days, the Kumaon regiment of the Indian military has impeccably maintained a picturesque 18-hole layout.
At Bhimtal, just over 23 km into the climb, we are pulled over by a police car. ?Where are you headed?? asks the man in khaki. Hearing about our intention to take the old road to Mukteshwar, he shakes his head. ?I would not advise that. There?s a very high chance of landslides in this weather and you could get stuck. Stick around town for the night and try your luck tomorrow.? August is low season and there is no paucity of accommodation in small-town Naukuchiatal. We shack up in Camp Exile, getting to which (quite appropriately) involves driving down a narrow dirt track to nowhere. ?My closest neighbour is about 500 m away,? reveals camp owner Pratish Ram with obvious relish. Ram, a city slicker turned adventure-tour operator, set up the camp a couple of years back after taking stock of his life in the rat race. ?I love it here, and if it?s all right with everyone else, I?ll skip the bit involving fancy cars and nights on the town.?
The drive to Ranikhet is three hours via Bhowali, but twice that by the meandering route we decide to take. With the rain still falling the next morning, we turn into the back road for Mukteshwar after the village of Mehragaon (on the main road to the junction town of Bhowali). Not too many people go by this way any more?too long, too narrow and not very well-maintained. A shame because it?s easily one of the most picturesque routes in Kumaon. Running through an old oak and pine forest, with more birds than you?ll see in a year in the city, it?s one of those roads where you turn the stereo off, cease talking and roll back the sunroof on your sedan to remind yourself that golf or no golf, this is why you?re here.
Past Mukteshwar, the road winds to the right and snow-clad peaks come into view. Arriving at Ranikhet just in time to fit in an afternoon round, we go past the cantonment and reach the Kumaon Regiment Environment Park & Training Area (KREPTA), about 4 km out of town. The looming clouds have miraculously parted and we?re presented with an unlikely window to tee it up. The KREPTA is not a classic layout. Nor is the quality of fairways and greens (?browns? in this instance) comparable to modern courses. But as you tee it up with a brisk mountain breeze blowing through your hair, and the snow-capped peaks in the background, all that pales into insignificance. The course is essentially a nine-hole layout with alternative tees for the back nine. Tall pine trees come into the line of play on most holes, and the browns are small targets, putting a premium on accuracy. Because of the undulating fairways, there aren?t too many level lies. And distance is hard to judge?at least the first time around.
?The forest comes into play on a number of holes and you really don?t have a shot if you get into the forest. You have to be really particular about selecting your landing areas because the ball bounces with the slope and even a well-struck shot can land up out-of-bounds,? says Prakash Tamta, a regular at the course and a scratch handicapper.
But the golf is really quite secondary on this course, for the views are spectacular from almost any spot. The 395-yard second hole (a dogleg par-5) is surprisingly challenging, with a second shot that must clear high pines. Drive it too far up and you?ve got no chance of getting near the green in two. Equally challenging is the 150-yard sixth, but only because it?s impossible to keep your gaze on the ball when the view at the back is as panoramic as you?re ever likely to see on any golf course in India.
The back nine is dramatically different because of the multiple tees; it doesn?t feel like a repeat of the front nine. Putting is a breeze as most of the browns have a flat surface. The KREPTA experience is made even more pleasant by the welcoming attitude of the staff (surprising for a military-run golf club, where civilians are almost always treated like poorer cousins). There are fabulous views of the Panchachuli peaks of the Himalayas, while giving visitors a genuine golfing experience. The course has green fairways, but sand ?browns? instead of greens for water conservation and easy maintenance. You do need to be properly attired, though (collared tee, trousers and golf shoes)?there are adequate changing facilities in the clubhouse. At R300 for a round, KREPTA offers more smiles-per-rupee than you could hope for anywhere in the city. I wouldn?t recommend driving up there during the monsoon, but with autumn next door, there?s no better time to head out.
A golfer, Meraj Shah also writes about the game