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KODAIKANAL

Pleasant and imaginatively laid, golf course in Kodaikanal At an elevation of6,000 feet in the Paini Hills, surrounded by nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper groves at Kodaikanal is the Kodaikanal Golf Club. An 18 hole, par 66 course, it is laid over natural grasslands and is criss-crossed by streams.

One of the oldest clubs, the Kodaikanal Golf Club was founded in the year 1895 with a paltry 30 members. The fun loving British were the architects of the course; the course and the clubhouse are situated on Golflinks Road connecting the Kochi road, near the famous tourist attraction view point 'Suicide Point' or 'Green Valley View'. The course with its well furnished club house recently gave up the 19th hole, for the license was too costly. Some of the finest greens adorn the course like emeralds; one can play the full 18 holes here. The spread of the course is about 150 acres.

Today the Kodaikanal Golf Club has a membership of 360. Upto the year 1980, the course was a brown one, with only 9 holes. It was in '80 that the construction of the greens and the rest of the nine holes was taken up.

At least 50 tournaments are conducted during the year. Palani Hill Open, Veday Cup, Rudrappan Memorial Cup, Contessa Open and A V Thomas Tournament (introduced recently), are some of the major tournaments generally held between end April and the beginning of June. A par rating of 72, the course is a long-hitting course.

The jungle which runs very close to the course attracts wild animals sometimes. Wild boars are commonly sighted in herds. Tigers used to be sighted near the 6th hole, and the hole itself is named 'Tiger Hole'. Some of the other holes are also given very interesting names, depending on the challenges they offer the golfer. The 4th hole is called the Devil's Dip, for the fairway from the tee-box to the green is a solid dip, which runs on as far as one's sight can carry. The 12th hole, due to the strenuousness of the walk and the stroke, is called the 'Cardiac Hole'. A hard hitters' course, the thirteenth green is not visible from the tee box. The 15th hole, which has the longest yardage of 587 yards, needs two good shots to sight the green. The entire course takes about 3 hours to play all the holes.

Kodai is 120 km from Madurai,  which is also the nearest airport. This quaint hill resort offers some unique touristic pleasures. The centre of attraction is the star shaped lake with greenery all around. The banks offer many good picnic spots. Boating facilities are available, and a walk around the lake is an exhilarating experience. There are many more vantage points and temples worth seeing in this hill resort, and one can organise them according to the time one has on hand. Accommodation at Kodaikanal includes a number of small hotels and resorts being run by both private entrepreneurs as well as the State Tourism Department.

Golfing Notes

Altitude

6,000 feet

Open

Round the year except 15 April to 15 June

No. of Holes

18

Distance  Ladies

6,122 yards

Distance Gentlemen

6,122 yards

Par

71


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Last modified: 26/02/2004