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Course in Ooty
Ooty Golf Course
 The
Ooty golf course follows the soft contours of downland, with
its tonsured effect of tree-bare heights, ringed with gorse
and thickly wooded copses of eucalyptus, oak, rhododendron and
fir in the hollows. The course is surrounded by the thickly
wooded Avalanch Range.
The altitude of 7,600feet, a few degrees above the equator,
provides a combination of light and thin air which is a near
intoxicant, and the ball travels much further than it would
in the plains because of the rarefied atmosphere. The Ooty golf
course is not only scenic but also quite trying, and it would
be wise for the visitor to play only nine of the 18 holes on
the first day.
Nine of the 18 holes on the Ooty course are blind in that you
cannot see the green from the tee because of the undulating
landscape. Guide posts fixed on the intervening ridges give
the player the necessary directions. The most gruelling hole
on this course is the fifth, all uphill and a good 200 feet
higher. But the green is rewarding, with a breathtaking view
across the hill ranges. The most exciting green is undoubtedly
the 13th. It's here that the player could be interrupted by
the baying of hounds as he bumps into a fox hunt in progress.
Dating back to 1847, the Ooty hunt has carried on uninterrupted,
and Class I foxhounds and beagles are still bred and trained
here.
The Ooty fairways are lush but tight, and the greens are large
and well maintained. A unique feature of the Ooty greens is
the fencing that protects them from the wild animals that occasionally
stroll on the course. In fact, a pug mark or a hoof print is
a free lift! Where could anyone play more challenging golf?
Crowning the Nilgiri mountains in the south of India is the
town of Ooty, as Ootacamund is more popularly known. Viewed
from Coimbatore (89 km), the blue mountains, as the Nilgiris
literally denote, seem to be permanently enveloped in blue.
This could be brought about by the large number of gum trees
that dot the mountain side, or by the gentle mist, which is
so characteristic of the local weather. Ooty, at an altitude
of 2,286 meters, is characterised by gently undulating downs
and neatly planted tea gardens. It was Ooty's Wenlock Downs
that caught the eye of Col. Ross Thompson, who wasted no time
in converting the spectacular area into a golf course, and founded
the Ootacamund Gymkhana Club in 1896. The Wenlock Downs closely
resemble the South Downs of Sussex, complete with yellow flowered
prickly gorse bushes.
| Ooty
Golf Course Highlights |
Year
of Foundation : 1896 (incorporated). Became 'greens'
in 1929 a Ross Thompson designed golf course.
Altitude : 7,600 feet
Open : Round the year
No. of Holes : 18
Distance Ladies : 5,125 yards
Distance Gentlemen : 6,074 yards
Par : 70
Additional Facilities : Bar & restaurant, table
tennis, card room, billiards.
Accommodation : Six huts; annexe with ten rooms. |
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