1000 Awesome Things About India

At the altitude of 11,302 Feet,facing the numerous Buddhist shrines and domes this Golf Course gives you a face off with the infinte.You find yourself helpless when the gush of wind throws the ball upto 30 Ft. in air.

Kashmir offers a unique opportunity to play golf all through the summer – from April to November – in invigorating surroundings, where the wind whispers through enormous trees of chinar and stately pine.

In the verdant golf courses at Srinagar and Gulmarg, you will be able to play for longer hours than you can in the plains because of the lower temperatures – Srinagar’s highest temperature seldom goes above 35°C. The layout of both the courses, too, will delight the golfers. Srinagar has an 18-hole golf course with common fairways, and a par of 70. This course is open throughout the year, unless snowbound in winter

The course at Gulmarg is like nothing you’ve ever seen or imagined before. Situated at an altitude of 2,650 m, it is the highest green golf course anywhere in the world. The layout of the course too is strikingly different from most golf courses– the land slopes and inclines along the complete area of the course, which has a par of 72. There is history at Gulmarg for those interested. The club, started by the British who used Gulmarg as a holiday resort, first opened its doors in 1904, and a charmingly written book traces its past.

Golf is a way of life at Gulmarg. At an altitude of 2,650 m, in the heart of the world famous resort, is its rolling golf course, the highest in the world. The historic Gulmarg Golf Club was started in 1911 by the British who used the place as a holiday resort. Since then it has seen over four score years of tournaments of both amateurs and professionals, of men, women and children.

The origin of Gulmarg as the Golfing Mecca of India goes back to the late 19th century when a 6-hole course was made in 1890-91 by Colonel Neville Chamberlain - the greens were known as browns in those days. By 1896, three more holes in the nullah, below Raja Sir Amar Singh's house, were added. In 1901, the Maharaja of Kashmir donated land at Gulmarg for laying out a golf course, which came to be known as the Upper Golf Course. In 1915 a 9-hole course, also known as 'Rabbits Course' was also built. There was a separate 6-hole course for children. By the 1920s the resort was totally covered with golf courses: two 18-hole courses, the ‘Upper Course’ and the ‘Lower’ and one 9-hole middle course, which was more famous as the ‘Rabbits Course’.

Gulmarg, with its rarefied atmosphere, is natural all the way. As the ball is hit, it 'whistles' its way to the next hole. The turf, since it lies buried six to eight feet under snow for five months of the year, is soft. The greens have a combination of moss and a high variety of grass and natural slopes, which are fast to play on, and the thin air carries the ball further. Golfing at Gulmarg's 18-hole course, with a par of 72, is a unique experience.

If you are planning to visit India be sure you give this place a visit.