Kodaikanal Golf Club
Encyclopedia
Kodaikanal Golf Club is a private membership club with a 18 hole, par 71 Golf course
. It is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest from the center of Kodaikanal
in Tamil Nadu
, South India
at an elevation of 2220 metres (7,283.5 ft).
The club is on Golf links Road near the popular view point 'Suicide Point' (Green Valley View) and 3 kilometres (2 mi) before the 'Pillar Rocks' viewpoint and flower garden.
This club is notable for its age and the wildlife
frequently seen on the course. The club logo is two crossed golf clubs behind an indian tiger on a round yellow field, framed with "Kodaikanal Golf Club * Play the Game" imprinted in white on a dark green border.
to rotate between an Indian, an American and a Commonwealth citizen. This tradition continued until the late 70's, when the local expatriate
population diminished. Originally there were only 9 holes and the putting surfaces were browns. In the early fifties the course was extended to 18 holes. In 1986 the putting surfaces were relaid with greens.
The clubhouse, named the Centenary Building, was built in 1995.
The Kodaikanal Golf club is a private membership club with over 600 members.
The club has a range of facilities available for the recreation, entertainment and comfort of its guests. The main facility is the 18 hole golf course described below. There is a practice net for driving practice and a designated putting practice area.
Inside the clubhouse, for group activities there is a 12 seat conference room
, a card game
s room, a billiards
Room, a members lounge with fireplace, a BYOB
bar and a dining hall
. For members visiting from a distance, there is lodging
available, including 2 super deluxe rooms, 2 deluxe rooms and 2 standard rooms.
or take lessons before they play here. The course is closed April 15 to June 15.
This 18 hole, par 71 course covers about 150 acres (60.7 ha). Total length of the course is 6426 yards (5,875.9 m) Some holes have interesting alternative names, depending on the challenges they offer to golfers. The 4th hole is also called the Devil's Dip, as the fairway from the tee-box to the green is a solid dip, which runs on as far as the eye can see. The 6th hole is named Tiger Hole because Tigers used to be sighted near it. The 12th hole is called the Cardiac Hole, due to the strenuousness of the walk. A "hard hitters" course, the 13th Twister green is not visible from the tee box. The 15th hole (New Long'un) which has the longest yardage of 587 yards (536.8 m), needs two long shots to sight the green.
It takes about 3 hours to play the entire course.
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. It is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest from the center of Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
at an elevation of 2220 metres (7,283.5 ft).
The club is on Golf links Road near the popular view point 'Suicide Point' (Green Valley View) and 3 kilometres (2 mi) before the 'Pillar Rocks' viewpoint and flower garden.
This club is notable for its age and the wildlife
Wildlife of Tamil Nadu
There are about 2000 vertebrate species that are found in Tamil Nadu, South India. The protected areas of Tamil Nadu provide safe habitat for these species.-Mammals:The mammals found in Tamil Nadu include the...
frequently seen on the course. The club logo is two crossed golf clubs behind an indian tiger on a round yellow field, framed with "Kodaikanal Golf Club * Play the Game" imprinted in white on a dark green border.
History
The club was established on June 17, 1895 by twelve British golfers. They were also the architects of the course. In the early years, members were British and American civil servants and missionaries. During the fifties it became a club tradition for the annual CaptaincyChief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
to rotate between an Indian, an American and a Commonwealth citizen. This tradition continued until the late 70's, when the local expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
population diminished. Originally there were only 9 holes and the putting surfaces were browns. In the early fifties the course was extended to 18 holes. In 1986 the putting surfaces were relaid with greens.
The clubhouse, named the Centenary Building, was built in 1995.
Facilities
The club has a range of facilities available for the recreation, entertainment and comfort of its guests. The main facility is the 18 hole golf course described below. There is a practice net for driving practice and a designated putting practice area.
Inside the clubhouse, for group activities there is a 12 seat conference room
Conference hall
A conference hall or conference room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even hospitals, have one. Sometimes other rooms are modified for large...
, a card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
s room, a billiards
English billiards
English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated, is a hybrid form of carom and pocket billiards played on a billiard table. Billiards is less well known as "the English game", "the all-in game" and "the common game".The game is for...
Room, a members lounge with fireplace, a BYOB
BYOB
BYOB is an acronym most commonly meant to stand for "bring your own bottle", "bring your own booze" "bring your own bucket" or "bring your own beer"....
bar and a dining hall
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
. For members visiting from a distance, there is lodging
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
available, including 2 super deluxe rooms, 2 deluxe rooms and 2 standard rooms.
Golf Course
Non-members are allowed to play the full 18 holes by becoming temporary members or by paying the required green fees. Non-members must have a handicapGolf handicap
A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer's playing ability based on the tees played for a given course. It is used to calculate a net score from the number of strokes actually played, thus allowing players of different proficiency to play against each other on somewhat equal terms...
or take lessons before they play here. The course is closed April 15 to June 15.
This 18 hole, par 71 course covers about 150 acres (60.7 ha). Total length of the course is 6426 yards (5,875.9 m) Some holes have interesting alternative names, depending on the challenges they offer to golfers. The 4th hole is also called the Devil's Dip, as the fairway from the tee-box to the green is a solid dip, which runs on as far as the eye can see. The 6th hole is named Tiger Hole because Tigers used to be sighted near it. The 12th hole is called the Cardiac Hole, due to the strenuousness of the walk. A "hard hitters" course, the 13th Twister green is not visible from the tee box. The 15th hole (New Long'un) which has the longest yardage of 587 yards (536.8 m), needs two long shots to sight the green.
| Hole | Name | Gents | Ladies | Par | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yards | metres | yards | metres | |||
| 1 | Old Long'un | 350 | 320 | 292 | 267 | 4 |
| 2 | Plateau | 218 | 199.3 | 203 | 185.6 | 3 |
| 3 | Hoping | 231 | 211.2 | 184 | 168.2 | 3 |
| 4 | Devil's Pit | 383 | 350.2 | 333 | 304.5 | 4 |
| 5 | Pulpit | 322 | 294.4 | 260 | 237.7 | 4 |
| 6 | Tiger | 441 | 403.3 | 372 | 340.2 | 4 |
| 7 | Hill Side | 489 | 447.1 | 462 | 422.5 | 5 |
| 8 | Punch Bowl | 167 | 152.7 | 161 | 147.2 | 3 |
| 9 | Pimples | 496 | 453.5 | 458 | 418.8 | 5 |
| 10 | Saddle | 304 | 278 | 244 | 223.1 | 4 |
| 11 | Overhill | 162 | 148.1 | 145 | 132.6 | 3 |
| 12 | Sentinel | 256 | 234.1 | 226 | 206.7 | 4 |
| 13 | Twister | 344 | 314.6 | 302 | 276.1 | 4 |
| 14 | Majestic | 175 | 160 | 171 | 156.4 | 3 |
| 15 | New Long'un | 561 | 513 | 516 | 471.8 | 5 |
| 16 | Roadside | 524 | 479.1 | 388 | 354.8 | 5 |
| 17 | Sure Shot | 160 | 146.3 | 143 | 130.8 | 3 |
| 18 | Home | 526 | 481 | 437 | 399.6 | 5 |
| Total: | 6109 | 5,586.1 | 5297 | 4,843.6 | 71 |
It takes about 3 hours to play the entire course.
Tournaments
In 2008 fifty-six tournaments were conducted daily between mid-April and early June. Palani Hill Open, Veday Cup, Rudrappan Memorial Cup, Contessa Open and A V Thomas Tournament (introduced recently), are some of the major tournaments. The 2008 Addicts Golfing Society of Southern India 3 day Kodaikanal meet had 108 entries and 5 competitions. The first regional round of the ‘TAKE Solutions World Corporate Golf Challenge' was played in Kodaikanal on December 29, 2010.External links
- Kodaikanal Golf Club, Video, 3:45