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Nuwara Eliya lies on a
pristine hillside. The course is rich in tradition with over 110 years history.
Fairways are narrow and bordered by mature trees and thick bushes, which makes
it a highly challenging course with the hilly 12th, 13th and 14th holes amongst
the most daunting. It also demands skillful “position play” so players can cope
with uphill downhill lies. The course is located at 1859 (6100 ft.) meters above
see level, it is much cooler than Colombo on a level ground and balls can travel
some 10% farther than normal thanks to the high elevation. Unluckily, it was wet
on many holes due to poor drainage system when I played, leading to few runs off
tees. You can enjoy the views of Mt. Pidurutalagala (the top was invisible because
of the cloud in the picture below) which is 2525 meters (8300 ft.) above see level
and the highest mountain in Sri Lanka. Moreover, the views inside the course are
superb, so it is worth playing here. It also features public paths and roads cross
through the golf course. |
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| A straight, difficult & long
par 4. The fairway is narrow with trees overhanging from both sides. The green
is surrounded by trees and hazards. Distance as well as accuracy is required on
the tee and second shots. |
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| A slight
dogleg to the right, very short par 5. Position play is important as the landing
area off the tee is tight. When you are successful on the tee shot, you can go
for a birdie or an eagle. Bunkers protecting the green on both sides are in play.
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| A long par 3 surrounded by a jungle.
There are hazards on the right and left of the green. You should avoid hitting
to the left because a bunker and trees there make it difficult to save par. |
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| A sharp dogleg to the right, short
par 4. The tee shot is downhill. Be careful of a water hazard on the right as
it’s hidden from the tee. The green is elevated and a bunker in front of the green
is in play. |
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An almost perfectly straight hole. The second shot is gently
downhill but you’re hitting toward a blind green. |
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A straight par 4 with a downhill tee shot
and an uphill second shot. The tee shot is intimidating as trees on both sides
guards the tight fairway well. But in fact, the fairway opens up when you hit
230 yards or longer off the tee and the landing area is generous. The fairway
slopes steeply to the right. The second shot is uphill to hit toward a mountain.
The half of the fairway is share with the 14th hole. |
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A par
3 over a ravine. The apron in front of the green slopes sharply and an approach
shot from there is difficult. Bunkers and sticky roughs protect the green on both
sides. You need to hit the green in regulation on this challenging hole. |
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A slight dogleg to the
left. The tee shot is downhill. You need to hit onto a narrow fairway surrounded
by a forest, so a precise shot is needed. The fairway is shared with the 12th
hole and slopes steeply to the left which is the opposite of the one in the 12th.
When you hit the tee shot to the left, you couldn’t aim the green on the second
shot because the trees in front will block a clear view to the green. |
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A straight,
very short par 5. The matured trees hang over the narrow fairway, requiring an
accurate tee shot. Deep bunkers in the front right & left of the green hamper
hitting the green in 2. The tee shot is demanding but you can go for a birdie
or an eagle, which is similar to the 2nd hole. |
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It
is an about 10-minitue walk from major hotels in a town. It is a 5-hour ride from
Colombo and a 3-hour ride from Kandy. You can alternatively charter an seaplane
(air taxi, about US$150 per person, minimum of 4 passengers and the maximum of
8) and land onto a big lake near the golf club. The journey time is mere 30 minutes
followed by a 10-minute taxi ride. This time I used a car from Kandy to Nuwara
Eliya The journey was long, bumpy and winding, but it was worth every minutes
of the trip. I was treated to breathtaking mountain scenery with tea plantations
winding round the hillside. The distance is in meters. The caddie are all male
and on high level.
St’
Andrews Hotel and Grand Hotel are recommended as both are over 100 years history
and colonial style. Nuwara Eliya is the name of the place and is famous for the
production district of Ceylon.
Sri Lanka has 4 golf courses. The population is 17 million people. The largest
city is Colombo where 5 million people live and comes second where 2 million people
live.
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1st Par 4 458 yards (2)