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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 20.5 million people.
The largest city is Colombo where 2.4 million people live.
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1st Par 4 458 yards (2)