The summer is well and truly upon us. Come April, the people of the plains will begin their annual ritual of migrating to the hills to get away from the heat and the dust.
Nestled 2133 metres above is Tamil Nadu’s little jewel and home to the kurinji flower which blooms once every 12 years, Kodaikanal, home, since 1895, to a picturesque 6109-yard, 18-hole all Greens, Par 71 Golf Course, spread across 114 acres with 6 Par 3’s , 7 Par 4’s and 5 Par 5’s. For the traditionalist, the Kodai Golf Club is unique, the incoming Captain always nominated by the outgoing one, who “drives” into office and finds his portrait adorning the Hall of Fame. I had the privilege of being its Captain in 2008-09.
The Club plays host to a good 50 tournaments in the year, with the most prestigious one being the 4-round, India Cements Palani Hills Open.
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A great golfing day begins with the mist still hugging the ground. The tee on the first hole, called ‘Old Long Un’, is situated a mere 20 yards behind a water hazard, really not in play, but playing on the mind for sure. After a night of soaking up the spirits, bleary eyes and stiff bodies are all a dead give away to a well-executed shot into the trap! As the sun’s warmth seeps into the fogged mind, it lifts the spirits and the level of the game.
The signature hole is the second, named ‘Plateau’, which is a 218-yard Par 3, with the tee box on one hillside and the green on the opposite. It’s a tricky shot to a slick green, well-guarded by bunkers, forests, an Out-of-Bounds and the hill slope which can kick like an inebriated mule.
The ‘Pulpit’, Par 4, fifth, requires a lay-up tee shot and a wedge, uphill, into a rather tricky sloping green over an OB fence bordering the public road. Many a golfer has been known to quietly pick up the ball when confronted with tourists and vehicles, in the line of fire!
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The twelfth hole, called the ‘Sentinel’, is a short, uphill-all-the-way Par 4, easily drivable. The climb is not for the faint-hearted and the caddies are specially trained to lend a helping hand (to the small of the back).
Undulating terrain makes for some very interesting snap hooks and outright shanks. Visits to the woods are very common, not just to answer nature’s call.
A good while later, the weary trudge back to the Clubhouse, to the welcoming warmth of the nineteenth hole. The air is soon replete with stories of missed putts, errant drives, copy-book shots, bison sightings, eagles (golf and the winged variety) and adventures in the zero visibility mist. As one sinks into the molasses mire, I have seen no camaraderie like this in any other club I have played at.There are several interesting local rules that are specific to Kodai. Claiming relief for a ball lying in an area dug up by wild boar is permitted. The R&A has been petitioned to rename Decision 33-8/32.5 as ‘Relief from Pig Dig’ after one worthy, after making a hash of his drive, found his ball lying poorly and, in his excitement of knowing that relief was at close hand, yelled across to his fellow competitor ‘Relief for Pig Dig’.
For many of us, Kodaikanal is a home away from home. The gentle people of the hills bear the brunt for two to three months. For rest of the year, time slows down and nature’s bounty once again takes over.
As I stand in deafening silence on the fifteenth tee, I feel closer to God than ever before and I thank Him for bestowing upon our transient lives, such beauty.