Ooty Golf Course is located in the town of Ooty in the state of 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...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The golf course is set at an altitude of 7600 feet. It is owned by the Gymkhana club in Ooty. The course extends over 193.56 acres and comprises 18 holes.

History

Colonel Fane Sewell, the then Secretary of the Blue Mountains Tennis and Cricket Club, formed the golf course in March 1891, which comprised of nine holes initially. Golf enthusiasts formed a golf club nearby, called the Gymkhana club in September 1896. In 1929, hydraulic systems were installed to pump water from a nearby stream using a hydraulic ram for storage in a water tank. Feeder pipes were installed in 1970 to water the golf course.

Features

As the air is thinner in Ooty due to the high altitude, the balls travel comparatively farther. The course is surrounded thick forests of the avalanche range. The golf course contains many varieties of trees like rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

, oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

, aromatic eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

, and fir

Fir

Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...

 which add to the scenic atmosphere. Nine holes out of the eighteen holes are shot blind as the course has a rolling landscape. This is also the reason for the green being not visible from the tee-off area, though there are guide posts which help the players to the right directions. The fifth hole rises about 200 feet above the fourth hole and hence is considered the toughest hole of the course. The Ooty Golf Club offers fairways that are lush but also tight. The greens are well manicured and large.

Fox hunt

A golfer at the course also has the possibility of running into an ongoing fox hunt at the 13th hole. Beagles and Foxhounds are still trained today to take part in the fox hunt. The fox hunt in the area dates back to 1847 and can be witnessed in the course even today. The greens are fenced in order to prevent other wild animals from straying into the course.

Tournaments

An annual amateur golf championship is held during summer, which dates back to 1906. The first winner of the championship was Major Quinton. Another golfer,R.B. Carrick, has won the championship nine time between 1914 and 1929. In recent years several other major tournaments have been organized on the golf course.

Facilities

Accommodation for the golfers is provided by the golf club with an annex with ten rooms and six huts.Other facilities include indoor games like billiards, cards and table tennis, swimming pool, bar and a restaurant.

See also

• Ooty Lake
  Ooty Lake
  Ooty lake is located in Ooty of Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It covers an area of 65 acres. The Boat house established alongside the lake, which offers boating facilities to tourists, is a major tourist attraction in Ooty....
  
  
• Stone House, Ooty
  Stone House, Ooty
  Stone House is the first bungalow constructed in Ooty. It was built by John Sullivan and was called as Kal Bangala by the tribals . Today, it is the official residence for the principal of the Government Arts College, Ooty...
  
  
• Mariamman temple, Ooty
  Mariamman temple, Ooty
  The Mariamman temple is located near the market in Ooty, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Mariamman is the local deity of the region. It is dedicated to Mariamman, the Hindu Goddess of rain.- Temple Festival :...
  
  
• St. Stephen's Church, Ooty
  St. Stephen's Church, Ooty
  St. Stephen's Church is located on the road to Mysore in Ooty, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris district.- History :The church dates back to the 19th century...