A GOLFING
HIGH AT POKHARA'S HIMALAYAN GOLF COURSE
Pokhara may be well known for it's
awe-inspiring mountain scenery but a
great many golfers are now discovering
that if you want a real golfing high ,
The Himalayan Golf Course, Pokhara is
the place to head for in Nepal. It’s a
must for the golfing connoisseur.
Considered by many to be one of the 10
most unique golf courses in the world.
In the Googles search for - "The most
unique golf courses in the world", The
Himalayan Golf Course gets 3 hits on the
first page.
Adventure golf at its truest, the
course’s includes some of the most
visually dynamic holes known to golf.
Himalayan Golf Course has certainly been
very successful in putting Pokhara in
the golfer's map. The course was
designed and constructed by an Ex
British Army Sandhurst commissioned
officer Major Ram Gurung MBE , and
opened for play in January 1998. The
course has been the venue for the Nepal
Surya Western (professional) Open for
the past twelve years.
Located just seven kms. away from
downtown Pokhara, the twice played 9
hole course is well laid out for
championships at 6,900 yards with a par
of 73. It has 11 greens and different
tee positions and lies for the most part
inside a sweeping canyon created by the
Himalayan snowed waters of the Bijayapur
river. The course is now being upgraded
to a 18 holes and is targeted to be
operational from October 2011.
Framed by the towering the Annapurna
range, cattle and buffalo roam freely
providing most of the grass mowing.
The course wanders through aerial cliff
drops of hundreds of feet down to the
signature island hole within the either
tranquil or raging Bijayapur river, full
of exposed boulders washed down over
centuries from the towering mountains
above.
Play on the 1st and 2nd holes at the HGC
Pokhara's inaugural course is fairly
straightforward as these par 4's are
laid out on relatively level ground on
each side of the clubhouse.
Your baptism to the truly unique
character of this course comes when you
step up to the 3rd tee to be confronted
with a flawless panorama which
encompasses the magnificent Fishtail and
Annapurna mountain range. Below your
elevated tee you see and hear the
meandering Bijayapur Himalayan river
some 300 feet below, sheer canyon walls
dotted with eagle's nests, waterfalls
which burst into life during the monsoon
and a barely perceptible flag. Some 300
yards distant and 90 feet below, this
small triangular piece of fabric marks
the place where your ball should end up
after only four strokes.
There is no other experience that
duplicates or even comes close to the
thrill of teeing off on the 3rd. However
this takes nothing away from the
sensation of successfully landing your
ball on the 5th green, which is known to
be the only natural river island hole in
the world and recently nominated by
leading golf course architects as one of
the most unique hole in the World
[].
Watching the pros victoriously blasting
their second shot to the par five, 7th
green in the middle of Bijayapur river,
leaves one in fascinated awe.
The course has been featured in many
international magazines including the
‘Golf World’, movies and travel films.
Some of the comments from the club's
visitors book are noteworthy:
"The most
beautiful and dramatic golf course in
the world"
"If God had to choose a golf course to
play: This would be it"
"Fantastic. What an experience"
"Absolutely unforgettable"
Without a doubt, Asia's most amazing
golf course. |
