Golfing Eden

Feeling more than little perturbed by the state of his game, Duncan Forgan travels to Asia's Emerald Isle to participate in the popular SriLankan Airlines Golf Classic

Royal Colombo’s colonial-era clubhouse

Yet while the focus of its people is undoubtedly on the future, visitors don’t have to mine too vigorously to catch a glimpse of the country’s fascinating past.

That’s especially true of Nuwara Eliya, which revels in its ‘preserved-in-aspic’ colonial trappings.

The golf course, which is spread-eagled around the town centre, is the most obvious manifestation of its time-warped persona. It is, however, far from a relic and holds its own as a modern test. There’s certainly a quirkiness about it. The proximity to public life necessitates several road crossings and more than a little confusion with non golf-savvy locals over ‘right of way’ privileges. Despite these eccentricities, it presents many compelling challenges. The tall trees and thick foliage that crowd the fairways make accuracy paramount, especially on roller-coaster holes such as the par-4 14th and the sixth, an epic par-5 that finishes up on a green measuring close to 10,000 square feet.

The whiff of nostalgia is even stronger at the nearby Hill Club where I am spending the night. Founded even before the Golf Club in 1876, this former male-only bastion for gentlemen tea-planters takes pride in its anachronism. While females are admitted these days, a strict dress code still applies so I am resplendent in the requisite jacket and tie as I take my seat underneath a stuffed boar’s head in the dining room for my evening meal.

The food, a resolutely old-school roast pork loin with roasted vegetables and thick gravy, isn’t wholly top notch, but the clubby ambience – check out the billiard room, the giant roaring hearth in the dining room, and threadbare red carpets direct from the 1920s - make this a fascinating place to lay your head for a couple of nights.

Next morning I begin the day the Sri Lankan way with a breakfast of curry mopped up with egg hoppers (bowl shaped pancakes made with rice flour and coconut milk with a delicious runny egg deposited in the middle) before setting off back down the hill towards Kandy.

Although it is the country’s second largest city, Kandy has the feel of an overgrown provincial town. Secret side roads transport you quickly from busy street markets bustling with three-wheelers and women sporting colourful saris to peaceful temple complexes shaded by giant coconut palms. Spiritual attractions like the Temple of the Sacred Tooth – Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – pull in the pilgrims but I am here to worship at the city’s alter of golf, the Victoria Golf and Country Resort, situated around a 40-minute drive out of town.

Like the course at Nuwara Eliya, the Donald Steel-designed layout here isn’t without its quirks. There are only 12 bunkers on the entire course for example. However, when it comes to stimulation and exhilarating beauty, the course is more otherworldly than eccentric. With the giant Victoria reservoir and the Knuckles mountain range providing the backdrop, the setting is immaculate. And so are many of the holes. The pick of the bunch is the 6th which is played from an elevated tee more than 100 feet above the fairway. Other highlights are myriad, but for me the pinnacle of the round was the par-5 15th. The sweeping grandeur of the hole which sweeps its way along the perimeter of the reservoir was reason enough to salute its merits. The fact that it yielded my only birdie in 54-holes of golf made it even more notable.

While it is never a chore to be out on the course at a venue as enjoyable as this, the view from the terrace 19th hole makes a post-round libation a must. Tomorrow I will head back to Colombo for one final round at the excellent Royal Colombo, which will turn out to be another fine test despite extensive repair work being carried out on its greens. For now, however, I’m content to observe a box-office sunset while beads form rivulets on an ice cold bottle of local Three Coins beer. This time, however, the tears are wholly welcome.

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