Golf

golf is a passion. The greenery, the fairways, trees, birds, the open air and the ambience of the golf courses are refreshing.

I enjoy the company of golf buddies and the competition and betting. I cherish the friendship developed over four hours of leisurely walk during each round in the golf course. I have made some very dear friends in the golf courses around the world.

Delhi Golf Club is my home course. This Golf course is unique in many respects. There are peacocks in the fairways. It is an incredible sight to see the the males opening up the full featherscreen of colours to attract the females and dance in rainy season. There are over a dozen kinds of birds darting between trees and shouting with joy or making mating calls. There are a few four legged animals and legless ones ( snakes ) too in the thick growth of bushes on both sides of the fairways. Inside the golf course there are monuments from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

 

More pictures of peacocks in the Golf course in my foto gallery

Golden Greens in Gurgaon is a favourite. It is a links course in the middle of agricultural fields, exposed to strong winds and surrounded by hills.I also like the JP Green and DLF courses which are long and challenging with water hazards.

In India I have played in Bangalore( Eagleton is the best ), Calcutta ( Royal calcutta club is challenging and ancient ), Chennai ( not much interesting ) ,Mumbai( nothing great ), Pune, Ooty( the undulating course is scenic and fascinating ) , Trichy ( some course.. ) , Naldera ( up and down but not so interesting) , Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur. .

I have played in about 90 golf courses in USA during my stay in New York 1993-96.

I have played in almost all the golf courses in Brazil and Venezuela during my stay in 1996-2003. I had also played in all the courses in Mauritius. I won some trophies in the tournaments in these countries as well as in India. I got an albatross in a golf tournament at the Puerto la Cruz golf course in Venezuela.

Argentina, where I am posted now, is a paradise for golfers. There are about 100 courses in and around Buenos Aires itself. I organised India Cup golf tournaments in Jockey club on 24 November 2008 and 9 November 2009, as part of the Festival of India

Following are the courses I have played so far..

 

Buenos Aires

 

Other cities

With Andres Romero and Eduardo Romero in Pilar Golf Club, Buenos Aires - 7 December 2009

 

With El Gato and El Pato at Villa Allende Golf Club, Córdoba - 15 April 2009

 

- Colombia, the second best in Latin America for golf. ball goes ten yards more due to high altitude

- Chile has some fascinating courses in hills, desert and near glaciers

- Dominican Republic has some memorable courses such as The teeth of the dog and Dye Fore

- I have also had the pleasure of playing in Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Japan and Thailand during my tours.

- During my visit to Bolivia I played in Santa Cruz golf club, which has live crocodiles in the water hazards. I did not have the courage to play in La Paz, after hearing the story of a brave golfer who fell dead after playing nine holes. At the height of 14000 feet, I was happy to survive with the help of gallons of Coca leaf tea.

Guess where I started golf? ...in the most unlikely place... in Tripoli. There is an abandoned and uncared for ( Qaddafi does not like this kind of bourgeois pursuits! ) golf course with browns instead of greens. No green fees.. no entrance fees... absolutely free.. one can walk in and out of the course.

 

below - at the Varadero Golf course in Cuba in 2005. undulating course on the sea side with lot of water hazards.

below- New York Centennial Club with Minister Rao Inderjit Singh and Rajan in 2005.

above- Golf at Santiago Golf Club in Chile in March 2006

 

below- at the Lima golf course with Ambassador Warjiri in July 2006

 

 

at the Country Club in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 15 Feb 2007

at the Teeth of the Dog golf course in La Romana in Dominican republic, where I played in 2005. six of the courses are jutting into the sea like dog's teeth.

 

I played on 17 feb 2007 at the Dye Fore Golf course in La Romana in Dominican Republic with IT Minister Eddy Martinez and Tito

 

the four golf courses of casa de campo in Dominican Republic - foto taken from the plane

the par four thirteenth hole of the Constance Spring Golf Course in Kingston jamaica, where I played on 18 Feb 2007

below- at the Santa cruz country club in Bolivia with Arvind Sharma in 2006