Mini golf course 8212; a boon for learners

NEW DELHI, November 25: For the people in the know in the city, the latest mantra is golf. If you don't play golf, know golf or at least ...

NEW DELHI, November 25: For the people in the know in the city, the latest mantra is golf. If you don8217;t play golf, know golf or at least seem to follow the game passionately and overtly, you are not quite in. And frankly, why not? It might as well be golf than anything else. It is a quite fascinating, thinking person8217;s game, anyone of any age and shape can play it, and of course, it allows you to stay fit without resorting to all kinds of strange contortions.

On the con side, as everyone knows, it is not always easy to get an entry into the big clubs. And, if you do manage to set foot in one of the rather exclusive places that offer the facilities, you8217;re either going to have to be very rich, or very important or both. In any case, golf is one game where the initial investment is going to be quite a bit, given the cost of a good set of clubs. Keeping all this in mind, the new mini golf course at the Siri Fort sports complex has come as something of a boon, both for the eager beaver learner and the experienced golfer who wants to just putt and potter around a bit.

Combining a round on the mini course with some time at the Driving Range which is in the same complex will probably give you all the practice you need. The main advantages of this course is that it is located in the heart of the city, it is affordable; the charges are very moderate 8212; Rs. 40/- on weekdays and Rs. 50 on weekends; and of course, it is always a great pleasure to enjoy the open air and greenery amp; bsp; particularly in a city famed for its pollution, even on a 527 yard par 27 golf course. According to Colonel AK Gour Retd, who is currently Secretary Siri Fort Sports Complex, the man who conceptualised the whole idea of a mini course here was Brig Pandit, his predecessor. Says Col Gour, quot;We had this large patch of land behind the main complex and were not sure what to do with it. There was a proposal to put in a go-carting range and a restaurant, but that would have spoilt the area as everything would have to be cemented. Someone else also suggested a riding school, but then we thought that thiswas basically a residential area and to have horses so close by would have created a lot of stink pun unintended.

Then Brig Pandit, who had been to the US and seen some of the mini courses that were becoming all the rage there, came up with the idea of a mini golf course. That was eagerly accepted by everyone.

Once the idea took root sometime in 1998, there was little time wasted in getting down to the brass tacks. In this they received a lot of help from Mr D Sarcar, who is Director Sports in the Delhi Development Authority, who helped the SFSC authorities complete all the nitty-gritty in quick time. When one sees the golf course which finally opened to the playing public on September 1 this year, the first thing one thinks of is that it is like a little oasis in an otherwise rather bleak grey desert.

The four acre course has nine par three holes, where the distance between a tee and green varies between 45 to 81 yards. Only two clubs are permitted to be used, a lofted club preferably a wedge or a number nine and a putter. This mini course is dotted with a couple of bunkers and trees towards the far end. Most greens are gently sloping, allowing you the feel of an actual course. The only thing that needs improvement is that there are a few patches of wet mud in some of the rough areas, where the grass has still not fully absorbed the moisture and puddles have formed. It is otherwise quite well-maintained and will probably, with time the planted grass is still growing and care, become much better.