| In India, you can play golf almost anywhere, for this outdoors sport is widely played by a cross section of people to the country’s often dramatic background. In the hills and high Himalayan fastnesses, in metropolitan cities and in small towns, by lakes and forests, or surrounded by tea estates, out in the desert and in old British cantonments. The flavour of India is visible everywhere that golf in the country is played. You can stroll off the course to share a cup of piping hot tea at a ‘dhaba’, tee off from the world’s highest 18-hole course in the world, watch a peacock dance on a green or play on a course that is enriched by old monuments and beautiful buildings. In India, anything is possible, and golf here will enable you to experience the country in its own, unique manner. Jaipur An eighteen hole course with nine greens and nine browns overlooks the picturesque Moti Doongri Palace and the historical Nahargarh Fort. The fairway passes through the Rambagh Polo Grounds, which have seen some of the finest polo matches in the time of the late Sawai Man Singh. These days there are more golfers to be seen on the ground where the royals once moved on their chargers. The upper course has nine greens around the polo ground. A drain separates the lower course which has nine browns spread over a rough and undulating landscape. A casual visitor can play by paying a nominal green fee. Interspersed with a play of red and pink were white borders and motifs, painstakingly outlining the architectural highlights of Jaipur’s buildings, ever since 1727, when Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II had Jaipur built. Except for the busy traffic of bicycles, cars and buses, little seems to have changed. There is a timeless quality to Jaipur’s bazaars and its people. As the gateway to Rajasthan, Jaipur figures on every tourist itinerary. A game of golf would prove yet another incentive! |