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| The Naldhera Golf course, Himachal Pradesh, India themanali.com |
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| lush green Naldehra Golf Course,HM.:Wikimediacommons/Subhashish Panigrahi |
Perching atop at an altitude of 2,200 meters above msl at a serene place in the foot hills
of the lower Himalayas is India's oldest Golf Course Naldehra that measures 4285 yards on an undulating gentle rolling meadows; Once a 9 hole course, it later was expanded to 18-hole one with 16 greens and 18 tees. Located in a picturesque place with idyllic surrounding, it is just 22 km from the capital town Shimla, the State of Himachal Pradesh. Lots of people, attracted by the cool climate and quiet environment, make a beeline in the summer season to this place to play golf and enjoy other tourist attractions around this place.
We can not get into the establishment of the first and oldest golf course in India without going briefly into the growth of near by Shimla, once the famous summer capital of the British Raj where important decisions had been taken up by the senior British officers on the future course of action to be taken during intense freedom movements across the subcontinent. In the early colonial days, the pleasant climate and the quiet misty hills playing hide and seek with the passing clouds, drew the attention of the British who needed respite from the unbearable hot summer months on the plains. British elite began to hike near-by trails in the early 19th century. Between 1813 and 1830, lots of changes had taken place and in the 1830s, with the construction of countless houses by the British it became an important summer hill resort and a center of education and entertainment. The growing hill station of Shimla saw the visits of higher-ups from the English company - the Governors-General and Commanders-in-Chief of British India. Lots of young British officers, fatigued by summer heat, boredom and loneliness, became regular visitors to socialize with the elite families; young European ladies followed suit seeking suitable suitor for them up on the cool hill of Shimla. Thus the hill station turned into a hub of social activities for the Europeans and there was no dearth of balls, parties, and other entertainment extravaganza to keep the sun-soaked Europeans engaged to shake up the ennui.
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Naldhera location map, India. himachaltourist.com
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| Naldhera golf course, near Shimla, HP.golfpass.com |
By the end of 1840s, Indian business communities had begun to move in from the plains of Hindoostan (Hindustan) to cater to the needs of the growing European population and to reap profits. . During the great rebellion of 1857 by the Indian soldiers that began in the cantonment of Meerut, MP in the northern states and that shook the entire EIC 's misrule, fear was writ on the face of the European population. The English company's atrocities against the natives already reached a crescendo. The revolt was finally suppressed after 1858, and soon the British Crown administration, London dismissed the EIC's operations and took control over the Indian subcontinent. The man who was instrumental in shifting the summer capital to Shimla from Calcutta in 1864 was viceroy John Lawrence. Initially, it was a cumbersome process to move the entire administration to the hill , that too with no proper road( twice both up and down) during the summer time from Calcutta (Kolkata) more than 1000 km. Robert Bulwer-Lytton (Viceroy of India 1876–1880), staying in a rented house, began to plan and started constructing the buildings to house various departments, including the Vice regal lodge designed by Henry Irwin in European style. It was completed after his tenure by his successor Lord Dufferin in 1888. Later Shimla became the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian army as well as other departments during the summer season, By 1884 more than 1000 houses came up on the hills of Shimla. The hill station and near-by places gained popularity as well as easy accessibility with the introduction of Kalka–Shimla railway line in 1903 now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2008).
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Naldhera golf course close to Shimla. moberoihotels.com
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Shimla, 1887- 1889, India. en.wikipedia.org
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Above image: Shimla's "Lower Bazaar" in a photograph taken between 1887 and 1889......
The most important patron of near-by Naldhera was Lord George Curzon, who served as the Viceroy of India between January 1899 – November 1905; a regular visitor to this place, then a wooded area. The other one was Lord Lytton, Viceroy who had spent much of his time here. Lord Curzon was so mesmerized by the boundless beauty of this place, a perfect place to camp and relax, he found it to be an ideal location to set up a golf course on the hill. Close to Shimla, it would be an engaging recreation for the European community to relax themselves under the cool shadows of the tall trees dominated by cider and pine. Indeed, a golf course in a secluded place for fun and casual social contact, was an added advantage. For the Europeans on the plains, it was a boon to escape from the ravages of scorching sun, monsoon rains and mosquitoes.
Lingering charm of this place and its close resemblance to a Scottish country side made lord Curzon work on the golf course as early as possible. He was so much obsessed with this place, he used to spend lots of time here and, in memory of it, he renamed his third daughter's middle name as Naldera. Her full name was Alexsandra Naldera Curzon by his first wife, an American mercantile heiress Mary Victoria Curzon, Alexandra's place of conception was Naldhera (of course after a round of golf here). Now, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh is busting at seams with heavy vehicular traffic and influx of more people seeking the comforts of pleasant climate.
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| Naldera Golf Club.near Shimla, India. india.com/ |
Though it is one of the toughest and challenging golf courses in India, I have read in the media that people, who have been to Naldhera say that it is a delightful experience to play on this golf course -. long sloping glade surrounded by greenery, countless tall Deodar trees from all sides, forming an ideal ambiance to be away from the stressed urban space. The 68 course, four new greens and a host of tree hazards in the back nine. make it a tough game for the good golfers; Surprisingly there is a big list of many hole-in-ones in the book of board of honors,; the Naldehra golf course can be exciting and can do things to your handicap.
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| Delhi to Naldhera, India. .inkl.com |
Himachal Tourism maintains this region and the visitor has to pay green fees for the day or take temporary, annual and life membership. The course is open through the year; the monsoon months between July and September are suitable for golfing since the highly watered turf becomes springy and the yardage increases.
https://mysterioushimachal.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/naldehra-origin-of-the-name-of-naldehra/his beautiful place named his third daughter Alexandra Naldehra.
https://www.india.com/travel/articles/visit-indias-oldest-golf-course-in-naldehra-in-himachal-pradesh-34183
https://www.india.com/travel/articles/visit-indias-oldest-golf-course-in-naldehra-in-himachal-pradesh-3418318/
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