Tee off amidst scenic beauty

The thought of playing golf at a course voted as one of the hundred most beautiful in the world can give the average golfer jitters. High green-fees, long lines of players eager to tee off and a rather posh and pretentious club-house are the usual expectations. The Victoria Golf and Country Resort is anything but chaotic, expensive and posh. It is a 6,537 yard-long microcosm of what Sri Lanka is about beauty.

The course design is very cheeky. Seven of the 18 greens are elevated, testing players' distance control and gauge of yardage. Five tight doglegs require a conservative golfer to hit irons off the tee, but reward big hitters who successfully clear the trees following the tiger line.

Those who miss, however, can say goodbye to balls that disappear into the unforgiving rough. The open nature of the course always makes the wind a factor. Four of the five par-5s can be reached in two shots with a favourable breeze. Playing against the wind, though, can sometimes make you wish you could tee-off with a putter.

The third hole is a 373-yard dogleg, which teases a player's confidence. The fairway narrows rapidly closer to the green, but usually leaves just a short-iron to the pin. Playing safe can mean a mid-iron to a bowl-shaped green that is elevated and which has an entrance guarded by a tall tree. A lightning-fast sloping surface back down hill can leave players with tricky putts if the ball ends up behind the flag.

The fourth hole was designed specially to help mend those players' psyches that were mangled by the third. A short, yet tight, 100-yard par 3, guarded by rocks and trees lies ahead with a huge body of water below to the right, leading to the Victoria dam. A few players have been known to miss the tiny green repeatedly, just to spend a longer time on the tee to take in the breathtaking view.

Some of the more picturesque parts of the course add some flavour to the gruelling back-nine. The ninth, 10th and 11th are daunting with narrow fairways, while the tight greens are lined on either side with much timber.

The 14th hole is probably Victoria's most famous (or infamous, depending on whose opinion is sought). Relatively short for a par 4 at 353 yards, the 14th is a dogleg left which features a large tree just ahead of the landing zone. Players need to lay up short with an iron in order to clear the tree to reach the green in two, or pick the courage to cut the dogleg and fly past the tree with a driver.

The green is long and diagonal; thus a wayward approach into the green can leave players with long, ulcer-inducing putts.

Choking with stifled mirth awaits the 15th - a 532-yard par 5 with a 90 degree dogleg right, split in half by a deep, unfriendly furrow. To the right of the hole is a sweeping view of another side of the dam. A good hitter of the ball picking the tiger-line would have to clear coconut trees that border the second half of the fairway and have a carry of at least 340 yards to have a fair shot at the green in two.

A more sensible golfer would lay up with a long-iron, and then use a wood to lay up again to leave himself a short wedge to an elevated green. However, the breathtaking scenery often lulls players into complacency and surprises them with a sloping, three-plateau green.

The management at Victoria has worked hard to improve both the course and other facilities to provide more than just a tantalising round of golf.

The shoulder-high grass that made up the rough at the inception of the course has been cleared to make way for a manicured second-cut flanked by thick, clingy, ankle-high rough. The greens are arguably the best so far in Sri Lanka and the course is maintained by a dedicated staff with occasional intervention from the weather gods.

The facility now features a charming swimming pool and a tennis court. The driving range looks out over the dam and hitting a bucket of balls has never been this therapeutic. Several chalets were built recently to provide accommodation for players and they are very comfortable and tastefully simplistic. Their verandahs look out over the eighth, 17th and 18th holes, while the rooms are very spacious and airy with high ceilings.

The clubhouse itself is built like a large verandah with comfortable changing rooms, a well-stocked bar and a cool, breezy restaurant. The menu features a variety of international favourites including pork chops, nasi-goreng, club-sandwiches, burgers and salads for lunch and dinner.

As all golfers require a hearty breakfast before the Victoria experience, a mouthwatering array of omelettes, tropical fruit and local favourites such as roti provide the perfect start to a gruelling 18 holes.

Victoria has managed to find the perfect blend of scenic beauty, challenging yet rewarding course design, knowledgeable caddies, and presents it all with an aura of simplistic beauty. Golf has never been this Sri Lankan.

(TSL)