Four air tickets on offer at Oman golf tourney

by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Cor. at Victoria

GOLF: It is going to be a full house of over 100 golfers with four air tickets thrown in as additional prizes when the third annual Oman Air Open Golf Championship 2012 tees off at the picturesque Victoria golf at Rajawella off Kandy next Saturday and Sunday (October 27th and 28th). Thus major golf championship is sponsored by Oman Airways.

The General Manager of the Victoria Golf and Country Resort Australian born Errol Johnston said that the Victoria golf course is in best possible condition with the course being upgraded regularly and made challenging for the golfers and will be full of spills and thrills.

The recent rains which broke a prolonged drought has done the golf course a world of good and has helped in the growth of grass which is luxuriant. This has been possible due to the hard work of Course Manager Indu Rodrigo and the support staff.

The selection of the Victoria golf course by the Oman Airways to stage this major golf championship comes as no surprise as this golf course is a pride of Sri Lanka having won the awards as the Best Golf Course in the Sub-Continent' on no less than five occasions during its 13 year old history and this award was presented only from 2012. This golf course has done Sri Lanka proud and has been a major tourist attraction - it is not only golf but also the quite holiday it offers to local and foreign tourists with its facilities.

Golf Course at Peradeniya

A peep into the history of golf in the Kandy area tells that there was a golf course in Peradeniya over 35 years ago on the hillock directly opposites the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens with a small Club House probably forming a part of Rajawatte Estate in which the planters played in the evenings. But in the seventies the golf course became dormant and made way to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital in 1978. A little known fact was that when the site for the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital was being levelled, using heavy machinery, this area was found to be full of gem stones which resulted in a gem rush and the Police had to cordon off the area to prevent people entering which turned to be a nuisance to the construction workers.

After two decades of no golf in the hill capital, the late Mark Bostock - a famous planter, marksman, cricketer and ruggerite and one time Chairman of John Keells Limited conceived the idea of a golf course on the Mahaberiatenna Estate on the banks of Victoria reservoir at Rajawella. This was on a mixed plantation.

The usual opposition from the environmentalists and trade unions were there but Rajawella Holdings the owners of Victoria overcame these problems in their own style and beyond their expectations which silenced them and the workers who were benefited took the side of the Company as they stood to benefit by way of new dwellings and lucrative employment.

Who will say no to a new cottage type house with all facilities together with 40 perches of land thrown in as a good measure. Earlier, they were living in line rooms located in the middle of the site earmarked for the golf course project.

It had just two rooms and only one entrance for both entrance and exit. Sanitary conditions were very poor or non existent. Over a hundred families benefited by this and they seized the opportunity with both hands and never turned back. That was the magnanimity of the Victoria golf course.

Course designed by Donald Steel

The course was designed by world famous golf architect Donald Steel along with Martin Ebert and the construction of the course was handled by former planter Tony Witham who came over from Melbourne Parks in Australia and took up the position as the General Manager.

The Victoria golf course was opened for golfers in 1999 and from here it has gone from strength to strength conducting major golf championships such as SAARC Games golf championships, Sri Lanka Open Amateur Golf Championships, SriLankan Airlines Golf Festival, SriLankan Airlines Golf Classics, SriLankan Cargo Golf Championships, Mark Bostock Memorial Golf Championships, Donald Steel Golf Championships, Milo Junior Golf Championships, SriLankan-UAE Open Golf Championships, Swedish Golf Classics, Rotary International Golf Championships and Monthly Medal Golf Championships, and many others.

Two day championship

Country Sales Manager of the Oman Airways for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Gihan Karunaratne said that this will be a two day championship and the total scores of the two rounds will be taken into final reckoning.

The events which will be worked for ladies and gentlemen are nearest to the Pin, Longest Drive, Best Gross Score, the Best Net Score.

There will be four air tickets thrown in as additional prizes to the destinations operated by Oman Airways.

He said that taking advantage of the forthcoming Eid holidays a large number of golfers from the Middle East and also from Germany are expected to enter the fray. More entries are expected during the next few days.

For the record last year's championship saw over a 120 golfers in action and this year may probably exceed. The presentation of awards will take place on Sunday October 28th.

The golf course is also available for practices on Friday - October 26th so that the golfers could familiarise themselves with the existing conditions and the challenges it offers.