Gulmarg: The deserted and abandoned historic Gulmarg Golf Course is all set for a revival after years of neglect. As the nine holes have already been readied for the sport, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while attending a function there, said that remaining nine will be completed in the next one to two months and added that his government is fully invested in transforming the course into a venue of national and international repute.
The Gulmarg Golf Club has a glorious history. It was established in 1890 by Colonel Neville Chamberlain. Earlier the Golf Course had and the first golf championship was played in 1922. In 1970, it was redesigned by on Peter Thomas and expanded to 18 holes. In 2011, it underwent further redesign by Delhi based Golf architect Ranjit Nanda. With a par of 72 and a length of 7,505 yards, this Golf Course is one of the most beautiful one on such a high altitude. In fact it the second highest green Golf Course in the entire world.
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However, of late, least attention was given to this Golf Course and with the passage of time, the constant neglect, ruined it. Once the pride of Valley, had virtually turned into a desert losing all its charm. Though Kashmir Golf Course and Royal Spring Golf Course have been centre of the administrative attention, Gulmarg’s heritage Golf Course wasn’t that lucky.
Thankfully, after the formation of popular government, it has again come into the focus. Credit goes to the MLA Gulmarg, Farooq Ahmad Shah, who along with the local administration has dedicatedly pursuing the revival of this heritage Golf Course. Being second highest green Golf Course in the world, it has the potential to attract golfers from all over the world. As rightly pointed out by the MLA Gulmarg, this Golf Course could become one of unique selling points of Gulmarg. While Gandola in Gulmarg has emerged a great attraction for domestic tourists, Gulmarg Golf Course would attract not only domestic golf lovers but also the foreigners.
Now that the Chief Minister has announced that the Golf Course would be fully prepared by this year end, it is expected that next year, the government would focus on hosting golf championships here. Golf being the high-end tourism, the frequent golfing events would undoubtedly give a boost to the tourism which has gradually started picking up following Pahalgam terror attack.
