Sri Lanka offers the discerning golfer, three of the finest 18-hole course in Asia. Sri Lanka has been enjoying this fascinating sport since 1879 and the Sri Lanka Amateur Golf Championship which initially teed-off in 1891 is now the second oldest national championship in the world, next to the legendary British Amateurs Championships.
The three 18-hole courses are located in Colombo, Digana (Kandy) and Nuwara Eliya, The Royal Colombo Golf Course is located at sea level, Digana at 600 m and Nuwara Eliya at an elevation of 2’070m have distinctly different terrains and climate conditions. This contributes to the enjoyment and challenge of playing in any of these three courses, as one would get the feel of playing in three completely different countries.
ROYAL COLOMBO GOLF CLUB
Established in 1879, this 18 hole course was first moved here from the what is today the Galle Face Green. It is the second oldest Royal Golf Club outside the United Kingdom and was the third club in the British Empire to earn the prestigious ‘Royal’ title. Its steep history and over 130 years of existence offers interesting memorabilia in its club house. The Royal Colombo Golf Club is well patronized by the elite of Colombo society today and offers visitors a rewarding round of golf.
VICTORIA GOLF CLUB, DIGANA:
The most recent addition to the Sri Lankan Golf locations, this course is a 6’190 m long (par 73) championship golf course designed by Donald Steel and was inaugurated in 1999. This simply stunning course borders the Victoria reservoir and offers stunning scenic beauty overlooking the Victoria dam and Knuckles Mountain Range. The fairways are somewhat narrow in a challenging hilly terrain. While designing the course Steel ensured as little trees as possible was taken down and now these stately trees and avenues of coconuts lend the course an immediate air maturity. Impressive natural outcrops of rocks are a distinctive feature and indeed a hazard of the course. The Victoria Golf Club is situated 25 km east of Kandy and 150 km from Colombo and is a proximately 3.5 hour drive. Alternatively golfers can opt for a scenic 45 minute flight from Colombo and back.
NUWARA ELIYA GOLF CLUB
The Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, founded in 1889, is yet another one of the oldest golf courses in the world today. Established by the British Colonial powers that made Nuwara Eliya popular as a summer holiday retreat is enriched with a tradition and an ambience which is hard to equal. Nuwara Eliya’s cool climate attracted the elite of the British Empire to holiday here during the hot April season. They converted this quaint hill station into a mini England and the golf club was designed by the finest. The Club is situated at the foot of Mount Piduruthalagala, the highest mountain in Sri Lanka, and is surrounded by some of the finest Ceylon Tea Estates in the island.
The 18-hole course which has a length of 6075 yards and a course par of 71 consists of fairways which are long and narrow, bordered by tall ancient trees that can relay a story by themselves. Good positional play is required, and the terrain enfolds the golfer in a constant rigorous uphill and downhill trek with many water hazards. The grass on the greens is a local buffalo grass, mixed with bluegrass.
