Par-5
Men’s: 502 and 493 Metres
Designer: Major Ram B. Gurung (1995-8)

The finest golf holes in the world, with a few exceptions, are those holes set unobtrusively into unique, natural landforms. There is great wisdom in exploiting the bounty of nature in the expression of distinctive golf. Evidence abounds that too many of the more recently designed courses give off the appearance of being plastic, forced, and contrived. Whenever this has occurred, only scant respect has been accorded to the natural environment. Too much rubber-stamping, or worse, flavour-of-the-month, ego-driven design is materialising. Moreover, golf maintenance has moved to the ‘immaculate perfection’ model typified by Augusta National in Georgia, USA.

Poles apart, there is Nepal: a golfing destination rarely considered and certainly not high on most ‘must play’ lists. Trekkers are far more aware of the significance of Nepal relative to Kathmandu, Mt. Everest, and the Annapurna massif. 

To many people’s surprise, golf does exist in Nepal. Luxuriant, sophisticated, and similar to golf in California, Florida, Korea, or Australia, it is not. Limited resources lead to limited results, even when local labour can be obtained to construct or maintain a golf course at wages of US$2 or $3 per day.

Himalayan Golf Club takes pride in its course forged by hand labour, to the design of a keen golfer, Major Ram B. Gurung. A Member of the British Empire, Gurung retired from the British 2nd King Edward’s Own Gurkha Rifles, and acted upon a burning ambition to design a course to call his own. As an admission that land utilised as pasture for sheep, goats, and water buffalo on the outskirts of Pokhara was marginal, at best, it was obtained virtually free. Pokhara is the second city of Nepal and is the gateway to the majestic Annapurna Range of 8,000-metre mountains.

Ingeniously, Major Ram laid out eighteen holes within the seventy-five metre deep river gorge littered with the geologic debris of centuries of monsoon-induced water erosion coming directly south from the nearby Annapurna massif. Due to space limitations, several of the holes share fairways, or multiple tees. Whether it’s for technical reasons, or persistence alone, this rough and rugged course is an extraordinary achievement.

The par-five, fourth and twelfth holes share a single greensite and fairway, but two diverse sets of tees. First time around, it measures 502 metres from the back-tee, while on the second rotation the hole is marginally shorter at 493 metres. The exciting tee-shot is across the Bijaypure River, which can either be a stream or a roaring torrent of turbulent water, depending upon the season. The entire riverbed, northward to an island greensite set within the river, is defined with exposed rock of varying sizes. The river’s edge is comprised of landslide material from the Himalayan Mountains. Some of this material is smaller than the native sheep, but can also be larger than houses.

The elevated tee-shot has a diagonal target area, set among some exposed rock outcrops. And these rock outcroppings are substantial. When aiming one’s drive across the river in an attempt to carry the first few outcroppings, one mustn’t stray to the left. To help you picture the scene along the fairway’s right-hand side, imagine a sheer vertical cliff-face rising in excess of seventy-five metres. Constant grazing by sheep, goats, and buffalo, has imprinted criss-crossing trails into the lower slopes of this cliff. Occasionally, the sheep or water buffalo are found grazing along the fairway. Consider the ongoing maintenance, and ensuing problems.

The fairway rolls and tumbles northward, while the cliff-face provides a backdrop for the entire length of the hole. Flowing water surrounds the rock-encircled, island greensite. When sizing up your second shot, options are reduced to two: lay-up short of water; or play with gusto toward the large, hybrid Bermuda green. Some may assume that in this harsh environment, a conventional green made from grass would be too big a luxury. But, pleasingly, there is no need to make do with oiled sand-greens.

Further adding to the hole’s rustic look and unique character is, the northward view beyond the cliff wall backdrop. The village of Pokhara sits at 913 metres, while the fourth green is at approximately 838 metres. Looming bold and large beyond the green—and well in view for the second and third shots—stands the sharply angled mountain peak of Machhapuchare at 6,996 metres (22,952 feet). This glorious peak is also known as ‘Fishtail.’ Fishtail is not alone! Running east-to-west past this single pyramidal peak is the Annapurna massif. Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Annapurna III, and IV, can all be seen on clear days. Annapurna I hits 8,091 metres (26,545 feet) and Annapurna IV is 7,525 metres (24,688 feet). While playing, one does face depth perception challenges, and these stem from the visual distortion of the vertical walls of the deep river gorge, and that of the towering peaks beyond. Ravens circle overhead, while the gushing roar of the river remains constant. As a package, it is simply an inspirational setting.

Although the hand-pulled (three-manpower) greens mower keeps the Bermuda putting surfaces surprisingly smooth, you’ll not encounter Augusta-like putting speeds at this altitude. As for  the fairways, the sheep and water buffalo keep the Savannah-grass turf below shoe-top height. Play is best around the summer monsoon season—October to May—when temperatures are mild. The cliff-top clubhouse is basic, but the local beer is cold! Although the on-course views would surely satisfy anyone, golfers are gifted two additional views inside the clubhouse: Annapurna II at 7,937 metres (26,040 feet); and further to the east, Manasulu at 8,156 metres (26,758 feet).

As there are only fourteen peaks in the world that rise above 8,000 metres, seeing two of them while playing the Himalayan layout makes it an unforgettable experience.

This course is every bit as rustic as Prestwick was, or St. Andrews, in the 1850s, emerging as they did from the raw fields of Scotland hundreds of years ago. The game in this form is truly organic: unadulterated and unspoilt golf. One quickly notices how the landscape is devoid of contrived course features. Come and see this ‘unknown’ treasure for yourself; you’ll be proud of having ventured out of your comfort-zone to experience golf far removed from the urbane.

Golfplan–Fream & Dale Golf Course Architects

Santa Rosa, California, USA