Golfing

Kashmir offers outstanding opportunities for the golf players all through the summer – from April to November – in inspiring surroundings, through trees of chinar and pine.

In the flourishing golf courses at Srinagar and Gulmarg, one is able to play for longer hours than one can in the plains because of the lower temperatures – Srinagar’s highest temperature never goes beyond 30 deg. Cent.. Srinagar has an 18 hole golf course with common fairways, and a par of 70. The golf course at Gulmarg is something unique, you have ever seen or imagined before.

Kashmir boasts of acquiring one of the world’s highest green golf courses, as well as a clubhouse, a historical building in its own right, situated at Gulmarg, also one of the finest hill stations at J&K. Situated at an incredibly high altitude of 3730 metres above sea level, it is not only the highest green golf course anywhere in the world but also one of the most beautiful with amazing ambience. The tourism department of J&K justly offers all required facilities for the travelers and golf lovers. There are various facilities for both the beginners and the experts. For the starter, there are golf sets on hire, instructors to instruct one in the game, and temporary memberships. Similarly, these facilities are available for the players as well, leaving out the serious golfers, who usually carry their sets along.

Kashmir and Golf have been synonymous for over a 100 years now. Kashmir is famous for it’s beauty as well as it’s rich heritage for being the Mecca of Indian Golfers. Gulmarg, known for it’s world famous slopes is also very famous for it’s natural Golf course. It was the efforts of Col. (afterward Sir ) Neville Chamberlain and Mr. Henry Mitchell who were visiting Gulmarg in 1888 who then stumbled onto this beautiful and picturesque meadow which they felt was a perfect site for a golf course. So natural indeed that they immediately got down to clearing away some of the Rose bushes and the Alpine flowers to carve a short 6-hole course at about the place the practice area is located. To this course ,three more holes were added by Col. George Shakespeare in 1896 , and these 9 holes were played as such until 1901, when the course was extended to the mandatory 18 holes.