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TEE TRAVELLERS

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Meher-Fatma Posted: Feb 02, 2008 at 1339 hrs IST
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For visitors from foreign lands, the India experience has long been defined by the smells of the bazaars, the sweep of centuries in the ramparts of old forts and the rather disorienting vibrancy of its new cities. For a select few of those tourists, the Indian holiday has got a new face: the golf tour. Ask Elizabeth Torres, a 45-year old Mexican, who trooped to India last year for a golf holiday. Torres and her husband stayed at a golf resort in a Delhi suburb, putted on its manicured greens, got luxurious massages at a parlour and then drove off to Agra to pose before the Taj—all part of the package. “This tour is a must-pick for golf lovers,’’ she says. This year, she is back for golf trips to Baroda and Mumbai. “It’s exciting to explore a new place this way.”

Visitors like Torres are now a common sight on India’s emerald-green fairways. And they are driving up revenues of travel companies. “When I got into golf tourism six years ago, most foreigners were unaware of golf courses in India. Now, we are successfully operating golf tours for foreigners, both individuals and groups, the most recent being a group of 11 Australians who played at the Bangalore Golf Course and Eagleton Golf Village,” says Vinay Marwah, managing director of Uday Tours and Travel Private Limited. Agrees I.V.S. Juneja, managing director at Golden Greens Golf and Resort in Delhi, “Weekends are usually packed here with a lot of expats dropping in for a game. We have facilities for foreigners who come in to play. With the encouraging footfall and tourism companies offering golf packages, we are planning a deluxe resort.’’

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What makes golfing in India exciting is the dramatic background against which the gentle game is played. Greens set up against the Himalayas—the highest golf course in the world is at Gulmarg—or the Thar Desert, sometimes surrounded by tea estates or intricately carved Mughal structures, gives the foreign tourist the unmistakable flavour of India. Baroda’s 12-hole Gaekward Baroda Golf Course, for example, often hosts foreign golfers. “We have Japanese and Europeans visitors who take up temporary membership with us. We stock a dozen golf sets and first-timers can rent them for a nominal fee of Rs 200. A resort-cum-hotel is on the cards and we are planning to provide luxury accommodation for the travellers,’’ says Mahender Singh Chauhan, director of the Gaekward Baroda Golf Club.

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