In about two years time,another golf course is coming up in Gurgaon,with DLF Golf and Country Club expanding its present facility and planning a new nine-hole course in DLF Phase 5. The course to be designed according to international specifications by Gary Player,a nine-time major winner with 24 other tournament victories on the PGA Tour. Though there is scope for expanding the course to 18 holes,the DLF Golf Resort association is only committal on the nine-hole set-up as of now. Extra efforts are being put in to make the new course more eco-friendly and a place for all-round activity. We have roped in international consultants to take us through every step and it is a project entirely under hydronic water management,which means it will be irrigated by 100 per cent sewage treated water. Eco-friendly About 10,000 trees will be planted along with shrubbery,and there will be water bodies as well. We are making a conscious effort to reduce the areas carbon footprint as this area is specially a red zone as per environment assessment guidelines, said Aakash Ohri,general manager of the Golf and Country Club. Though the budget is not certain yet,Ohri said that they would be conscious of whatever they are spending without compromising on a scenic and challenging course. The club was also proud to get Player on their board to help with the layout. We approached Gary Player not only because he is a golf icon worldwide and has designed some beautiful courses but also because he gets passionately involved with the design from start to finish and likes to innovate, Ohri said. A major issue with DLF courses has always been their exclusivity,with only residents,tenants and employees in DLF City phases and condominiums,or DLF property holders and commercial tenants eligible for membership. Whether the new course will open its gates to more people remains to be seen. When we started out,we were a suburb course,now we are in the heart of the city. We havent decided on membership policies yet. We will cross the bridge when we get to it and nobody wants an empty facility so we will see what we can do about it, Ohri said.
