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THE HIDDEN GEM IN THE HEAVEN
BEST GOLF TOURISM DESTINATION IN KASHMIR
The Royal Springs Golf
Course at Srinagar is one of the most scenic spots in Kashmir, the enchanting
valley. Royal Springs is spread over nearly 300 acres of rolling hills, natural
marsh, native deciduous forest, lakes and wilderness. Don't be surprised if you
spot the rare Hangul lurking in the thickets. A wide variety of bird life can be
spotted on the course.
The Royal Spring Golf
course (RSGC), sprawled over an area of 300 acres, near the Mughal garden,
CheshmaShahi, at the foothills of Zabarvan hills and overlooks the mesmerizing
Dal Lake. The credit of designing this beautiful course goes to Robert Trent
Jones Jr. II, who is a famous golf architect, and has designed about 500 golf
courses around the world. The entire area of this golf course was carved out of
a forest. The 18 holes, 6445 m. course at a par of 72 makes the job of a golfer,
very challenging. The Royal Spring Golf is open to general public. With separate
wings of licker rooms and other services, this club is built in the style of the
old Kashmiri architecture.
Play starts out with
the long pa 5 bordering a lake. An easy par and a tricky par 4 lead onto the
deceptive 4th hole, an uphill pa 4 which looks straightforward enough but is
perhaps the mos. difficult hole on the course.
Having surmounted this challenge the golfer may feast his eyes on the downhill
fifth par 3 green. At the tee (the highest point on the course), this splendid
vista that reveals ii may take the golf concentration astray when it . needed
the most. The 6th and 7th holes are a relief for the average golfer before the
dog leg eighth par 4 with its temptation to the ambitious golfer and the
lakeside ninth brings him into the Club House for a much needed drink.
Going out, suitably
refreshed the par 5 tenth is a double dog leg across a natural marsh filled with
reeds. Caution pays at this hole as well as on the next par 4 eleventh, an
intimidating stretch of fairway between marsh and lake. The wicked par 3 twelfth
between marsh and hillside can pose serious problems from the championship tee.
The par 4 thirteenth is a great relief after these challenging holes before the
par 5 fourteenth which poses no problems to accurate players. The fifteenth is
an easy downhill par 4 and the par 3 sixteenth too should pose no problems to
accurate green readers. The par 4 seventeenth needs a correct drive from the tee
and its green demands putting control. The long eighteenth requires all the
skills in the golfer's bag from the Championship tee. A long accurate drive
followed by expert Iron-play. The lake to the right after the fairway extends
all the way to the green. Loose shots mean lost balls.

Royal Springs is
located adjacent to a 5-star hotel and a Convention Centre. The palaces of the
former Maharaja of Kashmir, now a 5-star hotel is in close vicinity, as are a
number of tourist cottages. The magnificent ruins of Pari Mahal built by Dara
Shikoh, son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan dominate the landscape from all the
angles but are seen to particular advantage ascending the fourteenth fairway.
Not least of the attractions is the Club Building itself, built in a style
reminiscent of old Kashmiri architecture with separate wings for the locker
rooms and other facilities.
The Royal Springs Golf Course,
Srinagar.
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Course
Designer |
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Robert Trent Jones III |
| Altitude |
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8,799 m |
| No. of Holes |
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18 |
| Yardage |
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6,985 yards from the Championship tees |
| Par |
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72 |
| Membership |
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Membership Temporarily Closed; |
| Club Facilities |
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Swimming, Restaurant, Bar, Indoor Games,
Fishing |
| Golfing Facilities |
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Driving Range, Putting Green |
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