The Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest golf clubs in Asia. Founded by the British when Ceylon was a colony of the British Empire, the Club still maintains an environment of quiet elegance, a friendly hospitable and welcoming ambience to members and guests.
The Nuwara Eliya Golf Club was founded, primarily for their rest and recreation, by the British planters who cultivated the land for tea in the Nuwara Eliya district. To this day it successfully blends old-world charm and modern trappings and entices members resident in Sri Lanka to enjoy its offerings both, on the golf course and outside it several times a year. And this is when a majority of members reside away from Nuwara Eliya simply because it offers a “home-away-from-home” ambience.
The location of the Golf Club is absolute value for money for visitors and members not living in Nuwara Eliya. A short walk or drive into the Nuwara Eliya town, surrounded by landscaped Victoria Park, Lake Gregory, Royal Turf Club and the impressive Grand Hotel and Hill Club, Nuwara Eliya is the home of ‘Ceylon Tea’ produced in the plantations that surround the club. Despite being situated just a stone’s throw from the town, the club has an air of friendly exclusivity, when you enter its gates, you are transported to a world that history left behind.
The 18-hole golf course, 6,399 yards long, is a testing par 71 and is made up of long , narrow fairways, bordered by rows of towering eucalyptus trees and elegant cypresses, held together by dense acacia shrubbery. Good positional play is a must for a positive outcome and the course terrain, with its succession of undulating dales and hills, and the many water hazards, confronts the golfer with a series of challenges. Yet, despite its natural difficulties, it also caters to both the casual golfer and the enthusiastic amateur. The grass on the greens is native, mixed with bluegrass.
Over the period of time, the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club has earned a reputation as ‘one of the friendliest clubs’ in the country and their policy aim is to provide an experience that exceeds expectations, both on the golf course and in the clubhouse. The service at the club is designed to care for the family whilst the serious players compete out on the golf course.
Despite the constant climate challenges faced as Nuwara Eliya being in the mountains attracts rains and winds and has a cool climate ranging between 14 to 20 degrees Celsius, a team of highly competent ground staff, work hard and keep golf course in pristine conditions for enjoyable golf.
Resident golf professionals are available for lessons, and facilities include, Changing rooms with lockers, Pro-shop, Practice range including putting green, Billiards room, Restaurant and well-stocked bar. In addition there are 31 well appointed bedrooms attached to the Clubhouse and for any spill overs or those wanting something different, the majestic Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya and the historic Hill Club are both walking distances away.
For those who would enjoy the train journey to Nuwara Eliya the club can arrange for taxi’s between the railway station about 12 kms away and vice versa.