Neem Chand is a part time Caddy at Naldehra Golf
Course. Neem Chand happily trudges 3 kms when called to caddy for a
mesmerized Golfer from the plains. The Golfer's brain spins the moment
he enters the Naldehra Golf Course's Club House. A beautiful meadow
awaits as one steps out of the Golf Hut and the pristine challenge of
the Course unfolds.
Looking for a small getaway from the heat of New Delhi, self and the
good lady (my trusted Navigator) stepped on the gas in Swift D'zire
towards Naldehra located 22 Kms ahead of Simla. We booked ourselves at a
resort called The Chalets, Naldehra which is 300 meters from the Golf Course. A night halt at a room called Siachen
(which was boiling hot at 42 degrees!!!) at Chandigarh failed to lift
our spirits as the heat was bad. We set pace for Naldehra early morning
of 01 Jun 14 and soon the car was zooming up the hills toward our
destination.
The up-climb of 115 odd kms was completed and we crossed many a scenic
spots including Mashobra and soon the Golf Course emerged in front of
us. It was tempting but I decided to play the game on 02 & 03 Jun 14
and we moved onto The Chalets. Our wooden cottage was a
refreshing experience with bunched up roses all around us and also a few
raiding Simians who were still not able to comprehend the human
habitation in their natural habitat. The arrangements at the resort were
great and value for the money. However, by evening my Navigator started
feeling a bit feverish. A shot of Paracetamol (PCM) and we thought
that the fever would disappear as it was attributed to heat and
tiredness.
The next morning we woke up well and after a light breakfast headed for
the Golf Course. We linked up with Justice Mahajan and Air Marshal
(Retd) Nayyar who congratulated the Golfing Spirit and wished me luck on
the Course. Soon Neem Chand came in to honor my booking and we went off to the Course. The Naldehra Golf Club constitutes a course perched at an altitude of 2,200 meters. It is a
par 68, 18-hole course with 16 greens and 18 tees and has a design
reminiscent of Scottish links courses. The golf course was built under the supervision of Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India in 1905. Captivated by the beauty of the place, surrounded by a thick mane of Himalayan cedar, which was also his favorite camping site just outside the British summer capital of Simla, he established what today is one of the oldest and most scenic golf courses
in the country. It is also to be noted that in memory of his stay there
he named his third daughter Alexandra Naldehra.Initially a 9 Hole
Course, the Naldehra golf course was expanded to
18 holes, and further expansion has been planned to make the course at
par with the best in the country.
With Neem Chand
in tow I took the position for the Tee-1. Taking a deep breath, I took
position and rolled my hands to see the 2 knuckles of my left hand as I
gripped my Driver with a light grip. With a silent Golfer's prayer, I
lined up the Green 1, swung the Driver back with a deliberate motion ,
kept my head down on the ball, swung with the might and as my left knee
folded towards the Tee the connect was made with the ball and hooray,
the Titleist-3 Ball flew up from the hill where I took the hit and
crossed the meadow down below and settled on a climbing hill just below
Green-1. The beauty of the first shot holding of the ball on a straight
flight. The ball seemed to be hit for a long time as the atmosphere
helped the ball to take a straight Course. Neem Chand lifted the
set and soon we were pacing up and down on this majestic Golf Course.
Each Tee Off, Roll, Chip and Putt were a treat in itself and I hit my
first Par on the 6th Hole. Neem Chand was happy with my eventual score
of 2 Pars, 4 bogeys and 3 double bogeys in the 9 Hole round. The
Naldehra Club measures 4,285 yards.
It is a preferred lie course that comprises ten Par 4’s; Six Par 3’s
and Two Par 5’s to complete the Par 68 course. The front and the back
nine are equally divided into five Par 4’s; three Par 3’s and one Par 5
each. The longest hole on the course is the Par 5, 431 Yards 6th Hole
with the shortest being the Par 3, 117 Yards 14th. Most of the Par 4’s
have common fairways and are easily drivable by long hitters.
I finished the 9 Hole game and we were hitting a rough
patch. My Navigator reported high fever. We retired to the resort and a
check revealed a 104 fever. A quick call to the Doctor in Delhi and the
advise was followed. However, the intensity of the fever did not come
down albeit in phases and soon we were looking in to the end of the Day.
The night was very rough as the fever did not subside in-spite of SoS
Medicines. The non- availability of a good doctor near the place of stay
was proving to be a handicap. We kept the fight on for another day but
then I took a call to head back to New Delhi to avoid any further
damage. We cruised from Naldehra at 0900 Hrs on 03 Jun 14 and Navigator
was by now in great discomfort. However, the fighter in her kept her
going and we reached the Armed Forces Clinic after a drive of 7.5 hours
and with SoS medicines trying to ward off the fever attacks. The
Navigator braved the chills, sweat and pains and was soon inside the
confines of Base Hospital.
Things are under control as of now and its been the longest 5 days of
my life. The Golf Ball seemed to hold up in the air at Naldehra and
these 5 days also seemed to have held on for long. The ball landed after
a straight flight and we also landed back at New Delhi after a a
straight drive. The Greens were uneven but speedy and the fever
maintained its line and mercury kept showing 104 always. The sweat
hardly broke on the Course but hydrotherapy was utilized extensively to
keep the fever from hitting a dangerous blow. The game ended well and
now the life has also started moving again. In true punishment terms,
this visit to picturesque Naldehra is a big NC (Not Counted). As I
stepped on the gas from Naldehra and Golf Course fell back- I promised-
We shall be back to play 18 and for 03 days. The link below would show
you a few glimpses of our Travel:-
https://plus.google.com/
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