Golf at Victoria

S M Jiffry ABDEEN Kandy Sports corr

The 14th Annual Donald Steel Golf Championship organized by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort will be worked off at the beautiful Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella off Kandy on February 12 and 13 with the first Tee off at 7.30 am.

February 11 will be the Practice for local and foreign golfers to get familiar with the golf course and the challenges it offers.

This year's championship will be played over two records and the golfer aggregating the Best Gross score will be awarded the prestigious Donald Steel Trophy. The defending champion is former Cheshire Minor county cricketer and ruggerite Englishman Ian Tait who won it last year. Ian Tait since taking up residence in the Victoria Housing complex has excelled in golf winning many titles. He has foreign golfing experience too and has also worked for a golf club in Dubai.

Apart from Men's Gross, there will also Ladies Gross championship for Pam Fernando Trophy, Ladies Nett for Victoria Bowl and Mens Nett for Eberts Pot. There will also awards for mens and ladies longest drive and nearest to the pin.

Donald Steel Golf Championship was the first competitive golf tournament to be worked off at Victoria since it was opened for golfers in 1998.

Since then it gained momentum as one of the best golf courses in the world and is ranked among the 100 most beautiful golf courses in the world. Thrice it was awarded the title as the best golf course in the subcontinent which saw golf tourists coming in large numbers to play in their golf course which most of them turned it as "playing in the paradise".

This golf was the vision of former planter, cricketer and ruggerite Lal Mark Bostock who later became the Chairman of John Keells Limited and took it to great heights.

Victoria Golf Course is located in Mahaberiatenna which was a mixed plantations by the banks of the Victoria reservoir.

Over 500 acres of the coconut plantation was set apart for this project which was done without disturbing the environment and retaining all its natural features.

Last Mark Bestock got the services of the world renowned golf architect Donald Steel who was one time president of the United Kingdom Golfers Union to design the golf course.

Being a nature lover later Mark Bostock saw to it that all the nature's were intact.

Next late Mark Bostock got down the services of his former superintendent of Aislaby Group, Bandarawela Tony Witham who was domiciled in Australia working in the Melbourne parks to undertake this project of converting this coconut plantation which had rows of line rooms in the Middle into a golf course.

It was a herculean task for Tony Witham but Tony Witham took the challenge in its stride. Many task was to plant grass in this 18 hole course and the environmentalist had to be satisfied.

The line room dwellers numbering nearly 100 were re-settled outside the course with cottage type houses and 40 perches of land as a gift and all other basic amenities too were provided.

Thus the golf course was opened in 1998 with Donald Steel himself turning up all the way from the United Kingdom for the inaugural Donald Steel Golf championship.

Each of the 18 holes offers a different challenge and is exciting. Perhaps the 6th hole is the most Spectacular with its tee sit up 100 feet alone the fairway commanding a breathtaking view of the course and the reservoir and the Victoria dam beyond. It will require both distance and accuracy and nerves of Steel to come to terms with it. There are three other holes which are over 500 yards long and you end up near the club house.

All these and the small brit harmless wild life makes Victoria fascinating one of the most fascinating golf course in the world.

The entries are now open for this prestigious championship for men and lady golfers.

Accommodation is also available within the golf complex which has a chain of chalets and guest houses.

Further details could be had from through e-mail [email protected] or by phone Dhanushika on Mobile 072-7840894 or 0777-840894.