Royal Colombo Golf Club

 

When one thinks of sports in Sri Lanka cricket is the first to come to mind, then rugby, football (soccer), or maybe even volleyball (the country's official national sport), but golf is definately not the first sport on that list. Although Sri Lanka may not be world-reknown for its golf, it does have a long history of the sport and boasts three championship courses, with Royal Colombo Golf Club being the oldest dating back to 1879. 

 

This course was my first taste of Sri Lankan golf and I was excited to play another "Royal" golf club.  My excitement was dampened a little by the lack of enthusiasm in the golf shop and cashiers area, as I have learned that customer service should not be a high expectation here.  After checking in I was instructed to go to the starter by the first tee and receive my rental clubs and meet my caddie.  To get to the starters area you can walk through the clubhouse which has an open feel to it, a beautiful trophy room, a nice terraced restaurant and bar, a cozy Gov'nors Bar and male and female locker rooms. 

 

The starters area has several caddies around it and again lacks the warm reception I found in Bali.  My caddie introduced herself to me and we headed to the course. The golf course is in the middle of city of Colombo which has some of the worst noisy traffic I have experienced, so the course does feel like a little sanctuary in the heart of that hustle and bustle.  The course which can play up to 6560 yards from the back tees is a fine inland layout with a nicely balanced degree of difficulty. 

 

The conditioning of the course is definately not up to its "Royal" name and the fairways are actually manicured crabgrass. The greens were just upgraded last year to Tifeagle Bermuda and are the highlight of the courses conditioning as they run true and quick. The layout itself is a pleasure to walk as the tees and greens are in a close proximity to each other as most older traditional courses tend to be.  The rough is cut fairly low, again being made up of crabgrass, so you can usually find your wayward shots and get them back into play.  Many mature trees line the fairways which will grab an errant shot, but usually tend to drop your ball straight down allowing you to find it and get a club on it. Several ponds dot the course, but again are placed near the tees or by the greens of the par fives, allowing you to keep them out of play with some simple course management.

 

Overall, playing this course was a fine way to get out of the city for a half day and back to nature.  The conditioning of the course is its Achilles heal as it is aparant that they lack the qualified superintendant, equipment, and pestisides required. But this is golf in Sri Lanka and one would expect the top grass agronomists to be preparing the cricket fields.  

 

 

Course Details

 

18 holes, par 71

Course Yardage:
Black Tees:   6,560 yards
White Tees:  6,303yards
Red Tees:     5,186 yards

Course Rating/Slope Index:
Black Tees:   71.3 / 127
White Tees:  70.0 / 123
Red Tees:     72.1 / 129

 

Practice Facilities:

20 Bay Covered Driving Range

Putting and Chipping Green

 

Visitors Green Fees: $65 USD

Caddy Fee: $6 USD + Tip (1000 LDR is standard)

Rental Clubs: $25 USD

 

For More Information:

 

Tel: +94 1126 95431

www.rcgcsl.com