Mercara Downs Golf Club, Mercara, Karnakata
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Mercara Downs Golf Club is one of the oldest golf courses in Mangalore, south India. The club has a 18 hole golf course with brown grasslands. Tournaments are played here between July and November.
The courses are not maintained and they start drying up from December and so look brown. The course is with varied diversity and greater ball speed. As the course has varied topography you might need to walk up and down through out the game to retrieve the ball. maintained by the planters of Madikeri and it is located 30 kms from Coorg Golf links. The course here is of 9 holes and spread over an area of 5,953 yards and of par 66
Located about 6 kms from "Madikeri" or "Mercara", the capital of Kodagu (Coorg) District, amidst 70 or 80 odd acres of swelling, rolling landscape and beautiful scenery this is one of the lovely natural "parkland" golf courses in India, a living, breathing example of the setting in which the game was played by the home-sick planers of the early years. The course is clearly of "Mother Nature's Design", rather like the way the Royal & Ancient is said to be.
The Brits must have felt very much at home in these surroundings; The rolling "downs" are reminiscent of their own "Sussex Downs", the weather varying from temperate and pleasant to sometimes chilly, clean, fresh air, lush vegetation, the quick build up of thunderclouds disgorging large drops of rain; all these must have added considerably to their impression, topped off by the pleasant distraction of the pale grey mist rolling down to the lush coffee and jungle clad slopes of the hills encircling the area. The club-house itself is relatively new and its position has been picked not for commanding views and imposing presence, but rather, for coziness and warmth, nesting as it does, in a little hollow amidst the undulating landscape...
The courses are not maintained and they start drying up from December and so look brown. The course is with varied diversity and greater ball speed. As the course has varied topography you might need to walk up and down through out the game to retrieve the ball. maintained by the planters of Madikeri and it is located 30 kms from Coorg Golf links. The course here is of 9 holes and spread over an area of 5,953 yards and of par 66
Located about 6 kms from "Madikeri" or "Mercara", the capital of Kodagu (Coorg) District, amidst 70 or 80 odd acres of swelling, rolling landscape and beautiful scenery this is one of the lovely natural "parkland" golf courses in India, a living, breathing example of the setting in which the game was played by the home-sick planers of the early years. The course is clearly of "Mother Nature's Design", rather like the way the Royal & Ancient is said to be.
The Brits must have felt very much at home in these surroundings; The rolling "downs" are reminiscent of their own "Sussex Downs", the weather varying from temperate and pleasant to sometimes chilly, clean, fresh air, lush vegetation, the quick build up of thunderclouds disgorging large drops of rain; all these must have added considerably to their impression, topped off by the pleasant distraction of the pale grey mist rolling down to the lush coffee and jungle clad slopes of the hills encircling the area. The club-house itself is relatively new and its position has been picked not for commanding views and imposing presence, but rather, for coziness and warmth, nesting as it does, in a little hollow amidst the undulating landscape...
Course Reviews
One of the oldest courses in South India - unfortunately the original documents seem to have got lost so it is difficult to prove. Nice 18 Hole course laid out amongst rolling grassland and hills and knolls. Mostly Brown Grass since the fairways are not maintained. Huge Roll and Kick in Summer. This course is best played in the monsoon season between July and November. From December onwards it starts drying up and becomes hard. Some interesting holes on the front nine - notably the 7th - Par 3 with a normal 5 iron over water. This course does not have Greens, only Browns - where the whole nature of the game changes - instead of chipping up onto the Green as is typical, one chips to the shoulder of the brown ideally, and ricochets the ball back onto the brown - but beware, too hard a chip will cause you to walk miles back to retrieve the ball from down the hill since the roll and kick is immense and the ball moves of its own volition almost! Very interesting Golf here. Great location in the Coffee Heartland - fun to play, though the course can be quite long and tiring, with lots of climbing to be done. Must be fit in order to enjoy this course.