The 1st hole at Delhi Golf Club is a comfortable opener to what is a very tough front 9. Playing normally into a left to right headwind, you need to hit your tee shot just short of the fairway bunker which bisects the fairway around 250 yards. Only the long hitters can reach the putting surface from here. A more aggressive line on the tee shot is trying to place the ball left of the bunker on the fairway. From here you would have to fly your 2nd shot almost on the green as missing it short in the bunker leaves you with a very hard bunker shot of anything from 35 to 70 yards. The newly constructed green complex on the opening hole has many challenging pin positions like the top left. What is really a big change are the front left and right pin positions. With the new collection areas, it is a very difficult up and down if you short sight yourself (miss on the same side as the pin).
If you can manage to stay out of the bushes this hole is definitely a good birdie opportunity for the better players.
The 2nd hole is a pretty straightforward looking par 4. A tee shot of about 250 yards puts you in a perfect position to attack the green. But it is absolutely imperative to hit the fairway on your tee shot, otherwise holding the green on the 2nd shot becomes a big challenge. The big slope in the right half of the green makes it important to hit the correct level to have a decent opportunity for a birdie. If you’ve missed the fairway on your tee shot, it becomes very difficult to hit this target and easily brings a bogey into play.
The 3rd hole is stroke number one for the club golfers and rightfully so. It’s a long par 4 which requires a right to left tee shot so that the gently sloping left to right fairway brings it back to the centre. If your tee shot is too far right, the trees that separate the 3rd and 8th fairways will block out your 2nd shot. Even after a good tee shot, the 2nd shot needs to be really precise. A narrow opening to a long green makes the front pin positions very tight and you have to make sure you don’t miss it on the wrong side. The back portion of the green is wide and gently sloping towards the back edge. You need to be absolutely spot on with your distance to have a reasonable birdie opportunity, otherwise, it will be a tough two putt. Most professionals are very happy making par on this hole throughout the tournament.
The 4th hole historically plays as one of the toughest holes during tournaments. The tee shot is the key on this hole which needs to be placed in the right centre of the fairway so that your 2nd shot is not blocked by trees. What makes this tricky is that the fairway gently tilts towards the right, and the prevailing wind is normally left to right. Once you get the tee shot in place it’s a mid-iron to a well-protected green where the top left and right pins are the most challenging.
4 is a very good score on this hole.
This par 3 has had a total makeover on the green and has some very challenging pin positions. Ranging from 160 to 200 yards, this is a really hard 3 par. The key to this hole is to not short sight your miss. If anything, an up and down from the right side is slightly easier as it is more into the upslope and against the grain. The toughest pin position is the top right one.
A straightforward par 4 made interesting with the bunker cutting across the fairway. Most players will lay up just short of the bunker with a hybrid or a fairway wood which will leave them with a 2nd shot of anywhere between 160 to 190 yards depending on the pin position. The 2nd shot should avoid the valley short right of the green as it is a very tough up and down from there. If you play too safe, the green slopes sharply on the left edge making 2 putts a tough task.
A great par 3 which can extend to over 200 yards from the black tees. Super bunkering around the green makes it a tough target, and if you hit it just a little long on the right centre, the ball will catch the downslope and end up in the swale over the green. A chip putt from here to any pin position is a difficult task.
A genuine birdie opportunity on the front nine if played correctly. Most professionals will use a hybrid or a fairway wood to tee off, keeping the tee shot on the fairway around 260 to 275 yards on the corner of this dogleg right par 5. From there you are left with around 250 yards to the green. It is important to make sure that you leave yourself the correct angle for a chip putt birdie, as some shots around the green are impossible to get close if missed on the wrong side. The toughest pin positions are top and bottom left pins.
After a breather on the 8th hole, you come to one of the toughest holes on the Lodhi course. At around 450 yards, the 9th requires an absolute precise tee shot favouring the left centre of the fairway. Not only do you have to make sure you hit the fairway but you have to hit it around 270 yds to the top of the slope to have easy access to the green, which has now been contoured in the front. The top right pin position over the greenside bunker is one of the toughest pins to get close to on the course and a par here definitely sets you up in a good frame of mind for the back nine.
The 10th has a very inviting fairway as it is one of the wider ones in DGC. After a good drive, you are left with anything between a short to a mid iron to a green that has a big collection area to the left. Any miss in this makes par a very difficult task. A steep upslope on the front of the green also makes the front pin positions a challenge. 4 is always a good score here. The only hole on the course without a bunker, but you still have your hands full.
A precise tee shot normally with a 3wd or hybrid leaves you around 150 to 180 yards depending on the pin placement. The two-tier green gives you a good birdie opportunity when the pin is on the lower level, as the back pins are quite tough to get close to. The hole really shows its teeth when it plays into a left to right breeze, as keeping the tee shot on the fairway becomes a big challenge.
Another gem of a par 3. From the tips and into the prevailing wind, this hole plays a real monster. The right side of the green is protected not only by a deep bunker but also the trees that overhang and can ricochet the ball into the jungle. The front pin also brings the false front in play which can send your ball rolling 15 yards back and down in the valley. A sensible way to play, is to hit the middle of the green, make your par and head to the next hole.
The 13th is what would be described as a Jekyll and Hyde hole. Downwind it’s a long iron or hybrid followed by a short iron to a big green. It shows its teeth when it plays in the prevailing left to right headwind, which makes it really tough for the tee shot to hit the fairway. To find the green with the 2nd shot from the rough is a challenge. A miss on the right side of the green leaves you with a really tough up and down. Quite the game-changer in many tournaments.
The 14th is a great risk-reward par 5. From the elevated tee box, you need a 275 yard carry to fly the left bunker and if you can manage that, you get another bonus 15 to 20 yards from the downslope past the bunker. Even then, it’s a pretty narrow 2nd shot to the green and a birdie is no guarantee, especially if the pin is at the back and you don’t carry the greenside bunker. A large majority of players normally play this as a 3 shot hole and take their chances with their 3rd to make a birdie.
The shortest hole on the golf course but definitely not something you can take for granted. It’s a narrow tee shot, especially as the wind is almost always across. You need to place your tee shot right centre of the fairway to have a clear look at the green. One of the biggest greens on the course with some great contours, it’s imperative to hit a good 2nd in order to be on the correct level. In some Indian Opens, this hole has been played as a drivable par 4, and brought a lot of excitement to the finish.
A great par 4 which requires a precise tee shot, not just in direction but distance as well. The tree in the middle of the fairway acts as a ball magnet, and the best tee shot is just left of it, which leaves you a mid to short iron to the green. The newly made green has a big false front and a collection area to the left which tests every player’s short game skills. Every tournament leader breathes a sigh of relief after making a par here.
The 17th completes the best set of par 3s on any course in India. Ranging only 150 to 175 yards from the championship tees, it is a real gem. Playing mostly into a left to right wind, the top right pin has broken many a heart on the 71st hole. You can be more aggressive on the front pins, but the right bunker is not the place to miss to, and leaves a really tough up and down. Can never be disappointed with a par here.
The 18th has been witness to many exciting finishes over the years and is a fabulous finishing hole. We have gone back to the old design without the fairway bunker on the tee shot, which makes it much more exciting as more people now take the driver off the tee. The big difference is the newly constructed green and the 2nd shot needs to carry all the way otherwise it will catch the collection area to the right or short left. Getting up and down from either is a really tough job. Some great pin positions are in play on this green now, with the front left being a real sucker pin.
Course Description by: Gaurav Ghei
