Dwarka golf course, longest in the country, to open for memberships next week

The Dwarka golf course, the longest in the country, in Sector 24 is likely to be opened for memberships next week, officials from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said.
Meanwhile, the officials said that the work at the golf course is nearly complete and it will likely be inaugurated by the end of November.
Spread over 159 acres, the 18-hole golf course has a total length of 7,377 yards. Officials from DDA said that until now, the longest golf course in the country is the Jaypee golf course in Greater Noida, which has a length of 7,374 yards, followed by Chandigarh golf course with a length of 7,202 yards.
“We will initially open tenure membership of three or five years for 1,200 people. Depending on the response, the members may be increased later. The exact membership fee is yet to be decided but it is expected to be similar to Qutab golf course. We plan to start the application process by next week,” said a DDA official.
The new golf course will also have one of the longest driving ranges in the country with a total length of 372 yards. The double-decker driving range will have 52 bays for golf carts across two floors, 26 bays on each floor. Officials said that within Delhi, the Siri Fort golf course has 48 bays while Qutub golf course has 28 bays.
A golf academy will be also established as a centre of excellence to train and inspire young and budding golfers, officials said.
A separate nine-hole course is also being developed for short games and practice sessions. Audio-visual simulation rooms can be used for training children and night lights will also be available, though there are no plans to start night golfing as of now, officials said. A six-hole ‘Chip and Putt’ course for children and young aspirants has also been made.
“There will also be a luxury club with great F&B facilities, snack bar, lecture room, fitting room, club house. This will also be a zero-discharge facility where all sewage will be treated at the two sewage treatment plants inside that have a capacity of 60 MLD each,” said Colonel (retired) Sanjay Sharma, secretary of the Dwarka golf course.
The golf course is also expected to have other features such as capillary bunkers and Bermuda grass that is being used for the first time in the country, officials added. The grass, bunker style and use of new technology, luxury club and golf-specific gym training will be the special attraction for golfers, according to officials. DDA said it will also be using the course for public championships in the future.
Another official said that while the MiniVerde grass is being used for the greens, North Shore SLT will be used for the fairway.
“For the first time in the country, we are using MiniVerde grass that is considered to be one of the best for golf courses. It has a straight vertical growth and can be cut very fine unto 2.5mm. If the grass is taller at golf courses, it changes the line of the ball, which is disruptive for the game. The grass we have at Qutub can be cut upto 3mm. Also, the capillary bunkers with wood cladding that we have used is only second to the Karnataka Golf Association’s (KGA) course in Bangalore. These bunkers are more porous and get dried easily,” said a senior DDA official.
Officials added that there is also a parking space for 180 vehicles, while parking outside along the service roads will also be allowed. A 15-acre land towards the north of the golf course has also been kept for expansion of commercial and shopping activities.