World-class golf course at Faridabad in the works

Bijendra Ahlawat

Playing golf is a costly affair. Though Faridabad is among select cities of Haryana which already have golf courses, it is in the process of getting a bigger and better facility in near future. The Development Plan-2031 for Faridabad city envisages a new state-of-the-art golf course having 18 holes in Greater Faridabad.

“The Development Plan-2031 has already been finalised. It provides for a new golf course on 1,000 acres in Greater Faridabad,” says Sanjiv Maan, Senior Town Planner, Faridabad.  

He says that the golf course will be located close to the Delhi border and will be available to residents of not only Faridabad city but also adjoining cities such as Delhi and Noida. It will be an international-standard facility where national and international-level tournaments can be organised. Though Faridabad city already has the Aravalli Golf Course located in the NIT area, it has nine holes while an international-level facility requires 18 holes. The existing golf course owned by the Haryana Tourism Department was started about 30 years ago. It was the first golf course of the Tourism Department in the state.

“Golf is a costly sport and can require an annual budget of Rs one lakh or more if one wants to pursue it seriously on a regular basis. The number of golf lovers in Faridabad city is on the rise,” says Col S Kapoor (retd), a golf enthusiast. 

“Faridabad is an industrial city and a large number of entrepreneurs and business professionals either live here or come here on official visits. Many of them love to spend their pastime at a golf course,” says Sanjay Chaturvedi, a golf enthusiast. 

“The present golf course in the NIT area is small and many players prefer to go to Noida or Gurugram to play the sport at an 18-hole facility,” he adds. 

The annual FIA-JCB Golf Tournament is held here in February or March every year in which 75 to 80 players take part, says Col Kapoor. “It is a matter of satisfaction that a world-class golf course has been proposed to be built under the new development plan. The golf course will improve the image of Faridabad city. It will be located along a 90-metre wide road running close to the proposed sectors of 92, 93, 94 and 95 in Greater Faridabad,” he adds.