For those golf fans understandably caught up in this week’s WGC-Match Play, you just might be missing the most bizarre course in tournament golf. This week’s European Tour event, the Hero Indian Open, is played on an uber-modern design that pops off the television screen. Here’s what you need to know about the course.
DLF Golf and Country Club opened in 1999 with an Arnold Palmer-designed course. There were plenty of modern amenities that came with the course, including an official golf academy and an option for floodlit night golf. The course went on to host many of India’s flagship events, including the Johnnie Walker Classic, the Women’s Indian Open, the Indian Open and the Avantha Masters.
But the resort’s second golf course was intended to outshine the first. In 2015, Gary Player’s design firm opened a new 18-hole signature design, a 7654-yard, par 72 designed for big-time tournament play. It incorporated some of the old Palmer holes and added, well, a lot of everything, making it arguably the most bizarre course in pro golf.
Features. Lots of ’em. What kind? Let’s take a walk-through. We’ve got waterfalls:
#HIO2019 @SSP_Golf's birdie on the 9⃣th, his last hole, helping him to make the weekend rounds@HeroMotoCorp @EuropeanTour @asiantourgolf pic.twitter.com/FcLwLH1ceo
— Hero Indian Open (@TheOfficialHIO) March 29, 2019
There are plenty of lakes, including one that houses the island green at the par-3 5th:
Cityscape views:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvl8526DGJa/
And that’s without even mentioning the two most notable features: the “quarry” and the bunkers. Each deserves its own section.
This week's course is 😮#HIO2019 pic.twitter.com/91Rx28gQWf
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 26, 2019
Chances are, you’ve never seen bunkers pop quite like these. That’s because they’re lined with geotextile bunker faces that allow the walls to rise essentially straight up out of the sand. Those are some steep lips! In addition to the aesthetic, these walls ideally require less maintenance than more traditional bunkering.
#HIO2019 @Karhanen with a birdie 🐦 on the 1⃣2⃣th@HeroMotoCorp @EuropeanTour @asiantourgolf pic.twitter.com/vyVEEY7koS
— Hero Indian Open (@TheOfficialHIO) March 28, 2019
That unique look comes from the ridging on the walls, which can be seen more clearly from close up.
Bunker art 🎨 #HIO2019 pic.twitter.com/0JSSU3mnfU
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 27, 2019
Oh, and some of these things are really high!
📝 Dear players,
You might want to avoid the bunkers this week… pic.twitter.com/oYPLVxr6jb
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 26, 2019
DLF is comprised of two extremely distinct sides: The “Lake Nine” and the “Quarry Nine.” They’re aptly named. The front nine works its way through a series of lakes, including the island green at No. 5. But it’s the back nine that is particularly eye-catching.
Rather than a typical quarry, which is a land feature formed from the process of stone extraction, this one was built from the ground up. Thousands and thousands of individual boulders were brought in and stacked, one on top of the next, to produce something you’ve really never seen before.
Spot the pin 👀#HIO2019 pic.twitter.com/5qDYoYP6Gj
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 28, 2019
“Spot the pin” is right. This thing looks like a Golden Tee hole! But it’s undeniably dramatic. Bernd Wiesberger posted a video from his practice round.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvdyBuLg8sQ/
This anti-minimalist design turns plenty of heads, though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. We’ll give the last word to Eddie Pepperell.
The great thing about the 17th hole in India is that it has 15,000 rocks and 15 fans. Most great 17th holes, have 15 rocks, and 15,000 fans.
— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) March 8, 2018
