Golf in Dehradun: FRIMA and the Doon forest

By Rahul Banerji

Dehradun and golf do not come to mind together easily, but for some years now, it had become a union one was very keen to bring about.

There are a few reasons for that and the best one is a connection that stretches back 40 years and more. Allow me therefore, to digress a little.

Doon is where a friend with whom I first picked up a golf club with at Wellington, has settled post-retirement. So this trip was also about closing a circle of sorts.

Many years ago, Sanjeev’s father, Col. Ishwar Thapa unknowingly provided us with his golf set and for one glorious day, the two of us roamed the meadows, marshes and streams of the Wellington Gymkhana, hitting and losing a bagful of golf balls in the process.

Those dimpled spheres cost a packet back then and while Sanjeev, himself a retired Colonel now, never told me what had transpired between father and son, we never picked up that golf set again.

Life then took us down different roads though we were peripherally aware of each other’s doings and happenings. Col Thapa Jnr and the Indian Army eventually parted ways some years ago, and he came home to the hillside haven that awaited.

Meanwhile, golf continued to grow as a passion and pastime, and when another friend, former Delhi and North Zone opening batsman Venkat Sundaram, suggested a golf trip to Dehradun some years ago, it was an instant okay.

Closing a circle

But Covid, lockdowns and the associated restrictions intervened and the Dehradun visit returned to the back-burner.

Now fate works in strange ways as we all have realized.

Some months ago, another golf friend, Col Sanjeev Relia – who had many good memories of his time as an Army brat and later Gentleman Cadet at the Indian Military Academy – suggested we visit Doon to get in a few rounds.

Good, I said, there’s a friend settled there, a former Gorkhas officer, and it’s been a long time since we’ve met. An exchange of names later, we realised Col Relia’s childhood friend was my boyhood buddy’s better half.

Like I said, fate.

A phone call to Ranji Trophy opener turned golfer Venkat later, the number had grown to three. It would eventually become four with the addition of a small bear of a man from Mumbai with twinkling eyes and a zest for life.

So, three years after it was first planned, and with a new crew, we finally hit the road for Dehradun.

It used to be a nightmare of a drive, anything up to nine hours – or more, depending on traffic jams – one way, but GPS said four and a half now.

Smooth run

And so it was, 270 minutes after leaving Delhi, we were in the capital of Uttarakhand thanks to expressways and bypasses that cut out every significant town en route, time taken including two stops, one for freshly-pressed cane juice alongside the highway.

Having secured residence at the IMA, thanks to our Academy-graduated golfer, we found ourselves situated a five-minute walk from the Forest Research Institute Military Academy (FRIMA) golf course.

It’s not a very long course, par-72 and 6,468 yards from the tips but the walk between green and tee is sometimes a long one, which translates into a good day out with clubs and putter in hand.

There are five repeat holes played off staggered tees which is fine, but what one needs to watch out for is the waiting forest that lines every hole on the course except for three.

As it was late spring, leaf fall was heavy and straying off the relatively narrow fairways was punishing in terms of time, or lost golf balls. So pack away the driver, rely on the irons and all will be well.

Some holes stood out as a test, the par-4 seventh which is 423 yards with the green hidden behind high trees (index 1), and the par-4 ninth which is a long 449 yards (index 3) and has an extended, narrow green.

Long haul

The finishing stretch has back-to-back par-5s, over 566 and 540 yards respectively so your arms could justifiably feel a little fatigued but there is plenty to refresh you at the clubhouse and get going again.

We managed to squeeze in two rounds with minimal damage to self-esteem and golf ball stock. Greens were partially under maintenance so it needed a heavy hand on the putter.

Green fees are a nominal Rs 500 for civilians and caddie fees are reasonable too. You will need to book the latter though.

And watch out for the crows, who are apt to pinch your golf ball off the fairways or greens.

More courses remain to be explored in and around Dehradun, and a good friend awaits a return so it may well be ‘see you soon Sanjeev’ time.

Also read: Golf in the Nilgiris-2: The Wellington Gymkhana Club