Omar Abdullah Inaugurates 'Golfing In Paradise' Tournament At Royal Spring Golf Course

By Deepak Arora

SRINAGAR, July 1: As many as 60 golfers including Corporate from different parts of India participated in a golf tournament "Golfing in Paradise" at the Royal Spring Golf Course here.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inaugurated the tournament by hitting the first straight and long shot. Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was also present and played in the tournament.

D P Singh, Chairman, Sara Group, who had organized the tournament, said the "Golfing in Paradise" tournament was an experiential extension of the Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Revival Dialogue, held on the previous day at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).

D P Singh said the event celebrated Jammu & Kashmir’s growing status as a luxury and sports tourism destination, bringing together policymakers, corporate leaders, and influencers for a day of networking and sport.

He said it was an incredible experience hosting a tournament in paradise! Srinagar's breathtaking beauty not only made the event unforgettable but also instilled confidence in travelers. It also gave an opportunity to everyone to also experience Srinagar's charm and beauty.

Singh extended his heartfelt gratitude to Mushtaq Ahmed Burza, Chairman of Ahad Hotels and Resorts, for his unwavering support and exceptional hospitality. He also conveyed special thanks to Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah for their invaluable support in promoting tourism.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah gave away the prizes at the ceremony held over dinner at the ITC Fortune Resort Heevan, Srinagar.

The tournament saw some tough competition amongst the golfers. The longest Drive prize was won by Sanjeev Kumar, the Straightest Drive went to Mushtaq Ahmed Burza and the Closest to Pin was bagged by Munir Khan.

Yash Mahajan was the Nett Winner of the Paradise in Golf tournament and Nett Runner Up was Ravi Kohli.

Aditya Gupta was the Gross Winner and Gross Runner Up was Atul Dhir.

Bharat Sharma was the Local Winner among the participants from Jammu and Kashmir.

Namrita Dhir was adjuged as the winner in Ladies Category.

The tournament format was Double Peoria. The Melange Management Solutions Pvt Ltd was the event organisers. Amit Bhatt and Naresh Kumar, representing MMSPL, helped in managing the event and kept the scores for all.

Royal Spring Golf Course Secretary Ghalib M Shah ensured that all went like clock precision during the tournament. Mohammad Amin, incharge registration, was helpful during the practice round during the previous day and during the tournament.

It was a fun to play the tournament at the Royal Spring Golf Course for an urban person like me. Surrounded by Zabarwan mountains and flanked by glorious Dal Lake, the wind whispers through enormous trees of chinar, stately pine and a rare groove of cork oaks. The air invigorates and energises you. In other words, one doesn't get tired even after playing 18 holes.

It may be mentioned that golf tourism is one of the main attractions of the Kashmir valley in summers. The peak season for golf in Kashmir is from April to November.

Located in the foothills of Zabarwan Mountains and flanked by glorious Dal Lake, Royal Springs Golf Course is spread over an area of 300 acres boasting of wonderful landscape, thus enthralling the players of international repute.

Designed by world famous golf architect, Robert Trent Jones II, who has designed more than 500 golf courses all over the world, Royal Springs golf Course is equipped with 18 hole and par 72 golf offering a challenge to all level of players.

The golf course harbors a rare groove of cork oaks, planted by last Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh before 1947. The plants were imported from Europe. These and other trees escaped felling at the time of construction of the golf course.

The course is called the Royal Springs because there are four water springs in the vicinity. Mughal Emperor Jehangir built an exquisite walled garden – the Chashma Shahi which overlooks the golf course and contains four of the royal springs.