Mumbai set to get new 18-hole course in Kharghar

With just three 18-hole courses available to them presently, golfers in Maximum City will be looking forward to the inauguration of the upgraded Kharghar Valley Golf Course (KVGC) slated for early next year.

The City and Industrial Development Corporation- (CIDCO) run course that first opened 11 years ago, in February 2012, has been undergoing a facelift that will provide players an alternative to the three existing tracks in the metropolis.

With interest in the sport booming, as evident from the healthy turnout at the revived BT Golf’s second leg of the 2022-23 season, the Kharghar course – located about an hour’s drive from central Mumbai will come as a welcome additional option.

Presently a nine-hole track covering approximately 3,665 yards, the redeveloped venue – Mumbai’s first public golf course – will be a par-72 layout spread over an impressive 7,137 yards with the project being executed by Golf Design India at a reported cost of Rs 109.65 cr.

Located in Sector 22 of Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar Valley area and in scenic surrounds with lush green hills and the famed Pandavkhada waterfalls on one side and the Central Park on the other, the KVGC also lies close to the Mumbai-Pune highway, making it accessible to golfers from both cities.

Designed and initially developed by Australian company Pacific Coast Design, the course was initially restricted to an approximately 100-acre area with plans to expand held up by the forest department over land clearance and permission issues. That apparently seems to have been sorted out and KVGC is reported to be on track to reopen as an 18-hole facility in January of 2024.

Speaking to a local newspaper, CIDCO vice-chairman Sanjay Mukherjee said, “The work on upgradation of the golf course is in full swing, and it is being carried out with utmost precision and care. The project is being executed by a team of highly skilled professionals who are using the latest technology and equipment to ensure that the course is of the highest quality.

“The upgradation of the golf course is targeted to be completed by December 2023. We propose to commission it from January 1, 2024. It will provide an unparalleled golfing experience to the players and will attract tourists from all over the world.”

The original layout had elevation changes and was peppered with water bodies and bunkers. What it will look like post the redevelopment remains to be seen but going by what the CIDCO official said, it promises to be an interesting addition to the Bombay Presidency Golf, Club, the Willingdon Sports Club and United Services Club (Colaba) golf courses for Mumbai’s venue-deprived swingers.

As a walk-in venue, existing rates are fairly reasonable and visitors can hire clubs and carts from the course itself which also has some basic coaching facilities available at the adjacent driving range.