Where the grass is always green

Who would not like to live on a golf course!

Naturally, people who play the sport agree easily enough, but there are many who wonder, does it really make sense to go for a golf-centric real estate project without ever trying one’s hand at the game.

But such debates could soon be a thing of the past, because, in recent years, more than 65 per cent of all newly developed golf courses have been integral parts of resort-oriented real estate projects or residential communities worldwide.

India has a much longer history associated with golf, beginning with the Royal Calcutta Golf Club’s inception in 1829. However, golf-centric real estate development started 12-15 years back by DLF, Jaypee and Sahara.

Increasingly, golf courses are becoming a marked USP (unique selling proposition) for various upcoming real estate projects and there is a reason for that.

Golf has always been an aspirational sport in India and with rising disposable income, people can now afford to play the sport. Moreover, Golf Courses are very pleasing to look at, they are well manicured with interesting topography including water bodies and strategic plantations.

The turf grass that golf courses utilise provides several key environmental benefits. Golf courses help in water purification and conservation, air purification, oxygen generation, soil nourishment, erosion control and temperature modification. Moreover, there are advantages of noise abatement, glare reduction, allergy control and lesser exploitation of water by way of recycling. If you have been thinking of teeing up for a Golf property, following are the points to be consider:

First of all, you need to make sure that the developer has a reliable track record; experience, after all, always counts! It is also important to make sure that the project you invest in is delivered on time without any unexpected delays.

Secondly, since you are going to live on the golf course, you should make sure that the course is built to certain standards. You have the right to ask the developer how they are planning the golf course, what features they are going to add to the course, like water bodies, type of grass, trees, etc. The quality of the golf course assures you that you would get to see well-manicured turf all-year-round.

By reputation, one doesn’t mean that it has to be a celebrity or signature design team on board; the experience and previous design projects of the architects make sure that you are in the right hands. The master planners and the golf course architects are the key players of the project. Any flaws in the design can affect the look and feel .

A nicely built golf course can go for a toss if it is not maintained properly. Operational plans are important to know so that it’s clear that the golf course is going to be self-sustaining and there are no future liabilities which would be passed on to the end user for the upkeep of the golf course.

Safety comes first! A golf course is a part of integrated townships which means that it will be a gated community with controlled access.

As the owner, you need to make sure there are optimum safety measures.

Moreover, a golf ball can be dangerous and safety here means reducing the probability of the golf ball hitting your morning cup of tea.

Either on-course or off-the-course, one has to make sure that the access to your house is convenient.

Since the golf course takes a lot of space and the houses are usually built around that, the path from your house to the main gate shouldn't be too long and winding.

Moreover, the proximity to hospitals, schools, markets are also important .

All golf course centric townships have club houses; either it will be a single big one catering to all sports facilities including golf or there will be two seperate club houses, one for golf and another for other sports.

Please make sure that these clubs have enough facilities for you to spend your time leisurely . A golf course-centric club mainly caters to golfers, however; it should also make sure the non-golfers are having a fun time too.

Most of the golf-centric townships are being developed on the outskirts of cities. But that doesn't mean you can’t consider a golf home to be your first as long as there is better connectivity to the city.

While it would take you more time to commute, it would be worth a compromise if you get to breathe fresh air and get to live in a peaceful environment .

Ultimately, what you see is what you get. A nice view from the balcony doesn't have to be a golf flag fluttering in front of you always, it could be a lake, a forest or a bunch of trees which the golf course has to offer.

Apart from the above points, consider other factors that are important while buying any residential property.

Happy teeing.

The writer is a golf course architect and founder of AV Golf International

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