Buy yourself a golf home

A home overlooking the ninth hole of a golf course you call your own; the perfect greens where you can invite your friends for a round of golf on a Sunday morning. Sounds tempting? At the 5th KPMG Golf Business Forum held at Powerscourt in Ireland, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it’s not just the US and Europe where golf homes are big. In India, too, golf resorts appear to be recession-proof, targeted as they are at the high-end buyer who is interested in the finer things in life. The KPMG Golf Benchmark Survey 2007, in its regional report on India, suggests that the future of golf resorts in India is bright. As good a time as any, then, to invest in a house with a golf course?

Tarudhan Valley Golf Resort

Set amidst the Aravali range, Tarudhan Valley, India’s first gated golf community, has been conceptualised by Montrealbased architects Arcop. The golf course— with a 40,000 sq. ft clubhouse—is a beautifully landscaped, 9-hole facility designed by Quebec-based Graham Cooke. All the 213 Golf Homes and 15 Orchard Homes face the course. A conference centre, and a spa resort complete the picture.

Location: 10 km off NH 8, 1 km from Classic Golf Resort, near Gurgaon. 

Total Area:  75 acres (golf course: 52 acres)

Number of Residences: Golf Homes (100 one-bedroom studio apartments of 950 sq. ft & 1,000 sq. ft; 84 twobedroom independent villas, 2,500 sq. ft; 19 three-bedroom independent villas, 3,000 sq. ft); Orchard Homes (3-bedroom ‘Bali’ style homes with private lawns, 3,500 sq. ft). Most properties have been sold, but a few are still available.

Cost: Studio Apartment Rs 75 lakh, two-bedroom Golf Home Rs 1.9 crore, three-bedroom Golf Home Rs. 2.5 crore, Orchard Home Rs 3.5 crore 

USP:  For the golfer, right in the heart of golf country; perfect pastoral getaway that combines nature, luxury and modern comforts

Unitech Karma Lakelands

Near Gurgaon This is a new residential golf community coming up outside Gurgaon. It will be ready by the middle of 2009. Karma Lakelands is a huge expanse of lush green with more than 50,000 trees and a 9-hole golf course, designed by Phil Ryan of the Australian firm Pacific Coast Design. There are also (as the gated community’s name suggests) lakes and water bodies here—almost an English countryside transplanted in Haryana. Even when the villas, and the 7-star hotel, country club, clubhouse and spa are complete, the built-up area will still be only 10 per cent. A paradise on earth if there was one.

Location: Off NH 8 near McDonald’s (Manesar)

Total Area: 272 acres (golf course: 72 acres)

Number of Residences:  264 (Pavilion House, 6,780 sq. ft; Terrace House, 6,103 sq. ft; Portico House, 6,429 sq. ft; Courtyard House, 5,867 sq. ft; Atrium House, 6,305 sq. ft)

Cost: Rs 6.45-10 crore

USP: Green and eco-friendly; nature trail on resort periphery.

Eagleton—the Golf Resort, Near Bangalore

Eagleton, India’s first private golf resort, is an oasis of green, away from the bustle of 21st century Bangalore. Apart from the attraction of a world-class 18-hole championship layout (designed by Phil Ryan again), it has an all-purpose clubhouse, which is big, really big at 400,000 sq. ft and includes a 108-room hotel. Buying a home at the Eagleton Residential Enclave, built around the golf course, is a dream come true. It features designer villas and mansion-sized homes. The resort also has ultramodern conferencing facilities, a health club and spa, with plenty of other leisure options.

Location: 30 km from Bangalore, off the Bangalore-Mysore highway.

Total Area: 500 acres (golf course: 168 acres)

Number Of Residences: 1,700 plots and villas ranging from 1,500-10,000 sq. ft. Some plots/villas are still unsold. More villas are being planned.

Cost: Rs 2,200 per sq. ft for land (approx. Rs 1,500 per sq. ft for construction)

USP: Championship golf course.

Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, Near Hyderabad

Eagleton has a challenger in the South in this Emaar MGF project, an 18-hole championship facility, designed by the Switzerland-based Peter Harradine. The course has spectacular natural rock formations, and, at an elevation of 2,100 ft, offers great views of Hyderabad. It currently has 115 standalone villas. Once complete, this large township will have an expansive retail facility, luxury hotels, an IT park and a Special Economic Zone.

Location: Gachibowli (outside Hyderabad)

Total Area:  531 acres (golf course: 198 acres)

Number Of Residences: 115 standalone villas; luxury apartments under construction (from 1,880 sq. ft 2-bedroom to 5,443 sq. ft 4-bedroom apartments)

Cost: From Rs 5,500 per sq. ft to Rs 9,000 per sq ft

USP: Championship golf course.

Oxford Golf & Country Club, Near Pune

Pune now has a second golf course to boast of. This 18-hole championship course, designed by Australia’s Pacific Coast Design, is part of an integrated township. Set in picturesquely hilly surrounds, the club has villas with landscaped gardens and plunge pools. Every villa and apartment overlooks the golf course. Once complete, there will be 1,000 residences on the property. The golf course is supported by a country club, while the township also has serviced condominiums and a wellness spa.

Location:  22 km from Pune Airport, 12 km from Pune railway station, 8 km from Pune city centre.

Total Area:  350 acres (golf course: 150 acres) NUMBER OF RESIDENCES: 270-300 luxury villas (4-5 bedrooms, 8,200 sq. ft); cluster villas of 3½ bedrooms, as well as deluxe villas (4-5 bedrooms, 7,065 sq. ft) and signature villas (5-6 bedrooms, 10,935 sq. ft)

Cost: (Only villas being sold at present) at between Rs 7,500 and Rs 9,500 per sq. ft

USP: Location and championship golf course.

Kensville Golf & Country Club, near Ahmedabad

Gujarat looks like becoming India’s next golfing destination. The 18-hole championship golf course at Kensville Golf & Country Club, designed by Col. (retired) K.D. Bagga, is part of a residential community, which will feature more than 800 villas. The total area, golf course and real estate combined, is a whopping 600 acres. Indigenously planned, the project is the brainchild of NRI Bhupender Mandalia of Millennium Park Holdings. Besides the clubhouse, which will have 60 luxury apartments and a spa, Kensville will have two convention centres and an Ayurvedic centre— all to be completed by 2009.

Location: 40 km from Ahmedabad, near Nal Sarovar Lake; 52 km from Ahmedabad Airport.

Total Area: 600 acres approx. (golf course: 130 acres)

Number Of Residences: Over 800 plots, of which 200+ are premium villas facing the golf course.

Cost:  Plots starting at Rs 4,500 per sq. metre; premium villas Rs 1.5 crore (approx.)

USP: 18-hole championship golf course.