Above: Looking down the 1st fairway
Yesterday I had to make a mad dash from the airport to get a nine-hole practice round in, but here I am standing on the first day of the Sri Lankan Open with echos of “On the tee, James Mason from Ireland.”
I crash my drive down the middle and we are on our way. I am playing with two caddies from Kandy Victoria GC and the boys inform me there are quite a few of them playing in this tournament, so I have dubbed them the Kandy boys and we will be meeting up when I visit their course in a few days time.
At 425 yards with a lake at around 350 yards, it’s a tough opening home from the black tees, but there are four teeing options here, so I am sure you will find a set of tees that will suit your game.
   
Left to right: 5th hole, aerial view of the 9th, 8th and 1st holes, 1st and 18th shared fairway
The 400-yard 2nd hole also has a water feature in front of it, so unless you get a good drive away I would suggest laying up. Now the 3rd hole is unique. As you make your way over from the 2nd green to the 3rd tee you have to cross over some railway tracks and this is a working railway so trains pass right through the course – Click here for video – with your next encounters coming behind the 4th green, in front of the green at the 6th hole and on the tees at the 8th hole and 2nd holes, which are shared.
I am not sure Colin Montgomerie would have liked it, but I thought it was quite fun waving to the passengers and it certainly took my mind off of my bad golf. To be honest I wasn’t playing that badly, but the buffalo grass around the green was killing me and costing me a lot of shots.
Above: 2nd green with water tower
The back nine comes to a close with a downhill par 3 of 175 yards and a birdie two sets me up for the back nine, which opens with a fairly short 360-yard, par 4.
There is a shape dogleg left at the 11th and you really don’t want to miss the green right like I just have. Not only is it a steep bank back up to the green but there is more Buffalo grass to contend with and two shots later I finally make it back on to the putting surface and make seven off of two fairly decent shots.
Walking off the course I am exhausted from the heat and my personal battle with the buffalo grass and a final score of 92 off of my 5 handicap tells the story of my day. But that was my personal tussle with the elements, and it doesn’t distract me from enjoying every minute on the course. I love the design of the back nine, two well-designed back-to-back par 5s, two great par 3s and although the 18th fairway is shared with the 1st, it really is a wonderful finishing hole.
My take away thoughts for you would be, put Royal Colombia GC on your must-play courses while you are here. The train alone will make you smile. Make sure you have a caddy – I am not sure I would have made 18 holes without one. Use an umbrella and hat and think about having lunch halfway round to give yourself a break. The heat really does take it out of you and it is such a nice course that I want you to enjoy the back nine, rather than endure it.
Above: Water at the par 3, 13th hole
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