Originally located in an area more than twice its present size, the course at the Delhi Golf Club was consolidated to its present 220 acres in 1950. Like the rest of Delhi, its golf course is also laid out on a part of India's history. Carved out of a portion, which was the estate of the Lodhi rulers, it has in its precincts a collection of interesting tombs and monuments.

The Delhi Golf course is also a sanctuary for over 3OO species of birds, and the golfer is often startled by the rain dance of the colourful peacock or the scurrying of a partridge. Planted with a variety of over 200 trees, the Delhi course is the most lush in the country, and its sandy loam has produced a rich turf good for the exacting fairway shots.

The 6,972 yards, par 72, 18 hole golf course was redesigned by Peter Thompson in 1977-'78 and got a major fillip when it was chosen to host the first ever golf tournament at the Asian Games in 1982.

More than 500 golfers walk into history every day as they play the country's busiest course. The club also has a nine-hole B course, used primarily by beginners. The first hole on the main course is a 522 yards par five, which dog legs to the left around a thorny bush rough. A bunker placed a good 180 yards from the tee is the marker for the drive. The second shot has to negotiate the narrow elbow, which has thick bushes on either side and a trap in front. It's best to use an iron on this stroke and keep the ball in play. You are still a good 100 odd yards from the green, which looks deceptively distant because of the mound in front of it. The green itself is very fast and tilts on either side.

The 378 yards, par four, second hole is intriguing. If you take the tiger line, you have a long carry over some grasping trees, but then an easy shot to a sporting green, fast in some parts and slow in some. The par three holes on the course are fairly simple with the exception of the 12th, which is on a plateau with a deep hazard in front where water and slush are allowed to accumulate during the winter and thick scrub abounds in summer. The oval green on the 12th is also one of the most interesting with dips, slopes and ripples making it fast and difficult to read. The 17th hole is an easy par 3, the tee off for which is located near a Lodhi tomb, and the green of which requires a lofted shot by three bunkers, one almost five feet deep.

The 16th, a long par four, is among the most testing on the course. The drive needs to carry a good 210 yards to enable the player to take a regulation on the second shot. The drive is constricted by a narrow dog legged fairway and needs to clear the two neem trees paced at the center of the elbow. Should your drive fail to clear the trees, the green is obstructed by the trees on the left, thorny rough on the right and a huge mud hill in the center.