Indian cities and have opted to maximise the site’s dramatic ridges, valleys and rocky outcrops. The course feels like a natural extension of the valley, featuring undulating greens and rolling fairways that mirror the movement of the surrounding hills. At Kharghar, we have let the natural terrain lead the way in sculpting the layout – it has undulating playing surfaces, which is a welcome change from the usual urban courses in the region. It was our design intent to ensure that golfers get varied lies on every shot and can enjoy a shotmaking challenge. What were the key considerations on this project? We encountered a considerable amount of rock at Kharghar Valley, leading me to tweak my design in the field. This challenge resulted in the creation of one of the most fun and interesting holes on the course – a 290yard driveable par four that provides various options for play, mainly due to the hillside that could not be excavated due to the rock. In addition to rock, water was also a key consideration on the project as Mumbai gets an average annual rainfall of 2,000-3,000 millimetres. The heavy rainfall that the region gets during the monsoon season, plus the fact that the site sits as a bowl with a large catchment for water runoff from the surrounding hills, was a key factor in our design. To counter this, I carefully studied the natural hydrology of the site and exposed several natural water channels of varied scale where immense quantities of water flows across the site. Our design ensured that not only were all such natural channels retained, but they also governed how the golf course would be routed through the site whilst using these streams as hazards. By keeping the natural hydrology and patterns in mind, we retained and created drainage channels that don’t just move water, they add a layer of strategy that golfers must navigate thoughtfully. Water comes in to play on nine holes – the par-five fourteenth and par-four fifteenth are good examples of how the streams create risk-reward options. Drainage has also played a key role in the design of the course. Right from the start, one of the main objectives was to ensure that the course remains playable despite the heavy monsoons. To achieve this, the contouring of the land was carefully designed so that the natural ground contours are incorporated as much as possible and new landforms enhance the flow of water. Underground drainage pipes and large ponds were also added to collect and store the immense rainwater to irrigate the course. Vijit Nandrajog has extended Kharghar Valley from nine to 18 holes Photo: Golf Design India 27
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