Course Overview: The redesigned and expanded Jaypee Wishtown

The chic and well-appointed Boomerung Complex now welcomes golfers to Jaypee Wishtown.

By Rahul Banerji

Alignment, alignment, alignment. Positioning is everything at the revamped and newly expanded Jaypee Wishtown Golf Course, which opened in its new avatar last month.

From a par-67 course ranging between 5,584 yards (black tees) and 4,987 yards (blue tees) dotted with a series of short par-3s, Wishtown has turned into a golf exam of over 6,000 yards.

Now a respectable par-71, 6,589 yards from the tips, 6,150 yards (blue), 5,720 (white) and 5,254 (red), the course’s remake has cracked some of the shorter holes and pulled back tees on a few of the others.

The original Graham Cooke design has not changed much and the essential alignment of the fairways remains unchanged, meaning that on the longer fairways accuracy is even more important.

A swanky new clubhouse, the Boomerung Complex, located much closer to the entrance to the Wishtown complex, now welcomes golfers teeing off on what used to be the old par-3 15th hole, now a 410-yard par-4 that incorporates the previous 15th green.

Golf course manager Akshat Seth, who has long been associated with the Wishtown property, said: “I am extremely happy with how the transformation has gone.

Positive response

“The response from players has been overwhelmingly positive and overall traffic on the course has increased significantly. With the driving range now up and running, we have seen even more engagement from golfers.

“We plan to continue introducing new ideas and improvements to ensure the course and facilities continue to evolve for the betterment of our golfing community.

“The changes have been very well received. Golfers are particularly enjoying the added challenge in the new layout – especially the 17th hole, which now features a striking peninsula green.

“It has quickly become one of the course’s most talked-about highlights. Many members have appreciated the improved playing experience, and as a result we have seen a noticeable increase in the number of rounds played.”

The number of water bodies has not changed, but with the longer distances from the tee they have become even more of a test. After the opening hole, two and three are the old 17 and 18, just like before.

Difficult approach

The fourth hole is the old first, but the tee now in use is the previous second, which not only makes this the third consecutive trip over water, but also difficult to approach as the green slopes away from the fairway and has a course index of 3.

Four and five (both par-4s) have the tees retracted far back, while hole six (the old fourth) requires another monster hit over the water onto the fairway that slopes off to the left and another body of water.

Returning to what was the start of the back nine (now the 11 holes) leads you to the earlier “hidden nine” at Wishtown, part of which is now a driving range.

The signature 17th hole features plenty of water, bunkers and a long, rolling green.

Of the four holes on this stretch, the 17th is the most interesting, as Seth mentions.

A 357 yard par-4 from the blue tee, you are greeted with water and a bunker complex on the left and an off-course area on the far right that very quickly turns into Wishtown’s signature hole.

Real challenge

At index 4 it is one of the most difficult on the course with its expansive green bordered by even more water, while the sixth, seventh and eighth are indexed at 1, 3 and 5 respectively – a tight and challenging set of holes.

The clubhouse is located on the left side of the 18th fairway (the old 13th) and is well guarded against hooked drives by high and sturdy nets, while on the right side there is a long pond.

Carts and caddies are available, but it is wise to check with the starter for a suitable time as they are in high demand.

Wishtown has certainly gained more teeth since I last played it about two years ago, and as mentioned, getting the lines right leads to more than one ball being rescued from the waiting water.

Also read: The hidden gem of Jaypee Wishtown and the Indomitable Doctor

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