Sri Lanka has five 18-hole golf courses, spread from Colombo to Trincomalee. Two of them date from the 1800s; one opened in 2012. By road they are a week of driving apart. With two or three short flights, you can play all five in nine days.
The five courses
| Course | Where | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Colombo Golf Club | Colombo | Founded 1879. A members' club in the city; visitors play by arrangement, so book ahead. |
| Victoria Golf and Country Resort | Digana, near Kandy | Designed by Donald Steele, with views over the Victoria reservoir. Hosts the SriLankan Airlines Golf Classic. |
| Nuwara Eliya Golf Club | Hill country | Founded 1889. Cool mornings among tea estates and pine trees. |
| Shangri-La Hambantota | South coast | A par-70 resort course designed by Rodney Wright, next to the beach. |
| Eagles' Golf Links | China Bay, Trincomalee | Opened in 2012 and run by the Sri Lanka Air Force, on the east coast. |
When to play
Play Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota from December to April, when the west, south and hill country are driest. Trincomalee is at its best from May to September, when the east coast has its dry season.
Before you go
- Handicap certificate: some clubs ask for one, so bring it.
- Dress: collared shirts and golf shorts or trousers; soft spikes.
- Caddies: usual at every club, and included in our golf prices.
- Clubs: most clubs have hire sets, which also makes small-plane flights easier.
Playing all five
Our nine-day golf week starts at Royal Colombo, flies to Kandy for Victoria, drives through the tea hills to Nuwara Eliya, then takes a seaplane to the south coast for two rounds at Shangri-La Hambantota before flying back to Colombo. It starts from USD 3,750 per person, two sharing, with hotels, car and driver-guide, green fees and three flights.