The city of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya is worth a visit. Firstly it is an excellent hill station and secondly, it has one of the oldest Golf courses in India. Shillong is also the capital of Meghalaya. Reaching there is not a problem at all as Shillong has an excellent aerodrome at Barapani. It has direct connections to Kolcutta and Guwahati. Hence if the need arises to save time on travel, you can connect to Shillong from any part of the country.
In case you are travelling by train the connections are also well-served, with direct trains from Kolcutta and Delhi to Gauhati which is 104 km from Shillong. Getting to Shillong from there is easy, with a string of taxis and luxury buses available. Much of the development of Shillong took place during the days of the Raj. The English in particular loved the place as it reminded them of Wales. Many Englishmen made Shillong their home.
Shillong is located at a height of about 5000′ in the lush hills. The city itself is picturesque with a lovely lake and a Golf course. The golf course is part of the Shillong Club which was established by the English, during their sway over India. The golf course is one of the most beautiful in India. Nestled among the winding hills and dales, it has a 18 hole golf course which is very well maintained. The greens are excellent and playing a full-course game can be a challenging experience.
In addition to the Golf course, one can make an excursion to Cherrapunji which is the wettest place on earth with over 400 inches of rain every year. Cherrapunji is about 55 km from Shillong and you can hire a taxi to take you. From there, if the weather is clear, you will be able to see the Bangladesh town of Sylhet, far below in the plains. You will also see the seven sisters and lovely waterfalls that cascade down from above the hills.
Shillong itself has a lovely lake where you can do some boating and a lovely zoo. In case you want some speed boat riding then you can visit the Barapani, a gigantic lake about 20km of Shillong. Shillong itself is a hill station with quaint streets and a bazaar called the Bara Bazaar. There are also good eating joints and you can get any type of food.
However, the piece de resistance of Shillong is the Golf course at the Golf Club. As a visitor, you can get temporary membership and play at the club. The course was initially a 9 hole course, which was set up by the British civil service officers in 1898, thus making it one of the oldest courses in India. The course was expanded to it’s present 18 holes in 1924.
However, when you play Golf at the Shillong club, be careful as most of the greens are up a slope and some of the holes are tough. As far as the stay is concerned there are many budget hotels for you to stay or at the Pine tree hotel which has star facilities. All in all its a fun place to visit for recreation and Golf.