Golfers are being invited to participate in the 10th SriLankan Airlines Golf Festival taking place between October 12 to 15 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Special accommodation and transfer packages have been released to cater to expected demand for this increasingly well-regarded tournament.

Hosted by the Victoria Golf Club in Kandy, the event last year attracted nearly 300 golfers from 15 countries, and offers a range of team and individual competitions and prizes.

Prices for single/double hotel accommodation, airport and golf club transfers, Chivas Regal welcome party and gala dinner invitations, green and caddy fees start at US$205 per person for a three-night stay sharing a twin room, rising to $815 for a six night package in a single room, and there is a choice of hotel options including the Mahweli Reach and Le Kandyan.

In addition, for an extra US$225, rapid air taxi shuttle transfers are available between Colombo and Kandy and return.

According to SriLankan CEO, Peter Hill, the event is now well established on the international amateur golf calendar, but caters to varying levels of golf skills, as well as offering exceptional excursions for companions accompanying the playing golfer.

“We welcome the best, but those with average par skills will still find the event an exciting and rewarding experience, and the venue in Kandy means all visitors will find plenty to do and see during their stay.”

Golf in Sri Lanka is one of the country’s growing attractions, with courses there ranked among the top worldwide.

Opened in 1999, the Victoria Club in Kandy has been rated among the 100 most beautiful in the world by Golf Digest magazine, and covers 208 hectares including an eight-kilometre waterfront along the Victoria reservoir, plus natural rock obstacles, coconut palm avenues and narrow fairways.

As well as the 6,190-metre, 73-par course in Kandy, golfers to Sri Lanka have a choice of historic drives and putts at the Royal Colombo Golf Club, the fourth oldest in the world outside of the UK dating back to Victoria times, plus the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club in the Hills, reputed to be one of Asia’s finest courses.

Here, the 18-hole, 5,520-metre course lies at 2,000 metres above sea level, and its hilly terrain and thick vegetation offers a complete contrast in golf play, with official rating as “a challenging course, set amid picture postcard surroundings”.

In addition, later this year, a par-72, 18-hole course is set to open on the outskirts of Colombo at Water’s Edge, located among natural waterways that will be the principal hazard for golfers. As well as five par 5s, five par 3s and eight par 4 holes, the course will offer a 20-bay floodlit driving range, chip and putt area with bunkers, and restaurant and recreation facilities.

“The addition of more golf courses will add to the appeal of Sri Lanka as a golf destination,” said Hill. “And, with a positive response to the Sri Lankan Airlines Golf Classic, we plan to add mini-tournaments and possibly a full pro-am event in the future.

“At the same time, the growth of spa and retreat hotels, shopping and other attractions means Sri Lanka is proving a popular choice for golf ‘widows’ who can find plenty to do away from the greens.”