Mohammad Afzal Abdul was becoming impatient. Grabbing the nearest driving iron, he grounded the club, took a looping swing and spanked the ball off the tee. The ball shaped an obedient fade and landed safely, a short wedge from the pin. Point proven, he returned the club and continued the verbal coaching as we completed the formalities. After the inevitable butchering that followed—a mixture of carve and slice—Abdul led the playing group down the first on a scenic excursion around Kabul’s premier golfing attraction.
Situated in a dusty basin in the outer environs of Kabul, the golf course has recently reclaimed its identity, having for many years been subject to the frequent imposition of war and ideology. Originally constructed during the reign of the country’s patriarch, King Zahir Shah, then relocated after his dethronement by his cousin Mohammed Daud, the course now abuts the Qargha Dam. Thankfully, the dam does not feature as a monstrous water hazard; however, it remains a popular spot for picnicking on the Jumma religious holiday and a glorious vantage point for a curious gallery.
The course was effectively abandoned during the Russian occupation and descent into civil war and was outlawed by the religious police of the Taliban. With specific edicts banning kite-flying and pigeon-fancying, golf could only be considered an affront to the air above. Nonetheless, in a city increasingly savvy to Western tastes, the golf course has proven a magnet for visiting expatriates and a continuing labour of love for Abdul, the crack club professional.
From a cursory glance, the course is only distinguishable by the fluorescent flags planted in the jet-black ‘greens’. Rolled with a mixture of sand and sump oil, the greens offer little variability, instead giving generous value for speculative putts. The fairways, a delight for rock fanciers, offer unpredictable lies and next to no reward for a gun-barrel-straight drive. The absence of even a blade of grass invalidates the need for a groundskeeper, but permits judicious use of the fairway tee and other concessions from the hackers’ manual. Hazards abound, though fortunately reduced by the efforts of a mine-clearance team who swept the course prior to its reopening. Golfers may, however, encounter a bore well sunk at the lip of the second green, a herd of goats forlornly grazing on the fifth, and disused explosive cartridges in the rough, seemingly begging the out-of-bounds rule.
As a spectacle, as indeed we were, the round