Kimmane Golf Resort in Shimoga is more than just a hotel

Jairam Gundappa Gowda Kimmane, chairman of Kimmange Golf Resort, Shimoga, says the project is his way of saying thank you to the district that has brought him much prosperity.

Spread across 65 acres of greenery, the Kimmane Golf Resort in Shimoga or Shivamogga, what can otherwise be called the home of the arecanut, is almost like a slice of glam in this city in Karnataka. Not that Shivamogga has no other attractions, but it’s not quite the place you would go to to get away. Kimmane fixes that.

Jairam Gundappa Gowda Kimmane’s pride in his passion project is apparent. “I am a self made man. The property you see here, none of this was inherited. We were already growing and selling arecanut; we do well, and are one of the highest taxpayers of the district. Our intention was to do something for Shivamogga in return. At first, we thought of building a medical college. Then we thought of some other educational institution. But we also wanted to be unique, do something different. That’s when we thought of a luxury resort, one with a golf course. No one has done this here before.”

Jairam has plans for Kimmane. While at present what one sees is a beautiful forest-lodge-like building, with only 30 rooms, surrounded by sheer greenery, a delightful combination of the golf course and trees, the team is already at work to build 125 villas, slightly detached from the main property, to accommodate more guests. “We are creating a destination, a place where one can come for a family holiday, honeymoons, play golf, tennis, host corporate events, weddings; a place that can accommodate anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 people. As part of the upcoming convention hall, we will also have a car park for 3,000 cars,” he says.

Inspired by his travels across the world, Jairam says that Kimmane Golf Resort is the result of his passion and his collective experiences from everywhere. “We have taken every minute detail into consideration (Jairam personally inspected every single mattress before they were installed in the rooms); our staff is like family. And every addition we make on the property will be done after careful consideration,” he adds.

In fact, what’s interesting is that Jairam is not a golf player himself. “But you see, there’s that aspirational factor in golf. We wanted people to come here and start playing. Or at least enjoy spending a holiday on a golf resort even if they don’t play. We love Shimoga a lot. We really wanted to do something different for this place.”

Kimmane Golf Resort was opened just around the time the pandemic was made official. Struck by the lockdown, which brought industries to a standstill, Jairam says that they didn’t let the pandemic deter them.

“We couldn’t have guests for a few months during the pandemic. I think it was about four or five months. But we could manage it. And I had that confidence and I had this product. I knew this product would sell,” he says.

Kimmane Golf Resort, which was built on a budget of approximately INR 35 crore, is already on a good start. Almost three years since it was opened, the resort sees a lot of movement. Their weekends are anywhere between 65-70 percent sold out. Once the villas and the convention hall is ready - they are expecting it to be done in 2024 - it would get busier. But Jairam is clear about one thing. The main building will remain untouched. They are however planning to add a couple of more F&B outlets (at present there’s an all-day diner, a cafe and a bar) to include more speciality food. “We will definitely put a lot more focus on Malnad food once the other outlets are up and ready,” he says.