Afghan Open: At a resort that became a battlefield, Afghans teed off yesterday in their country's first open golf tournament in more than 30 years.

As is still the way in Afghanistan, the first shot of the day at the Kabul Golf Club went to the local militia commander, applauded by his men with shouldered Kalashnikovs.

But organisers say they hope their tournament, contested by 40 local caddies in a picturesque valley just outside the capital, will help bring a new era in which the only risks are from golf balls, not bullets, flying down the fairways.

The club describes itself as the best and only course in Afghanistan and promises "golf with an attitude".

Hazards are unorthodox, from the bombed-out club house below the dramatic first tee perched on a ledge high up the valley, to the odd spent shell or scurrying lizard.

Club pro Mohammad Nazir Popal insists there is no danger, even though the nine-hole course became a battlefield in the 1990s when rival Mujahideen factions fought amongst themselves over overthrowing a Soviet-backed regime.

The club was forced to close because of the fighting, and then, when the Taliban swept to power, all hope of playing golf, which the hardline Islamic regime associated with wealthy Western diplomats, was lost.

It reopened this year, but only after it was thoroughly checked for mines and other unexploded ordnance.

Popal (50), said the aim of the Afghan Open was to select players who could eventually go on to represent Afghanistan in international tournaments.

"There are 40 of them and we would like to pick out the best," he said. "We are holding this tournament for the first time after 30 years of war. The boys are so happy they can play."

A lack of water means there is not a patch of grass to be seen and the greens are actually "browns" made from oiled sand, yet the course has become popular with a few dozen hardy souls among Kabul's 2,000-strong foreign community.

Security remains a worry - particularly after the kidnapping of three foreign UN workers, including Annetta Flanigan of Armagh, this month who were thought to have been held in a nearby area. Some foreigners take the precaution of bringing along armed bodyguards as caddies.

The club, which opened in 1967, is short of funds for everything from clubs to course maintenance equipment and eagerly accepts donations from its international members.

"We still don't have a proper green and we still need more facilities," said the other club pro, Mohamad Afzal Abdul. "Some of our international members have promised to help us reconstruct our greens and donate equipment."

Abdul has dedicated his life to his beloved game and has suffered for it too. He was arrested after the communist takeover in the 1970s and jailed for six months for having links with foreign diplomats who played the course. He was imprisoned again by the Taliban in the 1990s for three months after admitting he used to work with foreigners.

The Kabul Golf Club might not be the smartest in the world, but it is certainly affordable, with a green fee of $10 and annual membership just 7,500 afghanis (€120).

Former refugee Zabir Sidiq is rebuilding a restaurant and nightclub overlooking the course, which he visited as a young child.

"In the past there was a lot of killing going on here," he said. "Right now we are trying to fix up this area and give people some hope to understand a better life."