The second Australia India Friendship Cup, held recently at the sprawling 6,458-yard par-72 Delhi Golf Course, attracted the attention of many Australian and Indian business houses. Australian corporates who sponsored the event included BHP, ANZ Grindlays, Australian Tourist Commission, Aus Water, Crown Worldwide group, Fosters, Mayor International, National Australia Bank, Parkroyal, Qantas, Telstra V Comm and William Grant, under the patronage of Australian High Commission.

The event was also lent some gloss by diplomacy, with Australian High Commissioner Rob Laurie, setting the pace of putting to come with the first tee at 6.30 am. Rubbing shoulders with hotelier Sushil Gupta of the Hyatt Regency were ambassadors of Japan, Sweden, Argentina and Brazil, and highcommissioner of Malaysia. In all, 247 persons teed off, and 240 completed the course.

``Run strictly on a non-profit basis, the event is a tournament that would bring together the Indo-Australian business community. Held for the first time in March 1998 at the same venue, it is run strictly on a non-profit basis,'' Says Brandon D' Souza, chief executive officer, Tiger Sports Marketing, the event managers.

The winning team comprising Billu Dhindsa and Deepak Narang bagged a return ticket to Australia sponsored by Qantas Airline to either Sydney, Melbourne or the Gold Coast. The victorious duo with a points tally of 45, edged out the father-daughter team of Major General Shamsher Singh and Rohini Majithia at 44 points. With other teams on the same score, they were declared second on a count-back.

The tournament was played on the Better Ball Stableford format with teams of two players each in which points are given to the better score of the two partners on each hole. ``The format encourages aggressive andpositive golf. We gave 120 slots to club members themselves -- the regular golfers who frequent the course on weekends -- and teams were drawn out of the hat. But some participants who insisted on playing with their partners, were obliged. After all, the bottomline was having fun. That is why there were prizes for the longest drive, the closest to the pin and even for the number 21 and 14,'' Says D'Souza.

Ricky Lal, with the longest drive, won a champagne bottle, courtesy the ParkRoyal. Seema Sobti, winner of the ladies prize, earned herself a dinner at the same hotel. The organisers also adopted a flexible approach toward the enthusiasts (not a single professional golfer played) by allowing team members to pick up the ball after a bad hole and counting the score of the better player at each hole. The golfing, which began at 6.30 in the morning, continued into the evening and culminated with dinner for the winners at the ParkRoyal Hotel, one of the largest Aussie sponsors and the host for thetournament.

``Worldwide a big quantum of business gets done on the golf course. But India is yet to realise the potential of golfing gains. Therefore, to promote their businesses, the number of sponsors swelled to 14 this year.

The idea was to take business out of the formal surroundings of board rooms and conference halls. With mobile phones banned on all courses, the managers and the COOs can get to know each other well, and in the process, generate some business. We hope it acts as a precursor to similar programmes between India and France, or India and Germany, for instance,'' says Sandeep Arora, general manager, Telstra V Com.

Many events like the Wills tour have helped golf get its preferred identity and the attention it deserves. ``Though the sponsors have almost doubled this year (from six to 14) it is not just the quantity of participants which matters. When the top brains of business get together, they are anticipating a commonality in objectives and concerns. Many important deals comethrough on the golf course because it provides you quality time with a high quality of people at the same place,'' says D'Souza.

Know your pitch and your chip

Here's a rundown on two of most basic golfing shots for beginners: