India needs to promote golf at college level

India needs to promote golf at college level
SHONA MANCO

FEBRUARY 11: A majority of the current USPGA Tour champions have been behind successful college teams and initially gained recognition at this level.

College golf consists of first striving to get a place on the basis of golf after which one has to make the college golf team. Players are assigned a coach and practice facilities and the four-member teams participate in inter-college events scheduled at the beginning of a season. Most competitions are played over 36 holes of stroke play -- in a day. And that's not all.

According to the rules of play, all amateurs shoulder their own golf bags. Academic grades too are important and have to be kept up to the minimum standard required, or one is liable to get shipped back.

This is an ideal setting for youngsters who dream of playing professional golf and someday holing that final putt to win the Masters, but minus the financial pressures. It provides the vital experience required to cultivate mature golfers coupled with an academic degree.

Furthermore, itis also an opportunity to decide whether one is cut out for such a lifestyle. Whether they are upto the travelling, the long distances, unknown places and the struggle to the top. And if a youngster decides against such an option, it's not too late to use the education and golf to promote a career.

In India, there is currently a need to promote the game at the college level in order to benefit our youngsters. However, we have to first strive for recognition of golf as a sport in colleges and universities. It is good to have junior camps and competitions but often, even students who can afford to pay for trips to different regions cannot get time off from their local educational institutions.

Digraj Singh of Tiger Sports Marketing, who represented the country as an amateur golfer, recalls how his university failed to recognise golf as a sport. As a result, he lost out on points awarded to sportsmen. Teenagers who decide to go for a professional golf career bunk college for practice. Sadly, most of our toppros have played their golf at the expense of education.

Another advantage of such a facility would be that the game, which has always been considered an elite sport, will offer young caddies an alternative. The Indian tour is currently packed with youngsters who have adopted a professional status to pay their way on the tour, regardless of the standard of their game. However, offering them scholarships to college on the basis of their golf will put them at par with their contemporaries. If such an idea can be well established, it will also sort out coaching problems.

Hopefully everyone can receive a similar training -- which should be the best so that universities can win some titles. It will also improve competition and groom talent which may one day lead to professional representation on the USPGA Tour.

Last Week'seek's Results

USPGA: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner: Tiger Woods
Business Today-American Express Pro-Am winner: Amandeep Johl
Buy.Com Tour -- Buy.Com FloridaChampionship winner: Fran Quinn

COMING UP (February 14-20):
USPGA: Nissan Open
Senior PGA: GTE Classic
EPGA: Algrave Portugese Open
Asian Davidoff tour: Phillipine Open
IPGA: Wills Masters
LPGA: Cup Noodles Ladies Hawiian Open
ELPGA: Women's Australian Open
European Challenge tour: Challenge De Espana
Australian PGA -- Cannon Challenge Golfer Of the Week
Amandeep Johl: Back from a short coaching stint in Italy, Johl set the pace amongst his fellow contemporaries as he won the 36-hole Business Today Pro-Am with a scorching total of eight-under-par.