Golf owes a lot to Armed forces

Golf owes a lot to Armed forces
BRANDON DE SOUZA

Various people would like to take the credit for the recent golf boom in India but much of that credit is overdue to an agency, which on the surface would seem to have little or nothing to do with this game. Scratch the surface, and you will find that the armed forces have in reality, played a sterling role in the development of Indian golf. Along with them the social planters from the successful tea industry have been instrumental in building many of the existing golf courses.

There are in all 153 gold courses in India registered and ratified by the Indian Golf Union, and the army owns and maintains as many as 75 per cent of them. There used to be a time when a three-month stay by an army regiment at a venue used to warrant the construction of a golf course, the basic requirement being, a stretch of land, with a tee and a green with anything in-between substituting for a fairway.

It is this vision that has meant over one lakh golfers today are enjoying the luxury of playing golf. While this means that our selfish interests are catered to, the untapped potential of golf industry should be the focus and the need of the hour.

The army, though blessed with abundance of manpower, is all-equipped in both knowledge and technology. This is where the fewer, but better-known golf courses score over the numerous army maintained courses. The DLF Golf & Country Club and the Classic Golf Resort, both at Gurgaon, Royal Palms, Mumbai, and Eagleton, Bangalore, are a few that match-up to international standards.

With firms like Ranjit Nanda & Associates, excelling in implementing and designing courses from Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gleneagles, the standard of golf courses in the country is fast improving.

The presence of these world class golf courses has instigated a number of local courses to follow in their footsteps. Courses at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Tollygunge Golf Club, Delhi Golf Club, Karnataka Golf Association and the Poona Golf Club have undergone an amazing transformation over the past two or so years.

Mention should be made of the Poona Golf Club, which has converted what was hostile stony bare land into a green haven boasting of some of the fastest and best maintained greens in the country. The same can be said about the KGA, which is today a veritable golfing paradise.

Much of the progress made by these courses can be attributed to the hiring of trained superintendents from abroad backed up by state-of-art machinery. Australia might upturn the Indian apple-cart frequently in cricket, but Indian golf has much to owe to the country Down Under. Australian nationals Bernie Willemsen, Kim Fuller, Mark Roe and Robert Cairns have, in their capacity as hired superintendents, brought about a sea change in the golf courses under their charge.

All of a sudden one finds hitherto unused terms such as "green speeds in excess of 8", "1st and 2nd cut of rough", "collars on aprons" and many other similar terms in common use among golfers.

This increase in the level of knowledge augurs well for Indian golf, with the fast improving standards paving way for a growth in golf tourism. What is very essential at the moment, is to have an infrastructure where a golf package can be organised and made worth the while for the tourists. The package should take care of every minor detail possible, right from transportation, to accomodation to laying down travel schedules. The presence of fully equipped pro-shops where a golfer can walk in, hire or purchase a set and clothing and play without having to carry his set all the way here is another must.

It is here that we need to focus our attention and once we can match standards maintained internationally, we can be sure we are headed in the right direction.

(Tiger Sports Marketing)