Corporates put support in golf’s direction

Enticed by intriguing intricacies of the game they now want more and more people to join in. The man behind the mega Rabo Cup event Rana Kapoor, MD, Rabo India says, “Golf is beginning to get more defined. This is in evidence by the grand representation including well known celebrities like Kapil Dev, M F Hussain, Vinod Khanna, Karsan Ghavri, Ashok Mankad and Manpreet Brar. More importantly we have at least eight major sponsors helping us with the show.”

Rana looks to golf as a problem solving sport. “It (golf) provides a good forum to meet people and relax. It also helps build rapport. Since it throws up a challenge to every individual one is forced to visualise the path just as in life.”

Rana also agrees that only corporate events won’t help the sport come up. “There has to be more tournaments for the junior amateurs. More resources, better management and financial commitment are needed and I think it’s coming something that augurs well for golf.”

According to Capt. Rohit Ameen of Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC) there have to be more champions from the city for the interest to increase. “Golf had dwindled a little for want of sponsors but we hope the scenario will change fast,” he says.

Ameen states the loss of two important championships — Crompton Greaves All India MatchPlay and Mahindra Invitational as one of the reasons for golf taking a back seat in Mumbai.

“We need sponsors to keep the show going. But even otherwise we keep up our work by inviting youngsters to play.”

BPGC on its part conducts regular vacational coaching camps for juniors between the ages of 8 to 16. The success can be seen in 17-year-old Sanam Merchant, a dedicated and upcoming golfer who is counted as one of the best talent in the city.

Rajneeta Marwah, Senior Event Manager of Tiger Sports Marketing — a company that markets and manages everthing on the Indian professional circuit — says, “Golf certainly has a future in Mumbai. If you look at golf in India there is a mad rush among amateurs and professionals to get into the top 50 bracket to qualify for the Pro-Tour. Most of these come from Chandigarh, Delhi, Calcutta and elsewhere but now players from Mumbai are also looking to make the grade.”

Supporting her argument she says, “When we started with golf three years back the total prize money offered on the Tour was 1.2 crore and it has now increased to 2.2 crore. That itself shows that the interest in golf is growing.”

Interestingly, Digraj Singh (one of the directors of Tiger Sports) a professional quit golf sometime back since there wasn’t much in it to offer as a career. Today the same man is managing most of the golf events.

One of the participants in the Rabo Cup, Shruti Khanna — India’s leading lady golfer — feels schools in Mumbai need to encourage the sport. “In Delhi there a lot more golf courses than in Mumbai besides the distance factor. I feel the schools could do better by allowing the kids some time off to play the game or have timings that can enable them reach a few clubs either in the mornings or evenings and that’ll help a lot.”