President’s Message In this issue President’s Message 1 Editorial 2 Committee Reports - Turf Management Certificate Course - Ladies Committee 3 Features - The 50th Indian Open 4 - Tee 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan 6 - Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II 7 - Amateur Golf Championships 8 - Green Keepers Programme 8 - Report from the NHPM 10 Merit List 11 3 THE IGU COUNCIL FOUNDER CLUB MEMBERS LADIES COMMITTEE EX-OFFICIO President - Vice-President - Raian F Irani Jaydeep Chitlangia Lt. Gen. Sanjeev Anand Lt. Gen. AKS Chandele (Retd.) Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra Lt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.) Lt. Gen. Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd.) Jaydeep Chitlangia Anil Seolekar Farzan Heerjee Devang Shah Gaurav Ghosh Brijinder Singh Prabhat Chaturvedi Dilip Thomas S.K. Nandal Ishwar Achanta Sanjeev Rattan C S Subramanian Bombay Presidency Golf Club - K.K. Raman Delhi Golf Club - Kapil Channa Madras Gymkhana Club Royal Calcutta Golf Club - Dr. Satbinder Singh Tollygunge Club - T.V. Ramaswamy Willingdon Sports Club - Akshay Kilachand Anuva Saurabh Gen Bikram Singh ARMY ZONE EAST ZONE WEST ZONE NORTH ZONE SOUTH ZONE Editor: Ishwar Achanta Editorial Board: Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.), Farzan Heerjee, Anuva Saurabh, Lt. Gen. M. Sabharwal (Retd.), Brijender Singh, Lt. Gen. V.K. Pillai. Designed by: Art Works, Chennai Printed at: VM Prints Pvt. Ltd., Chennai CONTACT US AT: The Indian Golf Union, 24, Adchini (1st Floor), New Delhi 110 017, INDIA. Tel: +91 11 26525771 Fax: +91 11 26525770 Email: [email protected]Fourth Quarter - November 2013 Vol.6 Issue No.4 THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN GOLF UNION www.indiangolfunion.org For private circulation only reetings and good wishes for the coming season, It is indeed an honour for me to serve the Union as its 32nd President. With visionaries, leaders G and prominent citizens having safely guided us through the years, for me to be in this exalted company is a unique experience. The history of the IGU has been encapsulated in a brochure that is attached to this edition of GY and I commend this to your attention. With the conclusion of the landmark 50th Indian Open, it is time to take fresh guard. On the 10th of November, my predecessor, Gen. Bikram Singh, officially launched the Tee20: Strategic Plan. This seven-year vision statement envisages India becoming a leading golf nation in the world by providing more opportunities for participants to start, stay and succeed in the game. The keystones being, Grow, Sustain and Excel. Tee20 is inclusive of all stakeholders and the keys to progress at every level are collaboration, partnerships and interdependence. It will now be my endeavour to have the Council detail and execute plans on this platform. The other pathbreaking initiative, effective in India from 3rd November, is the National Handicap Service based on the USGA GHIN software and used in over 60 countries. While providing a fair and consistent handicap to players, the IGU’s NHS is set to change the growth scenario of golf in India as golfers of any age and ability will be able to get a handicap from the IGU without being a member of a golf club. Check out the IGU website or log on to www.halogolf.com for details and to enroll. Golf Clubs can also migrate to the service and leave the chore of handicapping to the NHS and just concentrate on reviewing players handicaps on a continuous basis. On the final day of the Indian Open, I reflected on the decade I spent as a member of the junior committee, helping to devise and implement programmes. The joy of seeing our youngsters like Anirban Lahiri, Chiragh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi and Chikkarangappa performing at the highest level was reward enough for the time and effort spent. I am convinced that there is no limit to where Indian golf can go so long as each of us give back just a little of what we have received from playing this wonderful game. I urge you to join us in this exciting journey by helping the IGU achieve its goals. With my best wishes, Raian Irani President, IGU
Features- The 50th Indian Open 4- Tee 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan 6- Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II 7- Amateur Golf Championships 8- Green Keepers Programme 8- Report from the NHPM 10
Merit List 11
3
THE IGU COUNCIL
FOUNDER CLUB MEMBERS
LADIES COMMITTEE
EX-OFFICIO
President - Vice-President -
Raian F IraniJaydeep Chitlangia
Lt. Gen. Sanjeev AnandLt. Gen. AKS Chandele (Retd.)Lt. Gen. Subroto MitraLt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.)Lt. Gen. Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd.)
Prabhat Chaturvedi Dilip ThomasS.K. Nandal Ishwar AchantaSanjeev Rattan C S Subramanian
Bombay Presidency Golf Club - K.K. RamanDelhi Golf Club - Kapil ChannaMadras Gymkhana Club Royal Calcutta Golf Club - Dr. Satbinder SinghTollygunge Club - T.V. RamaswamyWillingdon Sports Club - Akshay Kilachand
Anuva Saurabh
Gen Bikram Singh
ARMY ZONE
EAST ZONE WEST ZONE
NORTH ZONE SOUTH ZONE
Editor: Ishwar AchantaEditorial Board: Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.), Farzan Heerjee, Anuva Saurabh, Lt. Gen. M. Sabharwal (Retd.), Brijender Singh, Lt. Gen. V.K. Pillai.Designed by: Art Works, ChennaiPrinted at: VM Prints Pvt. Ltd., Chennai
CONTACT US AT: The Indian Golf Union, 24, Adchini (1st Floor), New Delhi 110 017, INDIA.Tel: +91 11 26525771 Fax: +91 11 26525770Email: [email protected]
Fourth Quarter - November 2013 Vol.6 Issue No.4
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN GOLF UNION
www.indiangolfunion.org
For private circulation only
reetings and good wishes for the coming season, It is indeed an honour for me to serve the Union as its 32nd President. With visionaries, leaders G
and prominent citizens having safely guided us through the years, for me to be in this exalted company is a unique experience. The history of the IGU has been encapsulated in a brochure that is attached to this edition of GY and I commend this to your attention.
With the conclusion of the landmark 50th Indian Open, it is time to take fresh guard. On the 10th of November,
my predecessor, Gen. Bikram Singh, officially launched the Tee20: Strategic Plan. This seven-year vision statement envisages India becoming a leading golf nation in the world by providing more opportunities for participants to start, stay and succeed in the game. The keystones being, Grow, Sustain and Excel. Tee20 is inclusive of all stakeholders and the keys to progress at every level are collaboration, partnerships and interdependence. It will now be my endeavour to have the Council detail and execute plans on this platform.
The other pathbreaking initiative, effective in India from 3rd November, is the National Handicap Service based on the USGA GHIN software and used in over 60 countries. While providing a fair and consistent handicap to players, the IGU’s NHS is set to change the growth scenario of golf in India as golfers of any age and ability will be able to get a handicap from the IGU without being a member of a golf club. Check out the IGU website or log on to www.halogolf.com for details and to enroll. Golf Clubs can also migrate to the service and leave the chore of handicapping to the NHS and just concentrate on reviewing players handicaps on a continuous basis.
On the final day of the Indian Open, I reflected on the decade I spent as a member of the junior committee, helping to devise and implement programmes. The joy of seeing our youngsters like Anirban Lahiri, Chiragh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi and Chikkarangappa performing at the highest level was reward enough for the time and effort spent.
I am convinced that there is no limit to where Indian golf can go so long as each of us give back just a little of what we have received from playing this wonderful game. I urge you to join us in this exciting journey by helping the IGU achieve its goals.
With my best wishes,
Raian IraniPresident, IGU
OCT-DEC 20132 GOLFINGLY YOURS
Secretariat
n the run up to the 50th Indian Open, the Council of the IGU took stock of its ability to effectively connect with the playing diaspora of this country. I
With 2013 marking the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the existence of the Indian Open and given the historic nature of this event, it was an opportunity to reflect on the road Indian Golf had travelled and to chart the course of the next five decades. We felt that this Anniversary should facilitate and celebrate narratives of past, present and future that will enthuse and energize the Indian population and use their constructive energy to exponentially grow this game in India.
By doing so, we hope that there will be an enhanced confidence in the IGU from within and outside the country and a renewed commitment and mobilisation of our agenda highlighted in our strategic plan,Tee20.
The week saw not just Golf but numerous activities organized by the IGU. Brandon De Souza, a recognized name in Indian Golf, recounts his experiences and the magnificent evening where a clutch of past Indian Open winners and performers were present to be recognised and felicitated by Gen. Bikram Singh, our then President. S.S.P Chowrasia missed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to allow Bangladeshi Mohammad Siddikur to clinch the 50th Hero Indian Open title by just one stroke. A fitting winner, he is and a humble lad to boot.
During the Open week, Gen. Bikram Singh formally launched the IGU’s strategic Plan, titled Tee 20. Raian who took over the reins at the AGM conducted around the same time has his task cut out as he steers the IGU over the next 12 months while formulating and detailing the action plan in the strategic document. Having known Raian for many years now, I am confident that the IGU continues to be in very good hands and the entire Golfing community of India wishes him the very best.
As one of the two survivors of all the AAC’s thus far, I had the privilege of officiating at the 5th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at the Nanshang Golf Club, Longkou city, Shandong Province in China. This is a must visit destination for all golf aficionados, a 27 hole mini city and part of the 279 Hole, the Shandong Nanshan conglomerate. The conditions were extraordinarily tough with temperatures on Day 1 and 2 plummeting to low numbers and a lower wind chill! Our boys did well in patches and had some great under par rounds. Lee Chang-woo from Korea won the event making him the second Korean to do so and won himself a place at the 2014 Masters and the Open’s IFQ.
Jasjit Singh, our NHPM has had a busy year and recounts his activities. It is indeed good to see the thrust being given to development of the mind, body and soul in addition to the mechanics of the swing.
The 2nd part of the history of the Rules of Golf makes an interesting read for those interested in delving deep into the genesis of the Rules. During the Rules of Golf meetings, we do consider many of the interesting aspects of how the Rules were in order that we understand how the Rule(s) must go forward. Many of you would have read with interest about the New Decisions 14-3/18 and 18/4 and Revised Decisions 25-2/0.5 and 27-2a/1.5. The full text of the revisions to “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” and of the Joint Statement can be found at www.randa.org.
On behalf of all of us at the IGU, I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous 2014.
Obiter Dicta...Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.)Director GeneralLt. Col. Ajay Singh (Retd.)Secretary & Director, Golf OperationsTusshar MalhotraAssistant Director, Golf OperationsC.S. ShettyTournament Director
Director General’s MessageThe months gone by have been busy with series of events which finally culminated in the 50th edition of the Indian Open Golf Champion- ship. This has been a momentous year for
the IGU.
The Indian Open which started in 1964 at the Delhi Golf Club celebrated its 50th year, back at the same venue and is now acknowledged as one of the most prestigious events on the Asian Tour. Among many distinguished visitors who witnessed the event were Mr. & Mrs. David Harrison from Scotland, who conveyed their good wishes on behalf of the R&A.
The IGU released a coffee table book which captures the growth of golf in India and the role played by the IGU in the development of the game. The book was released by Gen. Bikram Singh during the Indian Open commemorative dinner hosted by the IGU on Nov 8, 2013. We also felicitated our Indian players who won the Indian Open in the past and acknowledged the contribution of all our sponsors who have been supporting us all these years.
We went through the first ever election for our Office Bearers i.e. the President and the Hon. Treasurer. Mr. Raian Irani and Mr. Jaydeep Chitlangia were elected as President and Hon. Treasurer respectively without a contest.
The IGU Council finally bids adieu to Gen. Bikram Singh, our outgoing President under whose dynamic leadership we saw many new initiatives being launched and were guided by his advice in meeting many challenges. We do sincerely hope that we will continue to enjoy his patronage in future.
Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.)
3 GOLFINGLY YOURS
Committee Reports
OCT-DEC 2013
am thankful to the IGU Council for nominating me once again as the Chairman of the “Turf Management I
and Infrastructure Committee” and thereby reposing their added confidence in me. I am aware of the responsibility bestowed on me. It is very encouraging to note the growth of this game in the form of emergence of many Indian players in the international arena.
In addition, over the last 8 years, 49 golf projects have come up of which 10 new courses are of international standard. It is our responsibility, as the apex body, to ensure the high standard of maintenance and the upgrading of the existing ones as well. The question to ask is if we have enough trained staff to maintain and to upgrade these courses. My own opinion is that we do not have enough course Maintenance staff or in other words “golf superintendents” in this country. If we do not address this problem, then the general maintenance of golf courses particularly the existing ones will suffer due to the dearth of qualified staff.
In order to mitigate this issue, the IGU and the Golf Industry Association (I-GIA) of which I am the President, have proposed to institute a “Turf Management Certificate Course” in association with premier Australian Turf Training Institute Holmesglen College.
The course will be launched with minimum 16 students during 6/7 March, 2014 at The India Golf Expo 2014, at Pune. The course will be for 12 months including a one week face-to-face contact with students in March 2014 at the Oxford, Pune and one week at
Turf Management Certificate Course
Eagleton in Bangalore in last week of November 2014. The remaining semester will be via the web with online support from Holmesglen College, on a weekly pre-planned, web video cam session. Successful candidates will receive a IGU-Holmesglen Certificate in Turf Management.
As part of the IGU Vision document Tee 20, to take the game to the public, more public courses will be built, with the help of Government organisations.
While we are pursuing a number of offers in this regard. Do stay in touch with us if you have suitable land to build pitch and putt, 3/6/9 hole courses or any if you have facility that you may feel is suitable to our plans.
s winter sets in and the year draws to a close, we look back at the year gone by with a sense of A
satisfaction. Many more players are participating in the Ladies Amateur tour with new faces like Gaurika Bishnoi challenging the likes of Gurbani, Gauri, Gursimar and Aditi.
In addition to a few Juniors, players on the ladies merit list have been given ample international exposure with participation in Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the Queen Sirikit Cup. The Juniors have also been to the Evian, Faldo Asia, Rio Ishikawa and the Duke of York events and are looking to make their mark on their home soil at the Asia Pacific Junior tournament to be held in Calcutta in December.
Squad training this year has included mental training by one of India’s top amateurs and now sports psychologist, Irina Brar, along with physical fitness with Divya and Ronodeep.
Ladies CommitteeCoaching camps for juniors have been held in the North, East and Army Zone. The enthusiasm has been immense and with the support of AEPTA Delhi, Noida, Chandigarh, DGC Tollygunge Club and Srinagar the camps were a big success.
While a new ladies committee has been formed at the recently held AGM at Delhi, I am honoured to have been nominated for a second term as Chairperson.
I look forward to being assisted by my team of Monisha Ajmera who is the Vice Chairperson, Anupama Singh and Situ Puri from the Army, Manisha Jaitha and Radha Mathai from the West Zone, Anahita Taunk from Jamshedpur and Alex Priya and Madhavi Manthani from the South while Pauline Singh and Usha Wasan represent the North.
With a blend of experience and new thoughts and ideas, I look forward to Ladies golf being taken to the next level.
Anuva SaurabhChairperson, Ladies Committee
Holmesglen Institute
OCT-DEC 20132 GOLFINGLY YOURS
Secretariat
n the run up to the 50th Indian Open, the Council of the IGU took stock of its ability to effectively connect with the playing diaspora of this country. I
With 2013 marking the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the existence of the Indian Open and given the historic nature of this event, it was an opportunity to reflect on the road Indian Golf had travelled and to chart the course of the next five decades. We felt that this Anniversary should facilitate and celebrate narratives of past, present and future that will enthuse and energize the Indian population and use their constructive energy to exponentially grow this game in India.
By doing so, we hope that there will be an enhanced confidence in the IGU from within and outside the country and a renewed commitment and mobilisation of our agenda highlighted in our strategic plan,Tee20.
The week saw not just Golf but numerous activities organized by the IGU. Brandon De Souza, a recognized name in Indian Golf, recounts his experiences and the magnificent evening where a clutch of past Indian Open winners and performers were present to be recognised and felicitated by Gen. Bikram Singh, our then President. S.S.P Chowrasia missed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to allow Bangladeshi Mohammad Siddikur to clinch the 50th Hero Indian Open title by just one stroke. A fitting winner, he is and a humble lad to boot.
During the Open week, Gen. Bikram Singh formally launched the IGU’s strategic Plan, titled Tee 20. Raian who took over the reins at the AGM conducted around the same time has his task cut out as he steers the IGU over the next 12 months while formulating and detailing the action plan in the strategic document. Having known Raian for many years now, I am confident that the IGU continues to be in very good hands and the entire Golfing community of India wishes him the very best.
As one of the two survivors of all the AAC’s thus far, I had the privilege of officiating at the 5th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at the Nanshang Golf Club, Longkou city, Shandong Province in China. This is a must visit destination for all golf aficionados, a 27 hole mini city and part of the 279 Hole, the Shandong Nanshan conglomerate. The conditions were extraordinarily tough with temperatures on Day 1 and 2 plummeting to low numbers and a lower wind chill! Our boys did well in patches and had some great under par rounds. Lee Chang-woo from Korea won the event making him the second Korean to do so and won himself a place at the 2014 Masters and the Open’s IFQ.
Jasjit Singh, our NHPM has had a busy year and recounts his activities. It is indeed good to see the thrust being given to development of the mind, body and soul in addition to the mechanics of the swing.
The 2nd part of the history of the Rules of Golf makes an interesting read for those interested in delving deep into the genesis of the Rules. During the Rules of Golf meetings, we do consider many of the interesting aspects of how the Rules were in order that we understand how the Rule(s) must go forward. Many of you would have read with interest about the New Decisions 14-3/18 and 18/4 and Revised Decisions 25-2/0.5 and 27-2a/1.5. The full text of the revisions to “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” and of the Joint Statement can be found at www.randa.org.
On behalf of all of us at the IGU, I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous 2014.
Obiter Dicta...Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.)Director GeneralLt. Col. Ajay Singh (Retd.)Secretary & Director, Golf OperationsTusshar MalhotraAssistant Director, Golf OperationsC.S. ShettyTournament Director
Director General’s MessageThe months gone by have been busy with series of events which finally culminated in the 50th edition of the Indian Open Golf Champion- ship. This has been a momentous year for
the IGU.
The Indian Open which started in 1964 at the Delhi Golf Club celebrated its 50th year, back at the same venue and is now acknowledged as one of the most prestigious events on the Asian Tour. Among many distinguished visitors who witnessed the event were Mr. & Mrs. David Harrison from Scotland, who conveyed their good wishes on behalf of the R&A.
The IGU released a coffee table book which captures the growth of golf in India and the role played by the IGU in the development of the game. The book was released by Gen. Bikram Singh during the Indian Open commemorative dinner hosted by the IGU on Nov 8, 2013. We also felicitated our Indian players who won the Indian Open in the past and acknowledged the contribution of all our sponsors who have been supporting us all these years.
We went through the first ever election for our Office Bearers i.e. the President and the Hon. Treasurer. Mr. Raian Irani and Mr. Jaydeep Chitlangia were elected as President and Hon. Treasurer respectively without a contest.
The IGU Council finally bids adieu to Gen. Bikram Singh, our outgoing President under whose dynamic leadership we saw many new initiatives being launched and were guided by his advice in meeting many challenges. We do sincerely hope that we will continue to enjoy his patronage in future.
Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.)
3 GOLFINGLY YOURS
Committee Reports
OCT-DEC 2013
am thankful to the IGU Council for nominating me once again as the Chairman of the “Turf Management I
and Infrastructure Committee” and thereby reposing their added confidence in me. I am aware of the responsibility bestowed on me. It is very encouraging to note the growth of this game in the form of emergence of many Indian players in the international arena.
In addition, over the last 8 years, 49 golf projects have come up of which 10 new courses are of international standard. It is our responsibility, as the apex body, to ensure the high standard of maintenance and the upgrading of the existing ones as well. The question to ask is if we have enough trained staff to maintain and to upgrade these courses. My own opinion is that we do not have enough course Maintenance staff or in other words “golf superintendents” in this country. If we do not address this problem, then the general maintenance of golf courses particularly the existing ones will suffer due to the dearth of qualified staff.
In order to mitigate this issue, the IGU and the Golf Industry Association (I-GIA) of which I am the President, have proposed to institute a “Turf Management Certificate Course” in association with premier Australian Turf Training Institute Holmesglen College.
The course will be launched with minimum 16 students during 6/7 March, 2014 at The India Golf Expo 2014, at Pune. The course will be for 12 months including a one week face-to-face contact with students in March 2014 at the Oxford, Pune and one week at
Turf Management Certificate Course
Eagleton in Bangalore in last week of November 2014. The remaining semester will be via the web with online support from Holmesglen College, on a weekly pre-planned, web video cam session. Successful candidates will receive a IGU-Holmesglen Certificate in Turf Management.
As part of the IGU Vision document Tee 20, to take the game to the public, more public courses will be built, with the help of Government organisations.
While we are pursuing a number of offers in this regard. Do stay in touch with us if you have suitable land to build pitch and putt, 3/6/9 hole courses or any if you have facility that you may feel is suitable to our plans.
s winter sets in and the year draws to a close, we look back at the year gone by with a sense of A
satisfaction. Many more players are participating in the Ladies Amateur tour with new faces like Gaurika Bishnoi challenging the likes of Gurbani, Gauri, Gursimar and Aditi.
In addition to a few Juniors, players on the ladies merit list have been given ample international exposure with participation in Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the Queen Sirikit Cup. The Juniors have also been to the Evian, Faldo Asia, Rio Ishikawa and the Duke of York events and are looking to make their mark on their home soil at the Asia Pacific Junior tournament to be held in Calcutta in December.
Squad training this year has included mental training by one of India’s top amateurs and now sports psychologist, Irina Brar, along with physical fitness with Divya and Ronodeep.
Ladies CommitteeCoaching camps for juniors have been held in the North, East and Army Zone. The enthusiasm has been immense and with the support of AEPTA Delhi, Noida, Chandigarh, DGC Tollygunge Club and Srinagar the camps were a big success.
While a new ladies committee has been formed at the recently held AGM at Delhi, I am honoured to have been nominated for a second term as Chairperson.
I look forward to being assisted by my team of Monisha Ajmera who is the Vice Chairperson, Anupama Singh and Situ Puri from the Army, Manisha Jaitha and Radha Mathai from the West Zone, Anahita Taunk from Jamshedpur and Alex Priya and Madhavi Manthani from the South while Pauline Singh and Usha Wasan represent the North.
With a blend of experience and new thoughts and ideas, I look forward to Ladies golf being taken to the next level.
Anuva SaurabhChairperson, Ladies Committee
Holmesglen Institute
Features
he floodgates of my memory bank opened and there was a rush of mixed emotions at the T
onset of celebrating 50 years of the Indian Open.
From playing the first Indian Open in 1980 and 13 more times thereafter, the euphoria of being the Master of Ceremonies for the celebratory dinner
at a star-filled gala evening to mark the 50th edition is something that will be etched in my mind and heart forever.
One has lived in an era when golf was just about scaling newer heights even though the adventof golf in India dated back to 1829. The exploits of some of the legendary golfers such as 3-time National champion IS Malik, first Indian National Champion Mohinder Bal, and PG (Billoo) Sethi who won the Indian Open, are folklore.
With Graham Marsh winning it in 1971 he competed with the likes of the great Ben Arda, Paterno Braza from the Philippines, Master Lu Liang Huan, Lu Chien Soon and Hsu Sheng-san from Taiwan, which were big golfing nations. The largest contingent came from America led by John Benda jocularly called as ‘Benda’s bridegroom party’ that would come and play for about 10 weeks in Asia each year.
The real impact was felt when I got my first chance to play the Indian Open as an amateur in 1980. The whole experience was completely
different. The clubs used to manage the entire tournament with the Asian Tour just sending a co-ordinator. The whole club got together be it the RCGC or the Delhi Golf Club. I remember the legendary Ronnie Durant and his wife Elizabeth’s main focus was the Open when it came to Delhi along with Dr. Bharat Ram and Bikram Singh. In Kolkata there were legends like Stan Boucher and Arthur Pereira and at least a 100 volunteers from the membership of the club. Members felt it an honour to host the players as they offered their homes for the players to stay and the players reciprocated by leaving behind their practice balls, clubs etc which were at a premium in those days.
Thus the Indian Open with its humble beginnings, and now one of the most-preferred stops on the Asian Tour, is a testimony of where the game is headed. Many names who won the Indian Open were never to be heard of again which just further reiterates how competitive the game is.
The special Open’s for me were in 1983 and 1984 where I was the low Indian professional and won the YY Hsieh Trophy. It was a treat to see some of the great Australian players like Brian Jones and Stewart Ginn and Fillipino Frankie Minoza and
many of them went on to become stars! I remember playing with future Major winner Bob Tway, in 1987 and watching the great Payne Stewart winning the Indian Open in 1981.The other stars to have tread Indian soil included Scott Simpson, Scott Barr, Jim Rutledge Jeff Sluman, Joey Sindelar, Sam Torrance, Craig Parry and in the more recent times Charl Schwartzel who have won accolades around the globe.
No Indian Open story could be complete without the mention of five time Open Champion the great Australian Peter Thomson, as he a great friend of Indian golf. He won the Indian Open three times apart from influencing his countrymen to come to India.
Things were looking up for Indian golf as I was reaching the end of my playing career in the early ‘90s. Jeev Milkha Singh and Gaurav Ghei were making their international mark. Subsequently, Arjun Atwal went a step ahead by playing on the world’s richest tour – the USPGA and winning the Wyndham Championship.
Ali Sher with whom I played the Dunhill Cup, became the first Indian professional to win the Indian Open in 1991. It was great to see five other Indians (Feroz Ali-1998, Arjun Atwal 1999, Jyoti Randhawa-2000, 2006, 2007, Vijay Kumar-2002, C Muniyappa-2009) hold aloft the coveted Trophy.
It was exciting to watch the 50th Indian Open as it was dotted with Indian names on the leader board. The winner of this special edition of the prestigious event will not be forgotten in a hurry and all credit goes to Siddikur, a young lad from a very humble background. When I first met Siddikur, he was working on the driving range of the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka as the range major. Today not only am I ecstatic for him, I am also thrilled to see the way he has kept his head on his shoulders and become the champion that he is.
Stories like Siddikur teach you to live your dream because if you really want to live that big dream you’ve got make a great deal of sacrifice. I know SSP Chowrasia missed that putt. The story which is
making rounds makes you feel that it was just about a couple of feet. But for him it would have felt like a 20-footer. It could also have been Anirban’s day when I see the likes of Rahil Gangjee, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Chiragh Kumar or Manav Jaini perfom well, it is inspiring. I just hope they carry the form they display in India for those ten months in a year where they have a tough life being a journeyman.
Fifty years of the Indian Open have concluded. Many congrat-ulations to the IGU for having reached this stage and for what they have done to make champions from the junior, amateur and ladies rungs into better professionals. Witnessing the first family of Indian golf – the Malik family, the Indian Open Champions and the sponsors like Hero MotoCorp and ITC Ltd being felicitated was special.
For most of us who were present there, the statement at the end of the audio-visual played during the celebratory dinner that“for Indian golf the journey has just begun” is still reverberating.
Brandon de Souza
Winner of the 50th Indian Open, Mohammed Siddikur receiving the coveted trophy from Pawan Munjal and Gen. Bikram Singh
Rashid Khan
Anirban Lahiri
S.S.P. Chowrasia
Syed Saqib Ahmed receiving the Low Amateur Trophy at the 50th Indian Open from Gen. Bikram Singh
Ashok Malik receiving a memento from Gen. Singh The R&A’s David Harrison presenting a memento to the IGU
Pawan Munjal releasing the IGU’s coffee table book
Beauty and the Beasts! IGU referees Shalini Malik, G. Suresh,Jayanan Satagopal and Ishwar Achanta at the 50th Indian Open
Features
he floodgates of my memory bank opened and there was a rush of mixed emotions at the T
onset of celebrating 50 years of the Indian Open.
From playing the first Indian Open in 1980 and 13 more times thereafter, the euphoria of being the Master of Ceremonies for the celebratory dinner
at a star-filled gala evening to mark the 50th edition is something that will be etched in my mind and heart forever.
One has lived in an era when golf was just about scaling newer heights even though the adventof golf in India dated back to 1829. The exploits of some of the legendary golfers such as 3-time National champion IS Malik, first Indian National Champion Mohinder Bal, and PG (Billoo) Sethi who won the Indian Open, are folklore.
With Graham Marsh winning it in 1971 he competed with the likes of the great Ben Arda, Paterno Braza from the Philippines, Master Lu Liang Huan, Lu Chien Soon and Hsu Sheng-san from Taiwan, which were big golfing nations. The largest contingent came from America led by John Benda jocularly called as ‘Benda’s bridegroom party’ that would come and play for about 10 weeks in Asia each year.
The real impact was felt when I got my first chance to play the Indian Open as an amateur in 1980. The whole experience was completely
different. The clubs used to manage the entire tournament with the Asian Tour just sending a co-ordinator. The whole club got together be it the RCGC or the Delhi Golf Club. I remember the legendary Ronnie Durant and his wife Elizabeth’s main focus was the Open when it came to Delhi along with Dr. Bharat Ram and Bikram Singh. In Kolkata there were legends like Stan Boucher and Arthur Pereira and at least a 100 volunteers from the membership of the club. Members felt it an honour to host the players as they offered their homes for the players to stay and the players reciprocated by leaving behind their practice balls, clubs etc which were at a premium in those days.
Thus the Indian Open with its humble beginnings, and now one of the most-preferred stops on the Asian Tour, is a testimony of where the game is headed. Many names who won the Indian Open were never to be heard of again which just further reiterates how competitive the game is.
The special Open’s for me were in 1983 and 1984 where I was the low Indian professional and won the YY Hsieh Trophy. It was a treat to see some of the great Australian players like Brian Jones and Stewart Ginn and Fillipino Frankie Minoza and
many of them went on to become stars! I remember playing with future Major winner Bob Tway, in 1987 and watching the great Payne Stewart winning the Indian Open in 1981.The other stars to have tread Indian soil included Scott Simpson, Scott Barr, Jim Rutledge Jeff Sluman, Joey Sindelar, Sam Torrance, Craig Parry and in the more recent times Charl Schwartzel who have won accolades around the globe.
No Indian Open story could be complete without the mention of five time Open Champion the great Australian Peter Thomson, as he a great friend of Indian golf. He won the Indian Open three times apart from influencing his countrymen to come to India.
Things were looking up for Indian golf as I was reaching the end of my playing career in the early ‘90s. Jeev Milkha Singh and Gaurav Ghei were making their international mark. Subsequently, Arjun Atwal went a step ahead by playing on the world’s richest tour – the USPGA and winning the Wyndham Championship.
Ali Sher with whom I played the Dunhill Cup, became the first Indian professional to win the Indian Open in 1991. It was great to see five other Indians (Feroz Ali-1998, Arjun Atwal 1999, Jyoti Randhawa-2000, 2006, 2007, Vijay Kumar-2002, C Muniyappa-2009) hold aloft the coveted Trophy.
It was exciting to watch the 50th Indian Open as it was dotted with Indian names on the leader board. The winner of this special edition of the prestigious event will not be forgotten in a hurry and all credit goes to Siddikur, a young lad from a very humble background. When I first met Siddikur, he was working on the driving range of the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka as the range major. Today not only am I ecstatic for him, I am also thrilled to see the way he has kept his head on his shoulders and become the champion that he is.
Stories like Siddikur teach you to live your dream because if you really want to live that big dream you’ve got make a great deal of sacrifice. I know SSP Chowrasia missed that putt. The story which is
making rounds makes you feel that it was just about a couple of feet. But for him it would have felt like a 20-footer. It could also have been Anirban’s day when I see the likes of Rahil Gangjee, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Chiragh Kumar or Manav Jaini perfom well, it is inspiring. I just hope they carry the form they display in India for those ten months in a year where they have a tough life being a journeyman.
Fifty years of the Indian Open have concluded. Many congrat-ulations to the IGU for having reached this stage and for what they have done to make champions from the junior, amateur and ladies rungs into better professionals. Witnessing the first family of Indian golf – the Malik family, the Indian Open Champions and the sponsors like Hero MotoCorp and ITC Ltd being felicitated was special.
For most of us who were present there, the statement at the end of the audio-visual played during the celebratory dinner that“for Indian golf the journey has just begun” is still reverberating.
Brandon de Souza
Winner of the 50th Indian Open, Mohammed Siddikur receiving the coveted trophy from Pawan Munjal and Gen. Bikram Singh
Rashid Khan
Anirban Lahiri
S.S.P. Chowrasia
Syed Saqib Ahmed receiving the Low Amateur Trophy at the 50th Indian Open from Gen. Bikram Singh
Ashok Malik receiving a memento from Gen. Singh The R&A’s David Harrison presenting a memento to the IGU
Pawan Munjal releasing the IGU’s coffee table book
Beauty and the Beasts! IGU referees Shalini Malik, G. Suresh,Jayanan Satagopal and Ishwar Achanta at the 50th Indian Open
To ensure that India becomes a leading golf nation
in the world by providing more opportunities for participants
to start, stay and succeed in the game.
Features
ndian Golf has crossed the threshold where a major leap of faith has been made. On the 9th of November, 2013, in a historic Imoment, the then President of the IGU, Gen. Bikram Singh, in
front of the media, formally handed over the strategy document to Raian Irani, the incoming President. Present at this function were a number of the IGU’s Council Members and the press were fully brief on the genesis of this document and a number of their queries were addressed as well.
The IGU has played a pivotal role in the growth of the game since its inception 55 years ago. Close to 2 years ago, we embarked on creating a document to ensure that successive Councils have a clear vision in achieving its stated goals which are:
• Play a central, pivotal role for golf development in India
• Work closely with various stakeholders to develop their areas of expertise
This can only be achieved through the 7-pronged systemic approach as enumerated below:
It has become absolutely necessary for all stakeholders to be a partner with the IGU in achieving its goals and targets.
The 4 key areas where the thrust is to be developed are in Schools and the Community, Clubs, State Golf Partnerships, Coaching and in Developing Talent.
It is also important to acknowledge that players are at the heart of all of these initiatives at every level.
To achieve any goal there are some critical action areas and the main action areas that drive golf development activity are Strategic
Planning support, Accreditation, Funding and resources, Partner-ship development and support, Playing opportunities, Guidance and information, Support for programme development in priority areas, Talent development support and Education and training.
Collaboration, partnerships and interdependence are keys to progress at every level. Sharing the one vision of ‘Growing The Game’ across all parts of golf will enable our objectives to be realised.
Tee 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan
he very first Decision on the Rules of Golf made by this committee was in 1898 when it ruled that it was permissible to remove worm casts (loose impediments) and which are T
not to be treated as “dung”. This historic decision now finds a permanent mention in the definition of “Loose Impediments” and in Decision 23-1/1.
With the establishing of the game in the United States in the 1900s, the stability brought to the Rules of Golf by the R&A did not last. In 1895, the USGA was formed and decided to adopt the R&A Rules. However as the Americans played the game more by the letter than the spirit, it became increasingly evident that the Rules had to be more clearly defined.
While the USGA continued to adopt the R&A Rules in the first decade of the 20th century, in 1908, the R&A invited an American, C.B. Macdonald onto their committee to serve as a liaison. In 1910, the R&A, much to the chagrin of the USGA, banned all clubs “of the mallet-
headed type or such clubs as have the neck bent”, a ban that was lifted only in 1952. On their part, the USGA permitted steel shafts as against the legal hickory shafts in 1924 and it took the R&A, 5 years to follow suit.
The 1936 set of Rules were as comprehensive as they could for that time. However disputes erupted between the R&A and the USGA on issues like the stymie, penalty for ball out of bounds, limiting clubs to 14 (Harry Vardon had 26 in his bag!) and the size of the ball. The onset of World War II brought these trivial golf controversies to a standstill and when hostilities ceased in 1945, golf became
Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II
GovernmentInvolvement
Increaseplayers
Talent Spotting& ExcellenceDevelopment
ResourceGeneration
ArmedForces 7
EnhanceKnowledge Base
NCHS
The IGU Keystones
Grow • Sustain • Excel
Ultimately, mobilising the golf community and supporting activities that are focused on achieving our key outcomes will result in more people playing, more people playing more often (in better quality environments) and more people realising their potential.
Should any of you require a copy of the document, do write in to us and we will send you a copy.
The Editor
center stage with the USGA launching a counter-attack in 1946 with a radical set of Rules. The R&A responded 4 years later with a code in 1950 that upstaged the USGA code by many leagues.
Wiser heads and the Rules of Golf CommitteeEventually, wiser heads prevailed and in 1951 the R&A, the USGA, the Royal Canadian and the Australian Golf Union met and the minutes describing this meeting summed up the start of a new era for the game of Golf.
“For four days those twelve men explored every phase of the Rules. There were no axes to grind, no ultra nationalistic views. They were just golf-lovers, and they worked together in complete harmony. They reached full agreement on a uniform code. They had a wonderful experience together and a memorable one.”
In 1952 the new code arrived and since then major changes have been made once every four years and it took till 1968 to ensure that the main body of the Rules of play remain uniform throughout the world while Local Rules have distinct differences depending on the conditions of play.
1984 AND ONWARDS
To be continued...
Compiled byIshwar Achanta
WHY EIGHTEEN?
Why eighteen holes makes a full round of Golf: In the eighteenth century, the putting areas at St. Andrews were played to twice, from opposite directions: once on the way out from town, and once again on the way in. The first hole was started by driving from the putting area closest to town and continuing to that farthest away. After 1764,when there were ten putting areas, this made nine holes. Then nine holes in, made a total of eighteen, still the standard for a full round of golf.
Harry Vardon
Raian receiving the document from Gen. Singh
Addressing the press with Jaydeep, Gen. Singh, Raian and Abhi Parmar
To ensure that India becomes a leading golf nation
in the world by providing more opportunities for participants
to start, stay and succeed in the game.
Features
ndian Golf has crossed the threshold where a major leap of faith has been made. On the 9th of November, 2013, in a historic Imoment, the then President of the IGU, Gen. Bikram Singh, in
front of the media, formally handed over the strategy document to Raian Irani, the incoming President. Present at this function were a number of the IGU’s Council Members and the press were fully brief on the genesis of this document and a number of their queries were addressed as well.
The IGU has played a pivotal role in the growth of the game since its inception 55 years ago. Close to 2 years ago, we embarked on creating a document to ensure that successive Councils have a clear vision in achieving its stated goals which are:
• Play a central, pivotal role for golf development in India
• Work closely with various stakeholders to develop their areas of expertise
This can only be achieved through the 7-pronged systemic approach as enumerated below:
It has become absolutely necessary for all stakeholders to be a partner with the IGU in achieving its goals and targets.
The 4 key areas where the thrust is to be developed are in Schools and the Community, Clubs, State Golf Partnerships, Coaching and in Developing Talent.
It is also important to acknowledge that players are at the heart of all of these initiatives at every level.
To achieve any goal there are some critical action areas and the main action areas that drive golf development activity are Strategic
Planning support, Accreditation, Funding and resources, Partner-ship development and support, Playing opportunities, Guidance and information, Support for programme development in priority areas, Talent development support and Education and training.
Collaboration, partnerships and interdependence are keys to progress at every level. Sharing the one vision of ‘Growing The Game’ across all parts of golf will enable our objectives to be realised.
Tee 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan
he very first Decision on the Rules of Golf made by this committee was in 1898 when it ruled that it was permissible to remove worm casts (loose impediments) and which are T
not to be treated as “dung”. This historic decision now finds a permanent mention in the definition of “Loose Impediments” and in Decision 23-1/1.
With the establishing of the game in the United States in the 1900s, the stability brought to the Rules of Golf by the R&A did not last. In 1895, the USGA was formed and decided to adopt the R&A Rules. However as the Americans played the game more by the letter than the spirit, it became increasingly evident that the Rules had to be more clearly defined.
While the USGA continued to adopt the R&A Rules in the first decade of the 20th century, in 1908, the R&A invited an American, C.B. Macdonald onto their committee to serve as a liaison. In 1910, the R&A, much to the chagrin of the USGA, banned all clubs “of the mallet-
headed type or such clubs as have the neck bent”, a ban that was lifted only in 1952. On their part, the USGA permitted steel shafts as against the legal hickory shafts in 1924 and it took the R&A, 5 years to follow suit.
The 1936 set of Rules were as comprehensive as they could for that time. However disputes erupted between the R&A and the USGA on issues like the stymie, penalty for ball out of bounds, limiting clubs to 14 (Harry Vardon had 26 in his bag!) and the size of the ball. The onset of World War II brought these trivial golf controversies to a standstill and when hostilities ceased in 1945, golf became
Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II
GovernmentInvolvement
Increaseplayers
Talent Spotting& ExcellenceDevelopment
ResourceGeneration
ArmedForces 7
EnhanceKnowledge Base
NCHS
The IGU Keystones
Grow • Sustain • Excel
Ultimately, mobilising the golf community and supporting activities that are focused on achieving our key outcomes will result in more people playing, more people playing more often (in better quality environments) and more people realising their potential.
Should any of you require a copy of the document, do write in to us and we will send you a copy.
The Editor
center stage with the USGA launching a counter-attack in 1946 with a radical set of Rules. The R&A responded 4 years later with a code in 1950 that upstaged the USGA code by many leagues.
Wiser heads and the Rules of Golf CommitteeEventually, wiser heads prevailed and in 1951 the R&A, the USGA, the Royal Canadian and the Australian Golf Union met and the minutes describing this meeting summed up the start of a new era for the game of Golf.
“For four days those twelve men explored every phase of the Rules. There were no axes to grind, no ultra nationalistic views. They were just golf-lovers, and they worked together in complete harmony. They reached full agreement on a uniform code. They had a wonderful experience together and a memorable one.”
In 1952 the new code arrived and since then major changes have been made once every four years and it took till 1968 to ensure that the main body of the Rules of play remain uniform throughout the world while Local Rules have distinct differences depending on the conditions of play.
1984 AND ONWARDS
To be continued...
Compiled byIshwar Achanta
WHY EIGHTEEN?
Why eighteen holes makes a full round of Golf: In the eighteenth century, the putting areas at St. Andrews were played to twice, from opposite directions: once on the way out from town, and once again on the way in. The first hole was started by driving from the putting area closest to town and continuing to that farthest away. After 1764,when there were ten putting areas, this made nine holes. Then nine holes in, made a total of eighteen, still the standard for a full round of golf.
Harry Vardon
Raian receiving the document from Gen. Singh
Addressing the press with Jaydeep, Gen. Singh, Raian and Abhi Parmar
Sitting L to R: Maj.Gen A. Parmar (Retd.), Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, Prabhat Chaturvedi, Jaydeep Chitlangia, Raian Irani, Gen. Bikram Singh, Dilip Thomas, Anuva Saurabh, Lt. Gen Ajay Chandele , Lt. Gen Mukesh Sabharwal andIshwar Achanta
Standing L to R: Gaurav Gosh, S.K. Nandal, Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra, Lt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.), Anil Seolekar, Sanjeev Rattan, T.V. Ramaswamy, Satbinder Singh and Farzan Heerjee.
Not in pic: Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik (Retd.), Brijinder Singh, C.S. Subramanian, K.K. Raman, Kapil Channa and Akshay Kilachand.
(Retd.) (Retd.)
Outgoing IGU Council at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, November 9, 2013
Features
Amateur Golf Championships
Karnataka Golf Association hosted the Southern event with a field of 99 players. The first day saw five under par scores with the local boy Trishul Chinnappa taking the lead by with a 3 under 69 with Vashishta Pawar from Coimbatore trailing 2 shots behind. There were 17 players within 5 shots of the leader after Day 1.
The competition remained tough for Day 2 as well, with the overnight leader scoring 5 birdies and 5 bogeys for a level par 72 to lead the field by 1 shot from another local boy Udayan Mane who shot a 1 under 71 for day 2.
The cut was applied at 13 over and 51 players made it through to play the final 2 days of this prestigious event.
Day 3 saw some really low scores and the KGA crowd was in for a treat to watch some great golf from some of the best amateurs of our country, with the leader Trishul Chinnappa shooting a 5 under 67 and breaking away from the rest of the field to take a 4 shot lead. Udayan Mane who was second after day 2 maintained his position after shooting a 2 under 70 to trail the leader. Our former junior players, Ankur Chadha and Ainesh Ahluwalia from Gurgaon had good scores of 3 under.
The leader group on the final day was formed by Ainesh Ahluwalia, Udayan Mane and Trishul Chinnappa. As expected it was a thrilling finish to the championship, Ankur Chadha shot a brilliant 4 under 68 but fell short to finish one shot behind our Champion Trishul Chinnappa who shot a 4 over 76 on the final day to win by one shot.
Tata Steel Southern India Amateur Golf Championship,
Karnataka Golf Association, 03-06 Sep 2013
USHA Eastern India Ladies & Juniors Amateur Golf Championship,
Tollygunge Golf Club, Kolkata, 12-14 Nov 2013
The USHA-sponsored event returned to Kolkata for the prestigious Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship.
The field of 50 consisted of the top amateurs in the country with Gurbani Singh, Aditi Ashok and Gauri Monga eyeing for the title.
One of the favourite courses for the No. 1 amateur of the country, Gurbani Singh fired a 3 under 67 and took a 2 shot lead after day 1. Gurbani also holds the Ladies Course record at Tollygunge Golf Club when she shot a 6 under 64 in 2012. Gursimar Badwal and Gauri Monga shot a 1 under 69 and 1 over 71 respectively.
Day 2 saw change of leaders as overnight leader Gurbani Singh shot a 2 over to fall back behind Gursimar Badwal who shot consecutive 1 under par scores to lead by 1 shot. Gauri Monga shot a level par 72 to remain in contention for the championship. Aditi Ashok one of the top amateur of the country did not show a good performance in this event as she shot a 2 over and 3 over respectively.
The final day saw a surprise, as the top 2 players in the leader board Gurbani and Gursimar fell behind after scoring 5 over and 6 over respectively. However Gauri Monga’s, 2 over 72, including a 7 foot putt on the final hole, was good enough to win the Championship by one stroke.
Tusshar MalhotraAsst. Director Golf Operations
he IGU R&A Green Keepers programme is in now in its 3rd year with training sessions being held in each Tzone of the country. Dr. Micah Woods, Chief Scientist
of the Asian Turfgrass Institute, kick started this year’s programme in the South Zone, hosted by the JW Golf Club Mysore from 18-23 November. There were 36 participants from 19 golf clubs including 3 from Sri Lanka.
Green Keepers Programme
On 24th November, 2013, the Coimbatore Golf Club has conferred on Dr. Michah Woods, an Honorary Membership for his contribution to the development/maintenance of golf courses in India.
The 5th Asian Amateur Championship
The Indian squad with Arnaud Laborde and Jeannoel Bioul of Rolex
The Indian squad with Dilip Thomas and Ishwar Achanta
The picturesque dog-leg 16th hole at Nanshan Golf Club
Sitting L to R: Maj.Gen A. Parmar (Retd.), Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, Prabhat Chaturvedi, Jaydeep Chitlangia, Raian Irani, Gen. Bikram Singh, Dilip Thomas, Anuva Saurabh, Lt. Gen Ajay Chandele , Lt. Gen Mukesh Sabharwal andIshwar Achanta
Standing L to R: Gaurav Gosh, S.K. Nandal, Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra, Lt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.), Anil Seolekar, Sanjeev Rattan, T.V. Ramaswamy, Satbinder Singh and Farzan Heerjee.
Not in pic: Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik (Retd.), Brijinder Singh, C.S. Subramanian, K.K. Raman, Kapil Channa and Akshay Kilachand.
(Retd.) (Retd.)
Outgoing IGU Council at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, November 9, 2013
Features
Amateur Golf Championships
Karnataka Golf Association hosted the Southern event with a field of 99 players. The first day saw five under par scores with the local boy Trishul Chinnappa taking the lead by with a 3 under 69 with Vashishta Pawar from Coimbatore trailing 2 shots behind. There were 17 players within 5 shots of the leader after Day 1.
The competition remained tough for Day 2 as well, with the overnight leader scoring 5 birdies and 5 bogeys for a level par 72 to lead the field by 1 shot from another local boy Udayan Mane who shot a 1 under 71 for day 2.
The cut was applied at 13 over and 51 players made it through to play the final 2 days of this prestigious event.
Day 3 saw some really low scores and the KGA crowd was in for a treat to watch some great golf from some of the best amateurs of our country, with the leader Trishul Chinnappa shooting a 5 under 67 and breaking away from the rest of the field to take a 4 shot lead. Udayan Mane who was second after day 2 maintained his position after shooting a 2 under 70 to trail the leader. Our former junior players, Ankur Chadha and Ainesh Ahluwalia from Gurgaon had good scores of 3 under.
The leader group on the final day was formed by Ainesh Ahluwalia, Udayan Mane and Trishul Chinnappa. As expected it was a thrilling finish to the championship, Ankur Chadha shot a brilliant 4 under 68 but fell short to finish one shot behind our Champion Trishul Chinnappa who shot a 4 over 76 on the final day to win by one shot.
Tata Steel Southern India Amateur Golf Championship,
Karnataka Golf Association, 03-06 Sep 2013
USHA Eastern India Ladies & Juniors Amateur Golf Championship,
Tollygunge Golf Club, Kolkata, 12-14 Nov 2013
The USHA-sponsored event returned to Kolkata for the prestigious Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship.
The field of 50 consisted of the top amateurs in the country with Gurbani Singh, Aditi Ashok and Gauri Monga eyeing for the title.
One of the favourite courses for the No. 1 amateur of the country, Gurbani Singh fired a 3 under 67 and took a 2 shot lead after day 1. Gurbani also holds the Ladies Course record at Tollygunge Golf Club when she shot a 6 under 64 in 2012. Gursimar Badwal and Gauri Monga shot a 1 under 69 and 1 over 71 respectively.
Day 2 saw change of leaders as overnight leader Gurbani Singh shot a 2 over to fall back behind Gursimar Badwal who shot consecutive 1 under par scores to lead by 1 shot. Gauri Monga shot a level par 72 to remain in contention for the championship. Aditi Ashok one of the top amateur of the country did not show a good performance in this event as she shot a 2 over and 3 over respectively.
The final day saw a surprise, as the top 2 players in the leader board Gurbani and Gursimar fell behind after scoring 5 over and 6 over respectively. However Gauri Monga’s, 2 over 72, including a 7 foot putt on the final hole, was good enough to win the Championship by one stroke.
Tusshar MalhotraAsst. Director Golf Operations
he IGU R&A Green Keepers programme is in now in its 3rd year with training sessions being held in each Tzone of the country. Dr. Micah Woods, Chief Scientist
of the Asian Turfgrass Institute, kick started this year’s programme in the South Zone, hosted by the JW Golf Club Mysore from 18-23 November. There were 36 participants from 19 golf clubs including 3 from Sri Lanka.
Green Keepers Programme
On 24th November, 2013, the Coimbatore Golf Club has conferred on Dr. Michah Woods, an Honorary Membership for his contribution to the development/maintenance of golf courses in India.
The 5th Asian Amateur Championship
The Indian squad with Arnaud Laborde and Jeannoel Bioul of Rolex
The Indian squad with Dilip Thomas and Ishwar Achanta
The picturesque dog-leg 16th hole at Nanshan Golf Club
Formed in 2004 and based in St Andrews, The R&A seeks to engage in and support activities for the benefit of the game of golf. It takes its name from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the members’ club that, before 2004, had responsibility for the game but from which The R&A is now separate and distinct. The R&A organises The Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major, along with a number of other amateur and junior events, some of which are sanctioned by other golfing bodies. In addition, The R&A is responsibile for the administration of the Rules of Golf with the consent of 143 organisations from the amateur and professional game, and on behalf of over 30 million golfers in 128 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
This photo was taken on a very cold morning of 22nd November, 2013 while attending a R&A Rules of Golf Meeting.
Editor
Elated at joining the list of Indian golfers who have been conferred with the Arjuna award, Gaganjeet Bhullar said the honour will motivate him to perform better at the international events besides inspiring youngsters to take up the
game. Bhullar became the 17th golfer to be conferred with the Arjuna Award. Gaganjeet who is known for his long drives, has bagged 14 professional titles in the past seven years. Bhullar, one of only seven Indians to appear in a Major championship, has won four titles on the Asian Tour to emerge as a major force in Asian golf. The 25-year-old also has a title to his credit on the European Challenge Tour.
Arjuna Awardee
Aditi Ashok
Congratulations!Dilip Thomas, our Council Member, was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation at its Annual meeting held in November
2013.Professor David Cherry from Australia was elected as the APGC's new Chairman.
He is the 1st Indian to hold this position and the IGU wishes him the very best in all his endeavours.
Editor
OCT-DEC 2013
Features
10 GOLFINGLY YOURS
joined the Indian Golf Union as the National High Performance Manager in February, 2013 and I
my job started with the trials for the Ladies & Junior Girls teams for the Queen Sirikit Cup, 2013. In a busy year, we have conducted 3 coaching camps for the Ladies & Junior Girls Squad and 2 each for the Amateur & Junior Boys Squad. The one remaining camp for the Junior Boys in December will take the tally to 8 for the year,
the first time the IGU has conducted so many.
We have introduced new measures at these camps such as Golf psychology by Mrs. Irina Singh, Golf physio by Dr. Divya Sharma, Golf fitness by Ranadeep Moitra, Rules of Golf clinics by TARS certified Rules officials and Skills Tests.
Report from the NHPM
With a Sports Nutritionist in the pipeline, we have now gathered substantial data on all our players and this is shared with the players to be disseminated to their coaches and parents.
Accompanying the team comprising of Viraj Madappa, Manu Gandas, Ridhima Dilawari and Aditi Ashok to the 2nd Youth Asian Games, held in Nanjing, China in August was an experience. The Games village played host to 5000 other athletes from across the world and exuded lots of energy. While Viraj Madappa tied for 9th, Aditi Ashok tied for 10th, Ridhima Dilawari finished 14th, Manu Gandas won the Silver medal. Unfortunately, we competed under the Olympic flag as independent athletes.
Team trials for the Nomura Cup, 2013 were conducted in September at the Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon, over 6 gruelling rounds. Viraj Madappa, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa and Vikram Rana made up the team. Santiburi Country Club in Chiang Rai, Thailand, played host for the Nomura Cup where we finished with a team total of 1-under, placing us in the 10th position amongst 26 nations.
We have also introduced the TRACE software from Hogwash Golf for score analysis. This has been provided by the IGU to all the squad players so that keeping stats becomes simpler and easy. With clear data available to the players and selectors, gauging potential will also become easier.
Jasjit SinghNational Coach & National High Performance Manager
At the National squad camp
With Mukesh Sabharwal and the Indian Team at the Nomura Cup
Formed in 2004 and based in St Andrews, The R&A seeks to engage in and support activities for the benefit of the game of golf. It takes its name from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the members’ club that, before 2004, had responsibility for the game but from which The R&A is now separate and distinct. The R&A organises The Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major, along with a number of other amateur and junior events, some of which are sanctioned by other golfing bodies. In addition, The R&A is responsibile for the administration of the Rules of Golf with the consent of 143 organisations from the amateur and professional game, and on behalf of over 30 million golfers in 128 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
This photo was taken on a very cold morning of 22nd November, 2013 while attending a R&A Rules of Golf Meeting.
Editor
Elated at joining the list of Indian golfers who have been conferred with the Arjuna award, Gaganjeet Bhullar said the honour will motivate him to perform better at the international events besides inspiring youngsters to take up the
game. Bhullar became the 17th golfer to be conferred with the Arjuna Award. Gaganjeet who is known for his long drives, has bagged 14 professional titles in the past seven years. Bhullar, one of only seven Indians to appear in a Major championship, has won four titles on the Asian Tour to emerge as a major force in Asian golf. The 25-year-old also has a title to his credit on the European Challenge Tour.
Arjuna Awardee
Aditi Ashok
Congratulations!Dilip Thomas, our Council Member, was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation at its Annual meeting held in November
2013.Professor David Cherry from Australia was elected as the APGC's new Chairman.
He is the 1st Indian to hold this position and the IGU wishes him the very best in all his endeavours.
Editor
OCT-DEC 2013
Features
10 GOLFINGLY YOURS
joined the Indian Golf Union as the National High Performance Manager in February, 2013 and I
my job started with the trials for the Ladies & Junior Girls teams for the Queen Sirikit Cup, 2013. In a busy year, we have conducted 3 coaching camps for the Ladies & Junior Girls Squad and 2 each for the Amateur & Junior Boys Squad. The one remaining camp for the Junior Boys in December will take the tally to 8 for the year,
the first time the IGU has conducted so many.
We have introduced new measures at these camps such as Golf psychology by Mrs. Irina Singh, Golf physio by Dr. Divya Sharma, Golf fitness by Ranadeep Moitra, Rules of Golf clinics by TARS certified Rules officials and Skills Tests.
Report from the NHPM
With a Sports Nutritionist in the pipeline, we have now gathered substantial data on all our players and this is shared with the players to be disseminated to their coaches and parents.
Accompanying the team comprising of Viraj Madappa, Manu Gandas, Ridhima Dilawari and Aditi Ashok to the 2nd Youth Asian Games, held in Nanjing, China in August was an experience. The Games village played host to 5000 other athletes from across the world and exuded lots of energy. While Viraj Madappa tied for 9th, Aditi Ashok tied for 10th, Ridhima Dilawari finished 14th, Manu Gandas won the Silver medal. Unfortunately, we competed under the Olympic flag as independent athletes.
Team trials for the Nomura Cup, 2013 were conducted in September at the Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon, over 6 gruelling rounds. Viraj Madappa, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa and Vikram Rana made up the team. Santiburi Country Club in Chiang Rai, Thailand, played host for the Nomura Cup where we finished with a team total of 1-under, placing us in the 10th position amongst 26 nations.
We have also introduced the TRACE software from Hogwash Golf for score analysis. This has been provided by the IGU to all the squad players so that keeping stats becomes simpler and easy. With clear data available to the players and selectors, gauging potential will also become easier.
Jasjit SinghNational Coach & National High Performance Manager
At the National squad camp
With Mukesh Sabharwal and the Indian Team at the Nomura Cup
