www.indiangolfunion.org THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN UNION

Fourth Quarter - November 2013 Vol.6 Issue No.4

In this issue President’s Message President’s Message 1 Editorial 2 reetings and good wishes for the coming season, Committee Reports It is indeed an honour for me to serve the Union - Turf Management Certificate Course 3 as its 32nd President. With visionaries, leaders - Ladies Committee 3 G and prominent citizens having safely guided us through Features the years, for me to be in this exalted company is a unique - The 50th 4 experience. The history of the IGU has been encapsulated - 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan 6 in a brochure that is attached to this edition of GY and - Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II 7 I commend this to your attention. - Amateur Golf Championships 8 - Green Keepers Programme 8 With the conclusion of the landmark 50th Indian Open, - Report from the NHPM 10 it is time to take fresh guard. On the 10th of November, Merit List 11 my predecessor, Gen. Bikram Singh, officially launched the Tee20: Strategic Plan. This seven-year vision statement envisages 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 IGU COUNCIL the keys to progress at every level are collaboration, partnerships and interdependence. It President - Raian F Irani will now be my endeavour to have the Council detail and execute plans on this platform. Vice-President - Jaydeep Chitlangia ARMY ZONE The other pathbreaking initiative, effective in India from 3rd November, is the National Lt. Gen. Sanjeev Anand Service based on the USGA GHIN software and used in over 60 countries. Lt. Gen. AKS Chandele (Retd.) While providing a fair and consistent handicap to players, the IGU’s NHS is set to Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra change the growth scenario of golf in India as golfers of any age and ability will be able Lt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.) to get a handicap from the IGU without being a member of a . Check out the Lt. Gen. Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd.) IGU website or log on to www.halogolf.com for details and to enroll. Golf Clubs can also EAST ZONE WEST ZONE migrate to the service and leave the chore of handicapping to the NHS and just Jaydeep Chitlangia Anil Seolekar concentrate on reviewing players handicaps on a continuous basis. Farzan Heerjee Devang Shah On the final day of the Indian Open, I reflected on the decade I spent as a member of the Gaurav Ghosh Brijinder Singh junior committee, helping to devise and implement programmes. The joy of seeing our NORTH ZONE SOUTH ZONE youngsters like , Chiragh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi and Prabhat Chaturvedi Dilip Thomas Chikkarangappa performing at the highest level was reward enough for the time and S.K. Nandal Ishwar Achanta Sanjeev Rattan C S Subramanian effort spent. FOUNDER CLUB MEMBERS I am convinced that there is no limit to where Indian golf can go so long as each of us give Bombay Presidency Golf Club - K.K. Raman back just a little of what we have received from playing this wonderful game. I urge you to Golf Club - Kapil Channa join us in this exciting journey by helping the IGU achieve its goals. With my best wishes, - Dr. Satbinder Singh - T.V. Ramaswamy Raian Irani Willingdon Sports Club - Akshay Kilachand President, IGU LADIES COMMITTEE CONTACT US AT: Anuva Saurabh Editor: Ishwar Achanta Editorial Board: Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.), Farzan Heerjee, Anuva Saurabh, The , 24, Adchini (1st Floor), EX-OFFICIO Lt. Gen. M. Sabharwal (Retd.), Brijender Singh, Lt. Gen. V.K. Pillai. 110 017, INDIA. Gen Bikram Singh Designed by: Art Works, Chennai Tel: +91 11 26525771 Fax: +91 11 26525770 Email: [email protected] For private circulation only Printed at: VM Prints Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 2 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 3 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Secretariat Obiter Dicta... Committee Reports Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.) Director General n the run up to the 50th Indian Open, the Council of the Turf Management Certificate Course Lt. Col. Ajay Singh (Retd.) IGU took stock of its ability to effectively connect with the Secretary & Director, Golf Operations playing diaspora of this country. am thankful to the IGU Council Tusshar Malhotra I for nominating me once again as the Assistant Director, Golf Operations With 2013 marking the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the existence of the Indian Open and given the historic nature of Chairman of the “Turf Management C.S. Shetty Iand Infrastructure Committee” and Tournament Director this event, it was an opportunity to reflect on the road Indian Golf had travelled and to chart the course of the next five thereby reposing their added confidence decades. We felt that this Anniversary should facilitate and in me. I am aware of the responsibility celebrate narratives of past, present and future that will bestowed on me. It is very encouraging to Director General’s Message enthuse and energize the Indian population and use their constructive energy to note the growth of this game in the form The months gone by exponentially grow this game in India. of emergence of many Indian players in have been busy with the international arena. series of events which By doing so, we hope that there will be an enhanced confidence in the IGU from within and In addition, over the last 8 years, 49 golf finally culminated in the outside the country and a renewed commitment and mobilisation of our agenda highlighted projects have come up of which 10 new courses are of international 50th edition of the Indian in our strategic plan,Tee20. Open Golf Champion- standard. It is our responsibility, as the apex body, to ensure the high Holmesglen Institute The week saw not just Golf but numerous activities organized by the IGU. Brandon De standard of maintenance and the upgrading of the existing ones as ship. This has been a Eagleton in Bangalore in last week of November 2014. The remaining momentous year for Souza, a recognized name in Indian Golf, recounts his experiences and the magnificent well. The question to ask is if we have enough trained staff to semester will be via the web with online support from Holmesglen the IGU. evening where a clutch of past Indian Open winners and performers were present to be maintain and to upgrade these courses. My own opinion is that we College, on a weekly pre-planned, web video cam session. Successful The Indian Open which started in 1964 recognised and felicitated by Gen. Bikram Singh, our then President. S.S.P Chowrasia do not have enough course Maintenance staff or in other words “golf candidates will receive a IGU-Holmesglen Certificate in Turf at the celebrated its 50th missed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to allow Bangladeshi Mohammad Siddikur to clinch superintendents” in this country. If we do not address this problem, Management. year, back at the same venue and is now the 50th Hero Indian Open title by just one stroke. A fitting winner, he is and a humble lad then the general maintenance of golf courses particularly the existing acknowledged as one of the most to boot. ones will suffer due to the dearth of qualified staff. As part of the IGU Vision document Tee 20, to take the game to prestigious events on the . the public, more public courses will be built, with the help of During the Open week, Gen. Bikram Singh formally launched the IGU’s strategic Plan, In order to mitigate this issue, the IGU and the Golf Industry Among many distinguished visitors who Government organisations. witnessed the event were Mr. & Mrs. titled Tee 20. Raian who took over the reins at the AGM conducted around the same time has Association (I-GIA) of which I am the President, have proposed to David Harrison from Scotland, who his task cut out as he steers the IGU over the next 12 months while formulating and detailing institute a “Turf Management Certificate Course” in association While we are pursuing a number of offers in this regard. Do stay in conveyed their good wishes on behalf the action plan in the strategic document. Having known Raian for many years now, I am with premier Australian Turf Training Institute Holmesglen College. touch with us if you have suitable land to build , 3/6/9 of the R&A. hole courses or any if you have facility that you may feel is suitable confident that the IGU continues to be in very good hands and the entire Golfing The course will be launched with minimum 16 students during 6/7 The IGU released a coffee table book to our plans. community of India wishes him the very best. March, 2014 at The India Golf Expo 2014, at Pune. The course will which captures the growth of golf in India Anil Seolekar and the role played by the IGU in the As one of the two survivors of all the AAC’s thus far, I had the privilege of officiating at the be for 12 months including a one week face-to-face contact with development of the game. The book was 5th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at the Nanshang Golf Club, Longkou city, students in March 2014 at the Oxford, Pune and one week at Chairman - Turf Management & Infrastructure Committee released by Gen. Bikram Singh during Shandong Province in China. This is a must visit destination for all golf aficionados, a 27 the Indian Open commemorative dinner hole mini city and part of the 279 Hole, the Shandong Nanshan conglomerate. The hosted by the IGU on Nov 8, 2013. We conditions were extraordinarily tough with temperatures on Day 1 and 2 plummeting to low Ladies Committee also felicitated our Indian players who numbers and a lower wind chill! Our boys did well in patches and had some great under won the Indian Open in the past and rounds. Lee Chang-woo from Korea won the event making him the second Korean to do so s winter sets in and the year Coaching camps for juniors have been held in the North, East and acknowledged the contribution of all our and won himself a place at the 2014 Masters and the Open’s IFQ. draws to a close, we look back at Army Zone. The enthusiasm has been immense and with the support sponsors who have been supporting us the year gone by with a sense of of AEPTA Delhi, Noida, Chandigarh, DGC Tollygunge Club and all these years. Jasjit Singh, our NHPM has had a busy year and recounts his activities. It is indeed good to A Srinagar the camps were a big success. satisfaction. Many more players are We went through the first ever election for see the thrust being given to development of the mind, body and soul in addition to the participating in the Ladies Amateur tour While a new ladies committee has been formed at the recently held our Office Bearers i.e. the President and mechanics of the swing. with new faces like Gaurika Bishnoi AGM at Delhi, I am honoured to have been nominated for a second the Hon. Treasurer. Mr. Raian Irani and challenging the likes of Gurbani, Gauri, Mr. Jaydeep Chitlangia were elected as The 2nd part of the history of the makes an interesting read for those interested term as Chairperson. in delving deep into the genesis of the Rules. During the Rules of Golf meetings, we do Gursimar and Aditi. President and Hon. Treasurer respectively I look forward to being assisted by my team of Monisha Ajmera who consider many of the interesting aspects of how the Rules were in order that we understand without a contest. In addition to a few Juniors, players on is the Vice Chairperson, Anupama Singh and Situ Puri from the how the Rule(s) must go forward. Many of you would have read with interest about the New The IGU Council finally bids adieu to the ladies merit list have been given ample international exposure Army, Manisha Jaitha and Radha Mathai from the West Zone, Decisions 14-3/18 and 18/4 and Revised Decisions 25-2/0.5 and 27-2a/1.5. The full text of Gen. Bikram Singh, our outgoing with participation in Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Anahita Taunk from Jamshedpur and Alex Priya and Madhavi President under whose dynamic the revisions to “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” and of the Joint Statement can be found at Lanka and the Queen Sirikit Cup. The Juniors have also been to the Manthani from the South while Pauline Singh and Usha Wasan leadership we saw many new initiatives www.randa.org. Evian, Faldo Asia, Rio Ishikawa and the Duke of York events and are represent the North. being launched and were guided by his On behalf of all of us at the IGU, I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a looking to make their mark on their home soil at the Asia Pacific advice in meeting many challenges. We Junior tournament to be held in Calcutta in December. With a blend of experience and new thoughts and ideas, I look do sincerely hope that we will continue very happy and prosperous 2014. forward to Ladies golf being taken to the next level. to enjoy his patronage in future. Squad training this year has included mental training by one of Ishwar Achanta India’s top amateurs and now sports psychologist, Irina Brar, along Anuva Saurabh Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.) Email: [email protected] with physical fitness with Divya and Ronodeep. Chairperson, Ladies Committee 2 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 3 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Secretariat Obiter Dicta... Committee Reports Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.) Director General n the run up to the 50th Indian Open, the Council of the Turf Management Certificate Course Lt. Col. Ajay Singh (Retd.) IGU took stock of its ability to effectively connect with the Secretary & Director, Golf Operations playing diaspora of this country. am thankful to the IGU Council Tusshar Malhotra I for nominating me once again as the Assistant Director, Golf Operations With 2013 marking the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the existence of the Indian Open and given the historic nature of Chairman of the “Turf Management C.S. Shetty Iand Infrastructure Committee” and Tournament Director this event, it was an opportunity to reflect on the road Indian Golf had travelled and to chart the course of the next five thereby reposing their added confidence decades. We felt that this Anniversary should facilitate and in me. I am aware of the responsibility celebrate narratives of past, present and future that will bestowed on me. It is very encouraging to Director General’s Message enthuse and energize the Indian population and use their constructive energy to note the growth of this game in the form The months gone by exponentially grow this game in India. of emergence of many Indian players in have been busy with the international arena. series of events which By doing so, we hope that there will be an enhanced confidence in the IGU from within and In addition, over the last 8 years, 49 golf finally culminated in the outside the country and a renewed commitment and mobilisation of our agenda highlighted projects have come up of which 10 new courses are of international 50th edition of the Indian in our strategic plan,Tee20. Open Golf Champion- standard. It is our responsibility, as the apex body, to ensure the high Holmesglen Institute The week saw not just Golf but numerous activities organized by the IGU. Brandon De standard of maintenance and the upgrading of the existing ones as ship. This has been a Eagleton in Bangalore in last week of November 2014. The remaining momentous year for Souza, a recognized name in Indian Golf, recounts his experiences and the magnificent well. The question to ask is if we have enough trained staff to semester will be via the web with online support from Holmesglen the IGU. evening where a clutch of past Indian Open winners and performers were present to be maintain and to upgrade these courses. My own opinion is that we College, on a weekly pre-planned, web video cam session. Successful The Indian Open which started in 1964 recognised and felicitated by Gen. Bikram Singh, our then President. S.S.P Chowrasia do not have enough course Maintenance staff or in other words “golf candidates will receive a IGU-Holmesglen Certificate in Turf at the Delhi Golf Club celebrated its 50th missed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to allow Bangladeshi Mohammad Siddikur to clinch superintendents” in this country. If we do not address this problem, Management. year, back at the same venue and is now the 50th Hero Indian Open title by just one stroke. A fitting winner, he is and a humble lad then the general maintenance of golf courses particularly the existing acknowledged as one of the most to boot. ones will suffer due to the dearth of qualified staff. As part of the IGU Vision document Tee 20, to take the game to prestigious events on the Asian Tour. the public, more public courses will be built, with the help of During the Open week, Gen. Bikram Singh formally launched the IGU’s strategic Plan, In order to mitigate this issue, the IGU and the Golf Industry Among many distinguished visitors who Government organisations. witnessed the event were Mr. & Mrs. titled Tee 20. Raian who took over the reins at the AGM conducted around the same time has Association (I-GIA) of which I am the President, have proposed to David Harrison from Scotland, who his task cut out as he steers the IGU over the next 12 months while formulating and detailing institute a “Turf Management Certificate Course” in association While we are pursuing a number of offers in this regard. Do stay in conveyed their good wishes on behalf the action plan in the strategic document. Having known Raian for many years now, I am with premier Australian Turf Training Institute Holmesglen College. touch with us if you have suitable land to build pitch and putt, 3/6/9 of the R&A. hole courses or any if you have facility that you may feel is suitable confident that the IGU continues to be in very good hands and the entire Golfing The course will be launched with minimum 16 students during 6/7 The IGU released a coffee table book to our plans. community of India wishes him the very best. March, 2014 at The India Golf Expo 2014, at Pune. The course will which captures the growth of golf in India Anil Seolekar and the role played by the IGU in the As one of the two survivors of all the AAC’s thus far, I had the privilege of officiating at the be for 12 months including a one week face-to-face contact with development of the game. The book was 5th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at the Nanshang Golf Club, Longkou city, students in March 2014 at the Oxford, Pune and one week at Chairman - Turf Management & Infrastructure Committee released by Gen. Bikram Singh during Shandong Province in China. This is a must visit destination for all golf aficionados, a 27 the Indian Open commemorative dinner hole mini city and part of the 279 Hole, the Shandong Nanshan conglomerate. The hosted by the IGU on Nov 8, 2013. We conditions were extraordinarily tough with temperatures on Day 1 and 2 plummeting to low Ladies Committee also felicitated our Indian players who numbers and a lower wind chill! Our boys did well in patches and had some great under par won the Indian Open in the past and rounds. Lee Chang-woo from Korea won the event making him the second Korean to do so s winter sets in and the year Coaching camps for juniors have been held in the North, East and acknowledged the contribution of all our and won himself a place at the 2014 Masters and the Open’s IFQ. draws to a close, we look back at Army Zone. The enthusiasm has been immense and with the support sponsors who have been supporting us the year gone by with a sense of of AEPTA Delhi, Noida, Chandigarh, DGC Tollygunge Club and all these years. Jasjit Singh, our NHPM has had a busy year and recounts his activities. It is indeed good to A Srinagar the camps were a big success. satisfaction. Many more players are We went through the first ever election for see the thrust being given to development of the mind, body and soul in addition to the participating in the Ladies Amateur tour While a new ladies committee has been formed at the recently held our Office Bearers i.e. the President and mechanics of the swing. with new faces like Gaurika Bishnoi AGM at Delhi, I am honoured to have been nominated for a second the Hon. Treasurer. Mr. Raian Irani and challenging the likes of Gurbani, Gauri, Mr. Jaydeep Chitlangia were elected as The 2nd part of the history of the Rules of Golf makes an interesting read for those interested term as Chairperson. in delving deep into the genesis of the Rules. During the Rules of Golf meetings, we do Gursimar and Aditi. President and Hon. Treasurer respectively I look forward to being assisted by my team of Monisha Ajmera who consider many of the interesting aspects of how the Rules were in order that we understand without a contest. In addition to a few Juniors, players on is the Vice Chairperson, Anupama Singh and Situ Puri from the how the Rule(s) must go forward. Many of you would have read with interest about the New The IGU Council finally bids adieu to the ladies merit list have been given ample international exposure Army, Manisha Jaitha and Radha Mathai from the West Zone, Decisions 14-3/18 and 18/4 and Revised Decisions 25-2/0.5 and 27-2a/1.5. The full text of Gen. Bikram Singh, our outgoing with participation in Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Anahita Taunk from Jamshedpur and Alex Priya and Madhavi President under whose dynamic the revisions to “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” and of the Joint Statement can be found at Lanka and the Queen Sirikit Cup. The Juniors have also been to the Manthani from the South while Pauline Singh and Usha Wasan leadership we saw many new initiatives www.randa.org. Evian, Faldo Asia, Rio Ishikawa and the Duke of York events and are represent the North. being launched and were guided by his On behalf of all of us at the IGU, I take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a looking to make their mark on their home soil at the Asia Pacific advice in meeting many challenges. We Junior tournament to be held in Calcutta in December. With a blend of experience and new thoughts and ideas, I look do sincerely hope that we will continue very happy and prosperous 2014. forward to Ladies golf being taken to the next level. to enjoy his patronage in future. Squad training this year has included mental training by one of Ishwar Achanta India’s top amateurs and now sports psychologist, Irina Brar, along Anuva Saurabh Maj. Gen. A. Parmar (Retd.) Email: [email protected] with physical fitness with Divya and Ronodeep. Chairperson, Ladies Committee 4 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 5 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features 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 The 50th Indian Open have been Anirban’s day when I see the likes of Rahil Gangjee, , Chiragh Kumar or Manav Jaini perfom well, it he floodgates of my memory different. The clubs used to manage the entire tournament with the is inspiring. I just hope they carry the form they display in India bank opened and there was a Asian Tour just sending a co-ordinator. The whole club got together for those ten months in a year where they have a tough life being rush of mixed emotions at the be it the RCGC or the Delhi Golf Club. I remember the legendary a journeyman. T Ronnie Durant and his wife Elizabeth’s main focus was the Open onset of celebrating 50 years of the Fifty years of the Indian Open have concluded. Many congrat- Indian Open. when it came to Delhi along with Dr. Bharat Ram and Bikram Singh. ulations to the IGU for having reached this stage and for what In Kolkata there were legends like Stan Boucher and Arthur Pereira From playing the first Indian Open in they have done to make and at least a 100 volunteers from the membership of the club. 1980 and 13 more times thereafter, champions from the junior, Members felt it an honour to host the players as they offered their the euphoria of being the Master of amateur and ladies rungs into homes for the players to stay and the players reciprocated by leaving Ceremonies for the celebratory dinner better professionals. Witnessing behind their practice balls, clubs etc which were at a premium in at a star-filled gala evening to mark the 50th edition is something the first family of Indian golf – those days. Syed Saqib Ahmed receiving the Low Amateur Trophy at the 50th Indian the Malik family, the Indian that will be etched in my mind and heart forever. Open from Gen. Bikram Singh Thus the Indian Open with its Open Champions and the One has lived in an era when golf It was exciting to watch the 50th Indian Open as it was dotted with humble beginnings, and now sponsors like Hero MotoCorp was just about scaling newer Indian names on the leader board. The winner of this special edition one of the most-preferred stops and ITC Ltd being felicitated heights even though the advent of the prestigious event will not be forgotten in a hurry and all on the Asian Tour, is a testimony was special. of golf in India dated back to credit goes to Siddikur, a young lad from a very humble background. of where the game is headed. 1829. The exploits of some of the When I first met Siddikur, he was working on the of For most of us who were present Many names who won the Indian legendary golfers such as 3-time the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka as the range major. Today not there, the statement at the end Open were never to be heard of National champion IS Malik, only am I ecstatic for him, I am also thrilled to see the way he has kept of the audio-visual played during again which just further reiterates first Indian National Champion his head on his shoulders and become the champion that he is. the celebratory dinner that“for how competitive the game is. Indian golf the journey has just Mohinder Bal, and PG (Billoo) Stories like Siddikur teach you to live your dream because if you The special Open’s for me were begun” is still reverberating. Sethi who won the Indian Open, really want to live that big dream you’ve got make a great deal of are folklore. in 1983 and 1984 where I was sacrifice. I know SSP Chowrasia missed that putt. The story which is Brandon de Souza Anirban Lahiri With winning it the low Indian professional in 1971 he competed with the and won the YY Hsieh Trophy. likes of the great Ben Arda, It was a treat to see some of Paterno Braza from the Philippines, the great Australian players like Winner of the 50th Indian Open, Mohammed Siddikur receiving the coveted Master Lu Liang Huan, Lu Chien and Stewart Ginn trophy from Pawan Munjal and Gen. Bikram Singh Soon and Hsu Sheng-san from and Fillipino Frankie Minoza and Taiwan, which were big golfing nations. The largest contingent came many of them went on to become stars! I remember playing with from America led by John Benda jocularly called as ‘Benda’s future Major winner Bob Tway, in 1987 and watching the great bridegroom party’ that would come and play for about 10 weeks in Payne Stewart winning the Indian Open in 1981.The other stars to Asia each year. have tread Indian soil included Scott Simpson, Scott Barr, Jim The real impact was felt when I got my first chance to play the Indian Rutledge Jeff Sluman, Joey Sindelar, , Craig Parry Open as an amateur in 1980. The whole experience was completely 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 Ashok Malik receiving a memento from Gen. Singh The R&A’s David Harrison presenting Pawan Munjal releasing the IGU’s coffee table book of five time Open Champion the great Australian , a memento to the IGU as he a great friend of Indian golf. He won the Indian Open three Top results of the 50th Indian Open 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. and Gaurav Ghei were making their international mark. Subsequently, went a step ahead by playing on the world’s richest tour – the USPGA and winning the . 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, -2000, 2006, 2007, Vijay Kumar-2002, C Muniyappa- Beauty and the Beasts! IGU referees Shalini Malik, G. Suresh, Rashid Khan S.S.P. Chowrasia 2009) hold aloft the coveted Trophy. Jayanan Satagopal and Ishwar Achanta at the 50th Indian Open 4 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 5 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features 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 The 50th Indian Open have been Anirban’s day when I see the likes of Rahil Gangjee, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Chiragh Kumar or Manav Jaini perfom well, it he floodgates of my memory different. The clubs used to manage the entire tournament with the is inspiring. I just hope they carry the form they display in India bank opened and there was a Asian Tour just sending a co-ordinator. The whole club got together for those ten months in a year where they have a tough life being rush of mixed emotions at the be it the RCGC or the Delhi Golf Club. I remember the legendary a journeyman. T Ronnie Durant and his wife Elizabeth’s main focus was the Open onset of celebrating 50 years of the Fifty years of the Indian Open have concluded. Many congrat- Indian Open. when it came to Delhi along with Dr. Bharat Ram and Bikram Singh. ulations to the IGU for having reached this stage and for what In Kolkata there were legends like Stan Boucher and Arthur Pereira From playing the first Indian Open in they have done to make and at least a 100 volunteers from the membership of the club. 1980 and 13 more times thereafter, champions from the junior, Members felt it an honour to host the players as they offered their the euphoria of being the Master of amateur and ladies rungs into homes for the players to stay and the players reciprocated by leaving Ceremonies for the celebratory dinner better professionals. Witnessing behind their practice balls, clubs etc which were at a premium in at a star-filled gala evening to mark the 50th edition is something the first family of Indian golf – those days. Syed Saqib Ahmed receiving the Low Amateur Trophy at the 50th Indian the Malik family, the Indian that will be etched in my mind and heart forever. Open from Gen. Bikram Singh Thus the Indian Open with its Open Champions and the One has lived in an era when golf It was exciting to watch the 50th Indian Open as it was dotted with humble beginnings, and now sponsors like Hero MotoCorp was just about scaling newer Indian names on the leader board. The winner of this special edition one of the most-preferred stops and ITC Ltd being felicitated heights even though the advent of the prestigious event will not be forgotten in a hurry and all on the Asian Tour, is a testimony was special. of golf in India dated back to credit goes to Siddikur, a young lad from a very humble background. of where the game is headed. 1829. The exploits of some of the When I first met Siddikur, he was working on the driving range of For most of us who were present Many names who won the Indian legendary golfers such as 3-time the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka as the range major. Today not there, the statement at the end Open were never to be heard of National champion IS Malik, only am I ecstatic for him, I am also thrilled to see the way he has kept of the audio-visual played during again which just further reiterates first Indian National Champion his head on his shoulders and become the champion that he is. the celebratory dinner that“for how competitive the game is. Indian golf the journey has just Mohinder Bal, and PG (Billoo) Stories like Siddikur teach you to live your dream because if you The special Open’s for me were begun” is still reverberating. Sethi who won the Indian Open, really want to live that big dream you’ve got make a great deal of are folklore. in 1983 and 1984 where I was sacrifice. I know SSP Chowrasia missed that putt. The story which is Brandon de Souza Anirban Lahiri With Graham Marsh winning it the low Indian professional in 1971 he competed with the and won the YY Hsieh Trophy. likes of the great Ben Arda, It was a treat to see some of Paterno Braza from the Philippines, the great Australian players like Winner of the 50th Indian Open, Mohammed Siddikur receiving the coveted Master Lu Liang Huan, Lu Chien Brian Jones and Stewart Ginn trophy from Pawan Munjal and Gen. Bikram Singh Soon and Hsu Sheng-san from and Fillipino Frankie Minoza and Taiwan, which were big golfing nations. The largest contingent came many of them went on to become stars! I remember playing with from America led by John Benda jocularly called as ‘Benda’s future Major winner Bob Tway, in 1987 and watching the great bridegroom party’ that would come and play for about 10 weeks in Payne Stewart winning the Indian Open in 1981.The other stars to Asia each year. have tread Indian soil included Scott Simpson, Scott Barr, Jim The real impact was felt when I got my first chance to play the Indian Rutledge Jeff Sluman, Joey Sindelar, Sam Torrance, Craig Parry Open as an amateur in 1980. The whole experience was completely 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 Ashok Malik receiving a memento from Gen. Singh The R&A’s David Harrison presenting Pawan Munjal releasing the IGU’s coffee table book of five time Open Champion the great Australian Peter Thomson, a memento to the IGU as he a great friend of Indian golf. He won the Indian Open three Top results of the 50th Indian Open 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- Beauty and the Beasts! IGU referees Shalini Malik, G. Suresh, Rashid Khan S.S.P. Chowrasia 2009) hold aloft the coveted Trophy. Jayanan Satagopal and Ishwar Achanta at the 50th Indian Open 6 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 7 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features THE VISION OF INDIAN GOLFING Tee 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan To ensure that India becomes a leading golf nation in the world by providing more opportunities for participants ndian Golf has crossed the threshold where a major leap of faith to start, stay and succeed in the game. has been made. On the 9th of November, 2013, in a historic Imoment, the then President of the IGU, Gen. Bikram Singh, in Planning support, Accreditation, Funding and resources, Partner- Ultimately, mobilising the golf community and supporting activities front of the media, formally handed over the strategy document to ship development and support, Playing opportunities, Guidance that are focused on achieving our key outcomes will result in more Raian Irani, the incoming President. Present at this function were a and information, Support for programme development in priority people playing, more people playing more often (in better quality number of the IGU’s Council Members and the press were fully brief areas, Talent development support and Education and training. environments) and more people realising their potential. on the genesis of this document and a number of their queries were Collaboration, partnerships and interdependence are keys to Should any of you require a copy of the document, do write in to us addressed as well. progress at every level. Sharing the one vision of ‘Growing The and we will send you a copy. Game’ across all parts of golf will enable our objectives to be realised. The Editor The IGU Keystones Grow • Sustain • Excel Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II The IGU has played a pivotal role in the growth of the game since its The First Decision of the Rules of Golf Committee 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 he very first Decision on the Rules of Golf made by this center stage with the USGA launching a counter-attack in 1946 with achieving its stated goals which are: committee was in 1898 when it ruled that it was permissible a radical set of Rules. The R&A responded 4 years later with a code in to remove worm casts (loose impediments) and which are 1950 that upstaged the USGA code by many leagues. • Play a central, pivotal role for golf development in India T not to be treated as “dung”. This historic decision now finds a Wiser heads and the Rules of Golf Committee • Work closely with various stakeholders to develop their areas of permanent mention in the definition of “Loose Impediments” and in Eventually, wiser heads prevailed and in 1951 the R&A, the USGA, expertise Decision 23-1/1. the Royal Canadian and the Australian Golf Union met and the This can only be achieved through the 7-pronged systemic approach With the establishing of the game in the United States in the 1900s, minutes describing this meeting summed up the start of a new era for as enumerated below: the stability brought to the Rules of Golf by the R&A did not last. the game of Golf. In 1895, the USGA was formed and decided to adopt the R&A Government Increase “For four days those twelve men explored every phase of the Rules. There Involvement players Rules. However as the Americans played the game more by the letter were no axes to grind, no ultra nationalistic views. They were just golf- than the spirit, it became increasingly evident that the Rules had to be lovers, and they worked together in complete harmony. They reached more clearly defined. full agreement on a uniform code. They had a wonderful experience Talent Spotting While the USGA continued to together and a memorable one.” & Excellence adopt the R&A Rules in the first Development In 1952 the new code arrived and since then major changes have Armed decade of the 20th century, in 1908, been made once every four years and it took till 1968 to ensure that Forces 7 the R&A invited an American, C.B. the main body of the Rules of play remain uniform throughout the Macdonald onto their committee to world while Local Rules have distinct differences depending on the serve as a liaison. In 1910, the R&A, conditions of play. much to the chagrin of the USGA, Resource Mallet 1984 AND ONWARDS Generation Raian receiving the document from Gen. Singh banned all clubs “of the mallet- headed type or such clubs as have the neck bent”, a ban that was lifted NCHS To be continued... only in 1952. On their part, the USGA permitted steel shafts as Compiled by against the legal hickory shafts in 1924 and it took the R&A, 5 years Ishwar Achanta Enhance to follow suit. Knowledge Base The 1936 set of Rules were as WHY EIGHTEEN? It has become absolutely necessary for all stakeholders to be a partner comprehensive as they could for that with the IGU in achieving its goals and targets. time. However disputes erupted Why eighteen holes makes a full round of Golf: In the between the R&A and the USGA on eighteenth century, the putting areas at St. Andrews were The 4 key areas where the thrust is to be developed are in Schools and issues like the stymie, for ball played to twice, from opposite directions: once on the way the Community, Clubs, State Golf Partnerships, Coaching and in out of bounds, limiting clubs to 14 out from town, and once again on the way in. The first hole Developing Talent. (Harry Vardon had 26 in his bag!) was started by driving from the putting area closest to town and continuing to that farthest away. After 1764,when It is also important to acknowledge that players are at the heart of all and the size of the ball. The onset of there were ten putting areas, this made nine holes. Then of these initiatives at every level. World War II brought these trivial golf nine holes in, made a total of eighteen, still the standard To achieve any goal there are some critical action areas and the controversies to a standstill and when for a full round of golf. hostilities ceased in 1945, golf became main action areas that golf development activity are Strategic Addressing the press with Jaydeep, Gen. Singh, Raian and Abhi Parmar Harry Vardon 6 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 7 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features THE VISION OF INDIAN GOLFING Tee 20, the IGU’s Strategic Plan To ensure that India becomes a leading golf nation in the world by providing more opportunities for participants ndian Golf has crossed the threshold where a major leap of faith to start, stay and succeed in the game. has been made. On the 9th of November, 2013, in a historic Imoment, the then President of the IGU, Gen. Bikram Singh, in Planning support, Accreditation, Funding and resources, Partner- Ultimately, mobilising the golf community and supporting activities front of the media, formally handed over the strategy document to ship development and support, Playing opportunities, Guidance that are focused on achieving our key outcomes will result in more Raian Irani, the incoming President. Present at this function were a and information, Support for programme development in priority people playing, more people playing more often (in better quality number of the IGU’s Council Members and the press were fully brief areas, Talent development support and Education and training. environments) and more people realising their potential. on the genesis of this document and a number of their queries were Collaboration, partnerships and interdependence are keys to Should any of you require a copy of the document, do write in to us addressed as well. progress at every level. Sharing the one vision of ‘Growing The and we will send you a copy. Game’ across all parts of golf will enable our objectives to be realised. The Editor The IGU Keystones Grow • Sustain • Excel Gouff - An Unproffitable Sport? Part II The IGU has played a pivotal role in the growth of the game since its The First Decision of the Rules of Golf Committee 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 he very first Decision on the Rules of Golf made by this center stage with the USGA launching a counter-attack in 1946 with achieving its stated goals which are: committee was in 1898 when it ruled that it was permissible a radical set of Rules. The R&A responded 4 years later with a code in to remove worm casts (loose impediments) and which are 1950 that upstaged the USGA code by many leagues. • Play a central, pivotal role for golf development in India T not to be treated as “dung”. This historic decision now finds a Wiser heads and the Rules of Golf Committee • Work closely with various stakeholders to develop their areas of permanent mention in the definition of “Loose Impediments” and in Eventually, wiser heads prevailed and in 1951 the R&A, the USGA, expertise Decision 23-1/1. the Royal Canadian and the Australian Golf Union met and the This can only be achieved through the 7-pronged systemic approach With the establishing of the game in the United States in the 1900s, minutes describing this meeting summed up the start of a new era for as enumerated below: the stability brought to the Rules of Golf by the R&A did not last. the game of Golf. In 1895, the USGA was formed and decided to adopt the R&A Government Increase “For four days those twelve men explored every phase of the Rules. There Involvement players Rules. However as the Americans played the game more by the letter were no axes to grind, no ultra nationalistic views. They were just golf- than the spirit, it became increasingly evident that the Rules had to be lovers, and they worked together in complete harmony. They reached more clearly defined. full agreement on a uniform code. They had a wonderful experience Talent Spotting While the USGA continued to together and a memorable one.” & Excellence adopt the R&A Rules in the first Development In 1952 the new code arrived and since then major changes have Armed decade of the 20th century, in 1908, been made once every four years and it took till 1968 to ensure that Forces 7 the R&A invited an American, C.B. the main body of the Rules of play remain uniform throughout the Macdonald onto their committee to world while Local Rules have distinct differences depending on the serve as a liaison. In 1910, the R&A, conditions of play. much to the chagrin of the USGA, Resource Mallet Putter 1984 AND ONWARDS Generation Raian receiving the document from Gen. Singh banned all clubs “of the mallet- headed type or such clubs as have the neck bent”, a ban that was lifted NCHS To be continued... only in 1952. On their part, the USGA permitted steel shafts as Compiled by against the legal hickory shafts in 1924 and it took the R&A, 5 years Ishwar Achanta Enhance to follow suit. Knowledge Base The 1936 set of Rules were as WHY EIGHTEEN? It has become absolutely necessary for all stakeholders to be a partner comprehensive as they could for that with the IGU in achieving its goals and targets. time. However disputes erupted Why eighteen holes makes a full round of Golf: In the between the R&A and the USGA on eighteenth century, the putting areas at St. Andrews were The 4 key areas where the thrust is to be developed are in Schools and issues like the stymie, penalty for ball played to twice, from opposite directions: once on the way the Community, Clubs, State Golf Partnerships, Coaching and in out of bounds, limiting clubs to 14 out from town, and once again on the way in. The first hole Developing Talent. (Harry Vardon had 26 in his bag!) was started by driving from the putting area closest to town and continuing to that farthest away. After 1764,when It is also important to acknowledge that players are at the heart of all and the size of the ball. The onset of there were ten putting areas, this made nine holes. Then of these initiatives at every level. World War II brought these trivial golf nine holes in, made a total of eighteen, still the standard To achieve any goal there are some critical action areas and the controversies to a standstill and when for a full round of golf. hostilities ceased in 1945, golf became main action areas that drive golf development activity are Strategic Addressing the press with Jaydeep, Gen. Singh, Raian and Abhi Parmar Harry Vardon 8 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 9 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features The 5th Asian Amateur Championship Amateur Golf Championships

Tata Steel Southern India USHA Eastern India Ladies & Juniors Amateur Golf Championship, Amateur Golf Championship, Karnataka Golf Association, 03-06 Sep 2013 Tollygunge Golf Club, Kolkata, 12-14 Nov 2013

Karnataka Golf Association hosted the Southern event with The USHA-sponsored event returned to Kolkata for the a field of 99 players. The first day saw five under par scores prestigious Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf with the local boy Trishul Chinnappa taking the lead by with Championship. a 3 under 69 with Vashishta Pawar from Coimbatore trailing The field of 50 consisted of the top amateurs in the country 2 shots behind. There were 17 players within 5 shots of the with Gurbani Singh, Aditi Ashok and Gauri Monga eyeing leader after Day 1. for the title. The competition remained tough for Day 2 as well, with the One of the favourite courses for the No. 1 amateur of the overnight leader scoring 5 birdies and 5 bogeys for a level par The Indian squad with Arnaud Laborde and The Indian squad with Dilip Thomas and Ishwar Achanta country, Gurbani Singh fired a 3 under 67 and took a 2 shot Jeannoel Bioul of Rolex 72 to lead the field by 1 shot from another local boy Udayan lead after day 1. Gurbani also holds the Ladies Course record Mane who shot a 1 under 71 for day 2. at Tollygunge Golf Club when she shot a 6 under 64 in 2012. The cut was applied at 13 over and 51 players made it Gursimar Badwal and Gauri Monga shot a 1 under 69 and through to play the final 2 days of this prestigious event. 1 over 71 respectively. Day 3 saw some really low scores and the KGA crowd was in Day 2 saw change of leaders as overnight leader Gurbani The picturesque dog-leg 16th hole at Nanshan Golf Club for a treat to watch some great golf from some of the best Singh shot a 2 over to fall back behind Gursimar Badwal who amateurs of our country, with the leader Trishul Chinnappa shot consecutive 1 under par scores to lead by 1 shot. Gauri shooting a 5 under 67 and breaking away from the rest of the Monga shot a level par 72 to remain in contention for the field to take a 4 shot lead. Udayan Mane who was second championship. Aditi Ashok one of the top amateur of the Outgoing IGU Council at the Manekshaw Centre, after day 2 maintained his position after shooting a 2 under country did not show a good performance in this event as she New Delhi, November 9, 2013 70 to trail the leader. Our former junior players, Ankur shot a 2 over and 3 over respectively. Chadha and Ainesh Ahluwalia from Gurgaon had good The final day saw a surprise, as the top 2 players in the leader scores of 3 under. board Gurbani and Gursimar fell behind after scoring 5 over The leader group on the final day was formed by Ainesh and 6 over respectively. However Gauri Monga’s, 2 over 72, Ahluwalia, Udayan Mane and Trishul Chinnappa. As including a 7 foot putt on the final hole, was good enough to expected it was a thrilling finish to the championship, Ankur win the Championship by one stroke. Chadha shot a brilliant 4 under 68 but fell short to finish Tusshar Malhotra one shot behind our Champion Trishul Chinnappa who Asst. Director Golf Operations shot a 4 over 76 on the final day to win by one shot.

Green Keepers Programme 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. 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 (Retd.), Lt. Gen Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd.) and Ishwar Achanta On 24th November, 2013, the Coimbatore Golf Club has conferred on Dr. Michah Woods, an Standing L to R: Gaurav Gosh, S.K. Nandal, Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra, Lt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.), Anil Seolekar, Honorary Membership for his contribution to the Sanjeev Rattan, T.V. Ramaswamy, Satbinder Singh and Farzan Heerjee. development/maintenance of golf courses in India. Not in pic: Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik (Retd.), Brijinder Singh, C.S. Subramanian, K.K. Raman, Kapil Channa and Akshay Kilachand. The participants with Dr. Micah Woods at Mysore 8 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 9 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features The 5th Asian Amateur Championship Amateur Golf Championships

Tata Steel Southern India USHA Eastern India Ladies & Juniors Amateur Golf Championship, Amateur Golf Championship, Karnataka Golf Association, 03-06 Sep 2013 Tollygunge Golf Club, Kolkata, 12-14 Nov 2013

Karnataka Golf Association hosted the Southern event with The USHA-sponsored event returned to Kolkata for the a field of 99 players. The first day saw five under par scores prestigious Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf with the local boy Trishul Chinnappa taking the lead by with Championship. a 3 under 69 with Vashishta Pawar from Coimbatore trailing The field of 50 consisted of the top amateurs in the country 2 shots behind. There were 17 players within 5 shots of the with Gurbani Singh, Aditi Ashok and Gauri Monga eyeing leader after Day 1. for the title. The competition remained tough for Day 2 as well, with the One of the favourite courses for the No. 1 amateur of the overnight leader scoring 5 birdies and 5 bogeys for a level par The Indian squad with Arnaud Laborde and The Indian squad with Dilip Thomas and Ishwar Achanta country, Gurbani Singh fired a 3 under 67 and took a 2 shot Jeannoel Bioul of Rolex 72 to lead the field by 1 shot from another local boy Udayan lead after day 1. Gurbani also holds the Ladies Course record Mane who shot a 1 under 71 for day 2. at Tollygunge Golf Club when she shot a 6 under 64 in 2012. The cut was applied at 13 over and 51 players made it Gursimar Badwal and Gauri Monga shot a 1 under 69 and through to play the final 2 days of this prestigious event. 1 over 71 respectively. Day 3 saw some really low scores and the KGA crowd was in Day 2 saw change of leaders as overnight leader Gurbani The picturesque dog-leg 16th hole at Nanshan Golf Club for a treat to watch some great golf from some of the best Singh shot a 2 over to fall back behind Gursimar Badwal who amateurs of our country, with the leader Trishul Chinnappa shot consecutive 1 under par scores to lead by 1 shot. Gauri shooting a 5 under 67 and breaking away from the rest of the Monga shot a level par 72 to remain in contention for the field to take a 4 shot lead. Udayan Mane who was second championship. Aditi Ashok one of the top amateur of the Outgoing IGU Council at the Manekshaw Centre, after day 2 maintained his position after shooting a 2 under country did not show a good performance in this event as she New Delhi, November 9, 2013 70 to trail the leader. Our former junior players, Ankur shot a 2 over and 3 over respectively. Chadha and Ainesh Ahluwalia from Gurgaon had good The final day saw a surprise, as the top 2 players in the leader scores of 3 under. board Gurbani and Gursimar fell behind after scoring 5 over The leader group on the final day was formed by Ainesh and 6 over respectively. However Gauri Monga’s, 2 over 72, Ahluwalia, Udayan Mane and Trishul Chinnappa. As including a 7 foot putt on the final hole, was good enough to expected it was a thrilling finish to the championship, Ankur win the Championship by one stroke. Chadha shot a brilliant 4 under 68 but fell short to finish Tusshar Malhotra one shot behind our Champion Trishul Chinnappa who Asst. Director Golf Operations shot a 4 over 76 on the final day to win by one shot.

Green Keepers Programme 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. 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 (Retd.), Lt. Gen Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd.) and Ishwar Achanta On 24th November, 2013, the Coimbatore Golf Club has conferred on Dr. Michah Woods, an Standing L to R: Gaurav Gosh, S.K. Nandal, Lt. Gen. Subroto Mitra, Lt. Gen. Anjan Mukherjee (Retd.), Anil Seolekar, Honorary Membership for his contribution to the Sanjeev Rattan, T.V. Ramaswamy, Satbinder Singh and Farzan Heerjee. development/maintenance of golf courses in India. Not in pic: Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik (Retd.), Brijinder Singh, C.S. Subramanian, K.K. Raman, Kapil Channa and Akshay Kilachand. The participants with Dr. Micah Woods at Mysore 10 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 11 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features Merit List

Gentlemen Ladies A&B Category Jr Girls A&B Category Jr Boys B Category - Boys Report from the NHPM 1.Karan Taunk 1. Gurbani Singh 1. Aditi Ashok 1. Viraj Madappa 1. Arjun Prasad 2. Trishul Chinnappa 2. Aditi Ashok 2. Ridhima Dilawari 2. Manu Gandas 2. Karandeep Kochar joined the Indian Golf Union as 3. Manu Gandas 3. Gauri Monga 3. Millie Saroha 3. Feroz Singh Garewal 3. Kartik Sharma the National High Performance 4. Syed Saqib Ahmed 4. Gursimar Badwal 4. Ashta Madan 4. Tapendra Ghai 4. Arjun Puri Manager in February, 2013 and 5. Udayan Mane 5. Millie Saroha 5. Tvesa Malik 5. Pukhraj Singh Gill 5. Jaiveer Singh Imy job started with the trials for the 6. Viraj Madappa 6. Ridhima Dilawari 6. Seher Atwal 6. Piyush Sangwan 6. Sarthak Chibber Ladies & Junior Girls teams for the 7. Samarth Dwivedi 7. Tvesa Malik 7. Vrishali Sinha 7. Mohan Sardar 7. Kartik Queen Sirikit Cup, 2013. In a busy 8. Simarjeet Singh 8. Seher Atwal 8. Gaurika Bishnoi 8. Tutul Ali 8. Karan Sharma year, we have conducted 3 coaching 9. Manav Das 9. Astha Madan 9. Tavleen Batra 9. Shubham Narain 9. Saptak Talwar camps for the Ladies & Junior Girls 10. Ankur Chadha 10. Vrishali Sinha 10. Amrita Anand 10. Karandeep Kochhar 10. Adilbir Singh 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. Karn Taunk Gurbani Singh Aditi Ashok Viraj Madappa Arjun Prasad

Formed in 2004 and based in St Andrews, The R&A seeks to engage in and Congratulations! support activities for the benefit of the game of golf. It takes its name from The Dilip Thomas, our Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the members’ club that, before Council Member, 2004, had responsibility for the game but from which The R&A is now separate was elected as the and distinct. The R&A organises , golf’s oldest Major, Vice-Chairman of At the National squad camp along with a number of other amateur and junior events, some of which are the Asia-Pacific Golf sanctioned by other golfing bodies. In addition, The R&A is responsibile for the Confederation at its With a Sports Nutritionist in the pipeline, we have now gathered administration of the Rules of Golf with the Annual meeting substantial data on all our players and this is shared with the players consent of 143 organisations from the amateur held in November to be disseminated to their coaches and parents. and professional game, and on behalf of over 2013.Professor David Cherry from Australia was elected as the APGC's 30 million golfers in 128 countries throughout Accompanying the team comprising of Viraj Madappa, Manu new Chairman. Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. At the 2nd Youth Asian Games Gandas, Ridhima Dilawari and Aditi Ashok to the 2nd Youth Asian He is the 1st Indian to hold this Games, held in Nanjing, China in August was an experience. The This photo was taken on a very cold morning of position and the IGU wishes him the Games village played host to 5000 other athletes from across the 22nd November, 2013 while attending a R&A very best in all his endeavours. Rules of Golf Meeting. world and exuded lots of energy. While Viraj Madappa tied for Editor 9th, Aditi Ashok tied for 10th, Ridhima Dilawari finished 14th, Editor Manu Gandas won the Silver medal. Unfortunately, we competed under the Olympic flag as independent athletes. The World Amateur Golf Rankings - Nov 2013 Arjuna Awardee STOP PRESS Team trials for the Nomura Cup, 2013 were conducted in September This Last Player Country Points average Bhullar Elated at joining the list of at the Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon, over 6 gruelling rounds. Viraj wins the 2013 1 1 Cory Whitsett USA 1316.80 Indian golfers who have been Madappa, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa and Vikram Rana Indonesian Open 2 2 Matthew Fitzpatrick ENG 1313.05 conferred with the Arjuna made up the team. Santiburi Country Club in Chiang Rai, Thailand, award, Gaganjeet Bhullar said played host for the Nomura Cup where we finished with a team total 3 4 Patrick Rodgers USA 1269.84 the honour will motivate him to of 1-under, placing us in the 10th position amongst 26 nations. 4 3 Michael Kim USA 1233.21 perform better at the international events 5 5 Sebastian Cappelen DEN 1225.00 besides inspiring youngsters to take up the We have also introduced the TRACE software from Hogwash Golf game. Bhullar became the 17th golfer to be conferred with the for score analysis. This has been provided by the IGU to all the squad 6 7 Chang-woo Lee KOR 1193.55 Arjuna Award. Gaganjeet who is known for his long drives, has players so that keeping stats becomes simpler and easy. With clear 7 9 Michael Weaver USA 1162.11 bagged 14 professional titles in the past seven years. data available to the players and selectors, gauging potential will also Bhullar, one of only seven Indians to appear in a Major 8 8 Brady Watt AUS 1158.24 become easier. championship, has won four titles on the Asian Tour to emerge 9 10 Jordan Niebrugge USA 1155.11 as a major force in Asian golf. The 25-year-old also has a title Jasjit Singh 10 6 Scottie Scheffler USA 1149.00 to his credit on the European . With Mukesh Sabharwal and the Indian Team at the Nomura Cup National Coach & National High Performance Manager 10 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013 11 GOLFINGLY YOURS OCT-DEC 2013

Features Merit List

Gentlemen Ladies A&B Category Jr Girls A&B Category Jr Boys B Category - Boys Report from the NHPM 1.Karan Taunk 1. Gurbani Singh 1. Aditi Ashok 1. Viraj Madappa 1. Arjun Prasad 2. Trishul Chinnappa 2. Aditi Ashok 2. Ridhima Dilawari 2. Manu Gandas 2. Karandeep Kochar joined the Indian Golf Union as 3. Manu Gandas 3. Gauri Monga 3. Millie Saroha 3. Feroz Singh Garewal 3. Kartik Sharma the National High Performance 4. Syed Saqib Ahmed 4. Gursimar Badwal 4. Ashta Madan 4. Tapendra Ghai 4. Arjun Puri Manager in February, 2013 and 5. Udayan Mane 5. Millie Saroha 5. Tvesa Malik 5. Pukhraj Singh Gill 5. Jaiveer Singh Imy job started with the trials for the 6. Viraj Madappa 6. Ridhima Dilawari 6. Seher Atwal 6. Piyush Sangwan 6. Sarthak Chibber Ladies & Junior Girls teams for the 7. Samarth Dwivedi 7. Tvesa Malik 7. Vrishali Sinha 7. Mohan Sardar 7. Kartik Digvijay Singh Queen Sirikit Cup, 2013. In a busy 8. Simarjeet Singh 8. Seher Atwal 8. Gaurika Bishnoi 8. Tutul Ali 8. Karan Sharma year, we have conducted 3 coaching 9. Manav Das 9. Astha Madan 9. Tavleen Batra 9. Shubham Narain 9. Saptak Talwar camps for the Ladies & Junior Girls 10. Ankur Chadha 10. Vrishali Sinha 10. Amrita Anand 10. Karandeep Kochhar 10. Adilbir Singh 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. Karn Taunk Gurbani Singh Aditi Ashok Viraj Madappa Arjun Prasad

Formed in 2004 and based in St Andrews, The R&A seeks to engage in and Congratulations! support activities for the benefit of the game of golf. It takes its name from The Dilip Thomas, our Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the members’ club that, before Council Member, 2004, had responsibility for the game but from which The R&A is now separate was elected as the and distinct. The R&A organises The Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major, Vice-Chairman of At the National squad camp along with a number of other amateur and junior events, some of which are the Asia-Pacific Golf sanctioned by other golfing bodies. In addition, The R&A is responsibile for the Confederation at its With a Sports Nutritionist in the pipeline, we have now gathered administration of the Rules of Golf with the Annual meeting substantial data on all our players and this is shared with the players consent of 143 organisations from the amateur held in November to be disseminated to their coaches and parents. and professional game, and on behalf of over 2013.Professor David Cherry from Australia was elected as the APGC's 30 million golfers in 128 countries throughout Accompanying the team comprising of Viraj Madappa, Manu new Chairman. Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. At the 2nd Youth Asian Games Gandas, Ridhima Dilawari and Aditi Ashok to the 2nd Youth Asian He is the 1st Indian to hold this Games, held in Nanjing, China in August was an experience. The This photo was taken on a very cold morning of position and the IGU wishes him the Games village played host to 5000 other athletes from across the 22nd November, 2013 while attending a R&A very best in all his endeavours. Rules of Golf Meeting. world and exuded lots of energy. While Viraj Madappa tied for Editor 9th, Aditi Ashok tied for 10th, Ridhima Dilawari finished 14th, Editor Manu Gandas won the Silver medal. Unfortunately, we competed under the Olympic flag as independent athletes. The World Amateur Golf Rankings - Nov 2013 Arjuna Awardee STOP PRESS Team trials for the Nomura Cup, 2013 were conducted in September This Last Player Country Points average Bhullar Elated at joining the list of at the Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon, over 6 gruelling rounds. Viraj wins the 2013 1 1 Cory Whitsett USA 1316.80 Indian golfers who have been Madappa, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa and Vikram Rana Indonesian Open 2 2 Matthew Fitzpatrick ENG 1313.05 conferred with the Arjuna made up the team. Santiburi Country Club in Chiang Rai, Thailand, award, Gaganjeet Bhullar said played host for the Nomura Cup where we finished with a team total 3 4 Patrick Rodgers USA 1269.84 the honour will motivate him to of 1-under, placing us in the 10th position amongst 26 nations. 4 3 Michael Kim USA 1233.21 perform better at the international events 5 5 Sebastian Cappelen DEN 1225.00 besides inspiring youngsters to take up the We have also introduced the TRACE software from Hogwash Golf game. Bhullar became the 17th golfer to be conferred with the for score analysis. This has been provided by the IGU to all the squad 6 7 Chang-woo Lee KOR 1193.55 Arjuna Award. Gaganjeet who is known for his long drives, has players so that keeping stats becomes simpler and easy. With clear 7 9 Michael Weaver USA 1162.11 bagged 14 professional titles in the past seven years. data available to the players and selectors, gauging potential will also Bhullar, one of only seven Indians to appear in a Major 8 8 Brady Watt AUS 1158.24 become easier. championship, has won four titles on the Asian Tour to emerge 9 10 Jordan Niebrugge USA 1155.11 as a major force in Asian golf. The 25-year-old also has a title Jasjit Singh 10 6 Scottie Scheffler USA 1149.00 to his credit on the European Challenge Tour. With Mukesh Sabharwal and the Indian Team at the Nomura Cup National Coach & National High Performance Manager