President Mr. Harish Kumar Shetty
Greetings & Good Wishes. I am honoured to be elected as the President of this prestigious club. Along with my team I would like to bring greater glory to the club in our tenure. KGA hosted two major gol ng events during the year; The Take Solutions Masters and The Bengaluru Open. These tournaments attracted high pro le pro-golfers from around the world and has helped in establishing KGA Bangalore, as the major gol ng destination. We are proud of the achievements of our own member Khalin Joshi in winning the prestigious Panasonic Open at Delhi and the local Pro Viraj Madappa won laurels by winning Take Solutions Masters. Members would have noticed the new academy area at the far end of the driving range. It is a pleasant sight to watch our budding golfers honing their skills and is buzzing with activities. Last year as a Captain of the Club, I realised that we had serious constraints in the short game practice facilities and took-up the task of setting up a fully equipped academy area. A large practice green, bunkers, chipping and other facilities were created after clearing the garbage dump. Members should also utilise these facilities to practice & ne tune short game. The newly built academy range structure is ready for inauguration. KGA will be completing 50 years in 2023 and is gearing up to celebrate the Golden Jubilee year. To commemorate the occasion, we have decided to start some important new initiatives. They are: New Club House project - to create additional infrastructure facilities, Golf Course Upgradation - to keep KGA Course among the top courses in the country, New Golf Course – to address long pending demand of our members. These are long term projects which require focussed team to work on it till the completion of the project. Our proposal for constituting following three standing committees was approved by the general Body. (1) New Club House Committee. (2) Golf Course Upgradation Committee (3) New Golf Course Committee All these standing committees have already started working on their plans for the respective projects. We will come back to the general body for approval of those proposals. As approved by the General Body, we will be engaging a top ranking Golf Course Superintend with the services & expertise of a world class Golf Management Company. Other important decisions taken at the SGM include: (1) Amendment of many rules. (2) Increase in limit of Permanent Members & Services Members; (3) Substantial increase in monthly intake of members/associates, (4) Revision in Admission fees for various categories, etc., Intake of new members has given a great relief for many applicants who have been waiting for about 18 years. Acceptance of new applications has created tremendous excitement and there has been over whelming response. KGA has always been investing surplus funds in the Bank Deposits. It was felt that we should explore some better yielding options without compromising on safety of funds. In order to give expert advice for investment planning, based on SGM approval we have constituted an Investment Committee, which is a standing committee consisting of nancial experts.
continued on page 2 The SGM held on the 13th January has approved new projects proposed by the MC. The projects are; A new bar in the business lounge area (Earlier Double Eagle bar); a modern SPA at the driving range; and upgradation of the Starter Hut & entry area from the main parking lot. All these projects have already been nalised and the work is in full progress. We have also got the SGM approval for upgradation of the 1st & 8th water bodies. The technical details are being nalised & the work will Bringing in the New Year KGA style commence soon. We request the members to bear with inconveniences caused during the project execution. The of ce bears & each of the committee members have been doing their best in their respective portfolios. Wishing all of you Very Happy & Prosperous New Year
Captain Mr. Vinod Chinnappa. M
It is a great honour to be the Captain of a premier golf club. It goes without saying that the challenges are plenty and we have split the portfolio broadly into two sections. One is on the improvement of the course and the other on how to improve the facilities and training setup of the Junior Golf Academy. The Junior Golf program is progressing well under the able stewardship of Mr. Bamby Randhawa. The number of children who have enrolled in the academy have increased manifold and we have some champs from the Junior Camp shining in many of the feeder tournaments. Special thanks to our leading pro – Mr Rahil Gangjee who has been kind enough to devout his time in improving the skills of the Juniors at the Camp. Our ultimate aim is to make KGA a strong hub for golfers. The Course is in great condition thanks to the relentless efforts of Mr. Prashanth Sakamuri, the Committee Member in-charge and his sub-committee and the dedicated team of course employees. We are trying to improvise on the gardening and do more landscaping on non-playing areas to make the course picturesque and scenic. Here, I take a lot of pride in saying that our course has been nominated several times as the Best Golf Course in Asia. The area around the First Tee Box will soon see improvements which include a small gallery around it. A proposal is also on the anvil to improve the water bodies at 1 & 8th, details of which will be shared with you all shortly. The creation of a vast Putting and Chipping area at the far end of the driving range has received a lot of praise. Additionally, we are also in the process of creating a cafeteria, video analysis centre etc. for the members as well their guests. We are also working on the modalities of conducting Interclub matches involving the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Delhi Golf Club and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on a quadrangular type of format. The other inter club games with Bangalore Golf Club and Hyderabad Golf Association are going on as scheduled. Finally before I sign off let me inform you all that the club has entered into special reciprocal arrangements with Royal Springs Golf Club, Kashmir and ITC Classic Golf Course, Gurgaon, Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort, Johor, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Hon. Secretary Making his mark Dr. M.G. Bhat New Initiative Open House
Season’s Greetings and a very happy 2019! Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to be the secretary of the KGA. It is with A new initiative by the pleasure that I share my thoughts in this newsletter. Getting used to the role has been a rough ride! With time I can see myself improving! President, Mr. Harish Shetty And making all efforts to address issues and complaints with personal involvement. was the Open House Meeting on 31st Oct 2018. Members We have started our term year with the intake of new permanent members after a lapse of 18 years. The lease renewal made this possible. spoke to the Managing The front of ce staff have gone through stress and pressure of collecting the difference of fee, arranging interviews, satisfying members and Committee and discussed their applicants. These issues indirectly re ected on the ef ciency of our of ce! Large number of wait-listed applicants have paid their difference concerns and shared their of fee. At the same time some have withdrawn. There were many where we made extra efforts in the form of multiple mails to the candidates, suggestions on how KGA can their proposer and seconders, telephone calls, notice board requests to members, website and paper ads. Finally, we succeeded in tracing be improved. The interaction most of these applicants. We are in the process of creating an ef cient and friendly administration. The most important aspect we need is was fruitful, around 60 integrity, honesty and friendship in the system. I seek all your support and cooperation is establishing this culture in KGA. members attended and the It will be nice if many can make use of the KGA App. We are constantly improving on the content and updates. We wish to become more topics discussed were course digital in our communication and nancial dealing with the club. Digital billing and digital transactions like elsewhere needs to become management, buggy use, popular and accepted by all. communication with members Khalin Joshi and child membership. Won the Panasonic Open India
continued on page 3
2 11 Both the car park and 4th hole cases appear to be progressing in our favour. The government is actively involved in helping Proposed SGM projects us with these cases. The work for the recent SGA approved new projects are in progress. We are also in the process of reorganising the management of the golf course. Professional management of the course is the key to improve and maintain high standards in the course. Starter’s Hut/Pavilion My sincere thanks to many of you who are taking keen interest to help me with my work. With the support of our staff, and all the members of our committee we will take KGA to newer heights.
Hon. Treasurer Mr. Prithvi Raj Urs
The Finance Sub-Committee decided to take up on priority the maximization of returns from investing the club’s signi cant cash holdings. Idle funds in current accounts was reduced and a system has been put in place to ensure that only funds required for operations were allowed to be held in these non-interest bearing accounts. The surplus funds were then invested in FDs across banks after a comprehensive review and some stiff negotiations to ensure optimum returns. The other area of effort by the sub-committee is the improvement of internal controls and processes, in nancial transactions, purchasing, inventory management and vendor management. This would be reinforced with strong computer systems. On the member facing side, the sub-committee has put in place payment options to members through a virtual bank account enabling the payments to be directly credited to member’s account without any bank charges. Double Eagle Bar Investment Committee: 1. The investments should be in accordance with the investment speci ed U/S 11(5) of the Income Tax Act. 2. The funds will be invested on long term with a view to maximise the past tax returns keeping capital preservation as a criterion. IT Sub Committee: The IT sub-committee has taken the KGA IT infrastructure on board and has drawn up a plan to introduce a comprehensive ERP system. To this end, discussions with several vendors and software developers has been initiated. A nal recommendation is due to be placed for approval before the Management Committee. Meanwhile, the sub-committee has gone ahead and implemented some new software, fo e.g., the Tee-off software. This has straightaway reduced leakages in green fees collection.
SPA/Saloon
Managing Committee 2018-2019
Sitting L to R: Mr. Vijay Sharma, IFS - Govt. Nominee, Mr. Sandeep Madhavan .R - Immediate Past President, Mr. Vinod Chinnappa .M - Captain, Mr. Harish Kumar Shetty - President, Dr. M.G. Bhat - Hon. Secretary, Mr. Prithvi Raj Urs - Hon. Treasurer & Mr. Kumar Pushkar, IFS - Govt. Nominee
Standing L to R: Committee Members - Mr. Bhanu Prakash, Mr. Mallikarjun S. Vantagudi, Mr. Satishchandra Naik .N, Col. Nanjappa C.P, Mr. Prasanth Sakhamuri & Mr. Sunil Kumar .N continued on page 11 continued on page 4
10 3 Committee Updates Course Improvement
KGA has taken the initiative to promote and enhance the use of technology in managing golf courses. This has started with Club House the conduct of seminars and training programs for green keepers to update them with state of art practices in the western world and also acquaint them on the availability of new machinery. This program was carried out with the support of Mr Mallikarjuna Vantagudi, Chairman specialists from Torro. The year started with the commencement of “Renovation KGA has also installed the latest reel and bed knife grinding facilities and in addition to ensuring that the turf in KGA is and expansion of Ladies Locker Room”. A long felt need maintained to the best standard has the capacity to support the other clubs in Karnataka with this grinding service. in line with the Gents facility, this was made operational KGA has taken on a leadership role in becoming environmentally friendly with a detail study being carried out and has by the 3rd of November, in time for the Diwali Bash. This commenced the implementation of an extensive waste management program. This will include managing our wet and dry new facility has brought praises from the lady golfers. waste and also provide us with a lot of organic manure which will be used internally. The focus will be on reduce, reuse and Additionally, the Golf Academy work is under construction recycle. with additional facilities of swing analysis, a small café, The KGA has taken a bold decision to implement global standards in agronomy and course management and has in parallel suf cient waiting area and renovated rest rooms. This started an upgradation program to bring all our fairways, paths, bunkers, water bodies and tees to the highest standard. should be ready by January 20th. The Caddies Rest Room we have invited Mr. Howard Swan to be the consulting architect for this program. provisions were in shambles and to ensure they are in tune with the high standards of the Club, the whole place was renovated to give our Caddies a good experience. The resting place at the 8th hole, was also given a new look. The King sher hut is being taken up for renovation to improve the toilet facilities and make them leak proof and swanky. Preliminary proposals for a new Bar, Entry points and Spa are in the running.
Food and Beverage Mr Bhanu Prakash, Chairman The Committee is working hard to improve the hygiene and quality of food with the support of the Sub-Committee members. We have provided members with good offers on food and drink and hope to continue doing the same in the new year. The dining room is currently under refurbishment and will be opened shortly, in addition, we also plan to give the Double Eagle Bar a new look in 2019. Great Shots
Tournaments Mr Satishchandra Naik, Chairman I would like to thank you all for giving me an opportunity for serving this club as a Committee Member. In keeping with the excellent work initiated by previous Committees, our Motto this year is to improve our members’ experience during Tournaments. KGA is known for its wonderful course and the best way to showcase its effectiveness is by conducting more Tournaments. Getting the golfers to participate in Tournaments improves competitiveness, bonding and sharing of skills. The Committee year started off with the 2nd addition of Take Solutions Masters 2018 which was held from 9th to 12th August 2018, wherein 156 top professionals from India & abroad participated.
continued on page 5 continued on page 10
4 9 Changes in the Rules of Golf “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” - Taylor Swift The winsome country music singer got it right and come the new year, the world of golf will be turned upside down with the radical rule changes that We are happy that the Tournament attracted a huge crowd will come into effect. who witnessed the match. This was followed by the Rules of golf change every four years, usually not very signi cantly and Independence Day Cup , NA Muthanna Memorial Trophy these changes mattered only to rules of cials; but this time around everyone followed by Sara Futura Karnataka Golf Festival , Secretary needs to take notice as the changes are pretty substantial. These kind of and Treasurer Shootout and in KGS Epson Golf radical changes have historically happened every three decades and the last Tournament in October. Bangalore Open Professional Golf big upheaval was in the early 1980’s, so it was time for the ‘rules bombshell’ Tournament in December saw 126 professionals from India to drop anytime now. and abroad and Mr. Anura Rohana from Srilanka was the Winner. The way you drop the ball (big change), repairing spike marks on the green (you can), getting your caddie to align you (you can’t), removing loose impediments in the bunkers & penalty areas (you can), getting only 3 minutes (instead of 5) search time for your ball; these and many other rule changes will come into effect on the rst day of January 2019. Some of the reasons given for these changes by the powers that be at the R&A and USGA are: to speed up play, make the rules fair and make them simpler, shorter and easier to understand. The jury is still out on whether these objectives have been Course achieved. Still, you as a golfer need to be up-to-date on the changes, so that you don’t inadvertently make a slip which could cost you a few hundred on that friendly bet or even your name on the honours board in a tournament. Mr Prasanth Sakhamuri, Chairman The golf course hosted a number of tournaments A new, easy to understand and shorter rule book called the “Player’s Edition” is available which is written in simpler language. this year and we are happy to say that all the A copy of this is a must have in your golf bag. The websites of the ruling bodies www.randa.org and www.usga.org also have professionals who visited and played on the ample resources as well. course truly appreciated the KGA course. In a small compact golf course designed for walking we have managed to integrate a designated golf buggy track to facilitate easier play for golfers. The work shop has been strengthened with the introduction of new facilities for maintaining our Buggy Path and Use in KGA equipment. The installation of a two post hydraulic lift and a reel and blade grinder is on the The KGA golf course as a whole is only 110 acres in size way and will be installed in the next few weeks. In with hardly 78 acres being in play. KGA was never addition, a weather station has been established designed to be a buggy course and buggies entered our to ensure better management of our water course 10 years ago. resources. Water recirculation has commenced to When the golf course was re-designed in 2007 the tracks ensure that there is no stagnation of water in our tanks and this has led to improve plant and aquatic life were made for the purpose of transporting material and and has also reduced the smell in the primary water body. Periodic aeration of the greens has maintenance equipment across the course. At no time commenced and this program is being done using new green keeping techniques, which do not require was the course ever designed to be a buggy course. Most creation of temporary greens. The quality of the greens has been suitable for play even during the of the senior members like in most top-end golf courses in aeration period. Tree management the world have been walking golfers. exercise has been carried out to improve The buggy use started sporadically with requests from the conditions of the turf, shape of the senior citizens who had physical and medical disabilities course and tee boxes. An upgradation but this gradually became a standard practice in KGA. plan is being put in place to upgrade our water bodies, swales, bridges, tee The challenge, however, has been in the usage, some of boxes, walking routes, driving range the members have been irresponsible and have been facilities and bunkers. The course violating general norms and have been driving the buggies generates close to a tonne of green on the fairways, tee boxes and in some cases on to the waste every day. To manage the same a apron of the green. This misbehaviour by some members program has started to make the is now impacting the play of all the buggy users. disposal eco-friendly and sustaining. To protect the course, the committee has designated a track and has restricted the driving for users to stay on the same. Green keeping techniques are being The request to provide buggy tracks on either side is not possible as it would damage the golf course for the majority of improved with professional help in walking golfers. agronomy and improved management to The committee has considered all the views of our members and will take positive measures to improve this situation. make the KGA golf course the best Small crossover bridges on the 2nd fairway have been made to make it more convenient. We will continue to consider in India. other options to help our senior golfers without any compromise on the functionality of the course.
continued on page 6
8 5 Driving Range and Caddies Diwali was celebrated with great pomp and show with a stunning display of reworks. The event was Col C.P Nanjappa, Chairman, witnessed by 2200 members making it the biggest event KGA has ever had so far. The audience was The Caddie restroom facilities have been upgraded and enthralled by the performances of the AR Rahman Troupe and the Playback Singer Haripriya, the renovated. The new caddie uniforms, shoes and caps night ended with the members shaking a leg to the club tunes of DJ Jasmeet. that are handed over to the caddies and are in line with KGA’s reputation. Trainings are being given to the caddies on weekly basis for better behavior and etiquette. Shoes, caps and raincoats have been given to the Driving Range staff, to help upkeep the safety and standardization process. The Driving Range Of ce and other areas like the restrooms and cafeteria have been spruced up. New furniture has been added in the Driving Range of ce/lobby/corridor/cafeteria, which has enhanced the looks and aesthetics of the Driving Range. New ball picking equipment has also been added and now the ball collection has improved substantially. The KGA JDP (Junior Development program) area has been spruced up by adding more lights in the additional practice greens. The newly appointed head coach cum touring professional Mr. Rahil Gangjee, assisted by JD Camp Coach Mr. Bamby Randhawa, have been helpful in guiding Shaurya Binu , Natasha , Sumeir Chawla , Sanath Chawla , Adithya J Kamath to succeed in their endeavors and bring laurels to KGA. The Junior Camp student’s enrollment has scaled up from 62 to 96, which is a remarkable achievement and will be, further enhanced by the end of rst quarter of 2019. Trees and Golf Course Playing golf on a picturesque golf course is one of the most satisfying things to a golfer. Trees are an important part of a golf course and add to the character and the charm of a Entertainment course. Trees provide the required shade and a degree of safety from errant shots. They are also strategic Mr Sunil Kumar N, Chairman architectural elements. Rajyothsava Celebrations – Dr Prakash Sontakke A lot of trees would look like a positive attribute for a golf and Group played an eclectic and progressive genre course but too many and/or unmaintained trees cause a lot of music which was well appreciated. Furthermore, of problems on the golf course. Over the years a lot of trees we have introduced a chamber music series at the have been planted to compensate for the lack of tree size Claret Jug Bar to cater to an alternate genre of music and not much thought was given to their coverage once like Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock and Roll, aimed at they have matured. attracting small but very discerning group of If these trees are not thinned and maintained periodically members who enjoy this type of music. We have numerous tree and turf problems occur and will snowball started with the White eld Jazz Quartet and have into overcrowding, heavy vegetation and poor quality of turf had the Midnight Poppies and By2 Blues playing at in the shady areas under the trees. the Claret Jug Bar. We have also planned Osmium Therefore, tree pruning as an exercise was taken by KGA Gurus and The Gerry Machado Network for January based on the suggestions and guidelines on course maintenance. The entire process was properly planned and thought and February 2019. These gigs been very well through with the help of experts conversant in tree management. Not a single tree was removed in the shade lopping and appreciated and many members have suggested we pruning process and no reduction was made in the height of the tree at any stage. In some fairways many trees were close to each other resulting in the lateral branches intertwining. By removing the lateral branches the trees will develop have them regularly. In addition to this we have been a stronger central trunk and will enhance the security of the players between the fairways. For the above reasons, heavy having regular DJ nights at the Claret Jug Bar Terrace pruning was required this year because it hadn’t been done for a long time. The pruning of the trees has yielded positive area which has been popular with the younger results and we have started to see better growth on the tee boxes and fairways that were previously affected because of members, children and dependants. poor sunlight. Our objective is to get the golf course back into the standard where it was selected to be a Rolex 1000 Course. It is natural that some members were concerned by looking at the bareness after pruning. We can assure you that after 3-4 months all this concern will change to appreciation.
continued on page 7 continued on page 8
6 7 Driving Range and Caddies Diwali was celebrated with great pomp and show with a stunning display of reworks. The event was Col C.P Nanjappa, Chairman, witnessed by 2200 members making it the biggest event KGA has ever had so far. The audience was The Caddie restroom facilities have been upgraded and enthralled by the performances of the AR Rahman Troupe and the Playback Singer Haripriya, the renovated. The new caddie uniforms, shoes and caps night ended with the members shaking a leg to the club tunes of DJ Jasmeet. that are handed over to the caddies and are in line with KGA’s reputation. Trainings are being given to the caddies on weekly basis for better behavior and etiquette. Shoes, caps and raincoats have been given to the Driving Range staff, to help upkeep the safety and standardization process. The Driving Range Of ce and other areas like the restrooms and cafeteria have been spruced up. New furniture has been added in the Driving Range of ce/lobby/corridor/cafeteria, which has enhanced the looks and aesthetics of the Driving Range. New ball picking equipment has also been added and now the ball collection has improved substantially. The KGA JDP (Junior Development program) area has been spruced up by adding more lights in the additional practice greens. The newly appointed head coach cum touring professional Mr. Rahil Gangjee, assisted by JD Camp Coach Mr. Bamby Randhawa, have been helpful in guiding Shaurya Binu , Natasha , Sumeir Chawla , Sanath Chawla , Adithya J Kamath to succeed in their endeavors and bring laurels to KGA. The Junior Camp student’s enrollment has scaled up from 62 to 96, which is a remarkable achievement and will be, further enhanced by the end of rst quarter of 2019. Trees and Golf Course Playing golf on a picturesque golf course is one of the most satisfying things to a golfer. Trees are an important part of a golf course and add to the character and the charm of a Entertainment course. Trees provide the required shade and a degree of safety from errant shots. They are also strategic Mr Sunil Kumar N, Chairman architectural elements. Rajyothsava Celebrations – Dr Prakash Sontakke A lot of trees would look like a positive attribute for a golf and Group played an eclectic and progressive genre course but too many and/or unmaintained trees cause a lot of music which was well appreciated. Furthermore, of problems on the golf course. Over the years a lot of trees we have introduced a chamber music series at the have been planted to compensate for the lack of tree size Claret Jug Bar to cater to an alternate genre of music and not much thought was given to their coverage once like Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock and Roll, aimed at they have matured. attracting small but very discerning group of If these trees are not thinned and maintained periodically members who enjoy this type of music. We have numerous tree and turf problems occur and will snowball started with the White eld Jazz Quartet and have into overcrowding, heavy vegetation and poor quality of turf had the Midnight Poppies and By2 Blues playing at in the shady areas under the trees. the Claret Jug Bar. We have also planned Osmium Therefore, tree pruning as an exercise was taken by KGA Gurus and The Gerry Machado Network for January based on the suggestions and guidelines on course maintenance. The entire process was properly planned and thought and February 2019. These gigs been very well through with the help of experts conversant in tree management. Not a single tree was removed in the shade lopping and appreciated and many members have suggested we pruning process and no reduction was made in the height of the tree at any stage. In some fairways many trees were close to each other resulting in the lateral branches intertwining. By removing the lateral branches the trees will develop have them regularly. In addition to this we have been a stronger central trunk and will enhance the security of the players between the fairways. For the above reasons, heavy having regular DJ nights at the Claret Jug Bar Terrace pruning was required this year because it hadn’t been done for a long time. The pruning of the trees has yielded positive area which has been popular with the younger results and we have started to see better growth on the tee boxes and fairways that were previously affected because of members, children and dependants. poor sunlight. Our objective is to get the golf course back into the standard where it was selected to be a Rolex 1000 Course. It is natural that some members were concerned by looking at the bareness after pruning. We can assure you that after 3-4 months all this concern will change to appreciation.
continued on page 7 continued on page 8
6 7 Changes in the Rules of Golf “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” - Taylor Swift The winsome country music singer got it right and come the new year, the world of golf will be turned upside down with the radical rule changes that We are happy that the Tournament attracted a huge crowd will come into effect. who witnessed the match. This was followed by the Rules of golf change every four years, usually not very signi cantly and Independence Day Cup , NA Muthanna Memorial Trophy these changes mattered only to rules of cials; but this time around everyone followed by Sara Futura Karnataka Golf Festival , Secretary needs to take notice as the changes are pretty substantial. These kind of and Treasurer Shootout and in KGS Epson Golf radical changes have historically happened every three decades and the last Tournament in October. Bangalore Open Professional Golf big upheaval was in the early 1980’s, so it was time for the ‘rules bombshell’ Tournament in December saw 126 professionals from India to drop anytime now. and abroad and Mr. Anura Rohana from Srilanka was the Winner. The way you drop the ball (big change), repairing spike marks on the green (you can), getting your caddie to align you (you can’t), removing loose impediments in the bunkers & penalty areas (you can), getting only 3 minutes (instead of 5) search time for your ball; these and many other rule changes will come into effect on the rst day of January 2019. Some of the reasons given for these changes by the powers that be at the R&A and USGA are: to speed up play, make the rules fair and make them simpler, shorter and easier to understand. The jury is still out on whether these objectives have been Course achieved. Still, you as a golfer need to be up-to-date on the changes, so that you don’t inadvertently make a slip which could cost you a few hundred on that friendly bet or even your name on the honours board in a tournament. Mr Prasanth Sakhamuri, Chairman The golf course hosted a number of tournaments A new, easy to understand and shorter rule book called the “Player’s Edition” is available which is written in simpler language. this year and we are happy to say that all the A copy of this is a must have in your golf bag. The websites of the ruling bodies www.randa.org and www.usga.org also have professionals who visited and played on the ample resources as well. course truly appreciated the KGA course. In a small compact golf course designed for walking we have managed to integrate a designated golf buggy track to facilitate easier play for golfers. The work shop has been strengthened with the introduction of new facilities for maintaining our Buggy Path and Use in KGA equipment. The installation of a two post hydraulic lift and a reel and blade grinder is on the The KGA golf course as a whole is only 110 acres in size way and will be installed in the next few weeks. In with hardly 78 acres being in play. KGA was never addition, a weather station has been established designed to be a buggy course and buggies entered our to ensure better management of our water course 10 years ago. resources. Water recirculation has commenced to When the golf course was re-designed in 2007 the tracks ensure that there is no stagnation of water in our tanks and this has led to improve plant and aquatic life were made for the purpose of transporting material and and has also reduced the smell in the primary water body. Periodic aeration of the greens has maintenance equipment across the course. At no time commenced and this program is being done using new green keeping techniques, which do not require was the course ever designed to be a buggy course. Most creation of temporary greens. The quality of the greens has been suitable for play even during the of the senior members like in most top-end golf courses in aeration period. Tree management the world have been walking golfers. exercise has been carried out to improve The buggy use started sporadically with requests from the conditions of the turf, shape of the senior citizens who had physical and medical disabilities course and tee boxes. An upgradation but this gradually became a standard practice in KGA. plan is being put in place to upgrade our water bodies, swales, bridges, tee The challenge, however, has been in the usage, some of boxes, walking routes, driving range the members have been irresponsible and have been facilities and bunkers. The course violating general norms and have been driving the buggies generates close to a tonne of green on the fairways, tee boxes and in some cases on to the waste every day. To manage the same a apron of the green. This misbehaviour by some members program has started to make the is now impacting the play of all the buggy users. disposal eco-friendly and sustaining. To protect the course, the committee has designated a track and has restricted the driving for users to stay on the same. Green keeping techniques are being The request to provide buggy tracks on either side is not possible as it would damage the golf course for the majority of improved with professional help in walking golfers. agronomy and improved management to The committee has considered all the views of our members and will take positive measures to improve this situation. make the KGA golf course the best Small crossover bridges on the 2nd fairway have been made to make it more convenient. We will continue to consider in India. other options to help our senior golfers without any compromise on the functionality of the course.
continued on page 6
8 5 Committee Updates Course Improvement
KGA has taken the initiative to promote and enhance the use of technology in managing golf courses. This has started with Club House the conduct of seminars and training programs for green keepers to update them with state of art practices in the western world and also acquaint them on the availability of new machinery. This program was carried out with the support of Mr Mallikarjuna Vantagudi, Chairman specialists from Torro. The year started with the commencement of “Renovation KGA has also installed the latest reel and bed knife grinding facilities and in addition to ensuring that the turf in KGA is and expansion of Ladies Locker Room”. A long felt need maintained to the best standard has the capacity to support the other clubs in Karnataka with this grinding service. in line with the Gents facility, this was made operational KGA has taken on a leadership role in becoming environmentally friendly with a detail study being carried out and has by the 3rd of November, in time for the Diwali Bash. This commenced the implementation of an extensive waste management program. This will include managing our wet and dry new facility has brought praises from the lady golfers. waste and also provide us with a lot of organic manure which will be used internally. The focus will be on reduce, reuse and Additionally, the Golf Academy work is under construction recycle. with additional facilities of swing analysis, a small café, The KGA has taken a bold decision to implement global standards in agronomy and course management and has in parallel suf cient waiting area and renovated rest rooms. This started an upgradation program to bring all our fairways, paths, bunkers, water bodies and tees to the highest standard. should be ready by January 20th. The Caddies Rest Room we have invited Mr. Howard Swan to be the consulting architect for this program. provisions were in shambles and to ensure they are in tune with the high standards of the Club, the whole place was renovated to give our Caddies a good experience. The resting place at the 8th hole, was also given a new look. The King sher hut is being taken up for renovation to improve the toilet facilities and make them leak proof and swanky. Preliminary proposals for a new Bar, Entry points and Spa are in the running.
Food and Beverage Mr Bhanu Prakash, Chairman The Committee is working hard to improve the hygiene and quality of food with the support of the Sub-Committee members. We have provided members with good offers on food and drink and hope to continue doing the same in the new year. The dining room is currently under refurbishment and will be opened shortly, in addition, we also plan to give the Double Eagle Bar a new look in 2019. Great Shots
Tournaments Mr Satishchandra Naik, Chairman I would like to thank you all for giving me an opportunity for serving this club as a Committee Member. In keeping with the excellent work initiated by previous Committees, our Motto this year is to improve our members’ experience during Tournaments. KGA is known for its wonderful course and the best way to showcase its effectiveness is by conducting more Tournaments. Getting the golfers to participate in Tournaments improves competitiveness, bonding and sharing of skills. The Committee year started off with the 2nd addition of Take Solutions Masters 2018 which was held from 9th to 12th August 2018, wherein 156 top professionals from India & abroad participated.
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4 9 Both the car park and 4th hole cases appear to be progressing in our favour. The government is actively involved in helping Proposed SGM projects us with these cases. The work for the recent SGA approved new projects are in progress. We are also in the process of reorganising the management of the golf course. Professional management of the course is the key to improve and maintain high standards in the course. Starter’s Hut/Pavilion My sincere thanks to many of you who are taking keen interest to help me with my work. With the support of our staff, and all the members of our committee we will take KGA to newer heights.
Hon. Treasurer Mr. Prithvi Raj Urs
The Finance Sub-Committee decided to take up on priority the maximization of returns from investing the club’s signi cant cash holdings. Idle funds in current accounts was reduced and a system has been put in place to ensure that only funds required for operations were allowed to be held in these non-interest bearing accounts. The surplus funds were then invested in FDs across banks after a comprehensive review and some stiff negotiations to ensure optimum returns. The other area of effort by the sub-committee is the improvement of internal controls and processes, in nancial transactions, purchasing, inventory management and vendor management. This would be reinforced with strong computer systems. On the member facing side, the sub-committee has put in place payment options to members through a virtual bank account enabling the payments to be directly credited to member’s account without any bank charges. Double Eagle Bar Investment Committee: 1. The investments should be in accordance with the investment speci ed U/S 11(5) of the Income Tax Act. 2. The funds will be invested on long term with a view to maximise the past tax returns keeping capital preservation as a criterion. IT Sub Committee: The IT sub-committee has taken the KGA IT infrastructure on board and has drawn up a plan to introduce a comprehensive ERP system. To this end, discussions with several vendors and software developers has been initiated. A nal recommendation is due to be placed for approval before the Management Committee. Meanwhile, the sub-committee has gone ahead and implemented some new software, fo e.g., the Tee-off software. This has straightaway reduced leakages in green fees collection.
SPA/Saloon
Managing Committee 2018-2019
Sitting L to R: Mr. Vijay Sharma, IFS - Govt. Nominee, Mr. Sandeep Madhavan .R - Immediate Past President, Mr. Vinod Chinnappa .M - Captain, Mr. Harish Kumar Shetty - President, Dr. M.G. Bhat - Hon. Secretary, Mr. Prithvi Raj Urs - Hon. Treasurer & Mr. Kumar Pushkar, IFS - Govt. Nominee
Standing L to R: Committee Members - Mr. Bhanu Prakash, Mr. Mallikarjun S. Vantagudi, Mr. Satishchandra Naik .N, Col. Nanjappa C.P, Mr. Prasanth Sakhamuri & Mr. Sunil Kumar .N
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10 3 The SGM held on the 13th January has approved new projects proposed by the MC. The projects are; A new bar in the business lounge area (Earlier Double Eagle bar); a modern SPA at the driving range; and upgradation of the Starter Hut & entry area from the main parking lot. All these projects have already been nalised and the work is in full progress. We have also got the SGM approval for upgradation of the 1st & 8th water bodies. The technical details are being nalised & the work will Bringing in the New Year KGA style commence soon. We request the members to bear with inconveniences caused during the project execution. The of ce bears & each of the committee members have been doing their best in their respective portfolios. Wishing all of you Very Happy & Prosperous New Year
Captain Mr. Vinod Chinnappa. M
It is a great honour to be the Captain of a premier golf club. It goes without saying that the challenges are plenty and we have split the portfolio broadly into two sections. One is on the improvement of the course and the other on how to improve the facilities and training setup of the Junior Golf Academy. The Junior Golf program is progressing well under the able stewardship of Mr. Bamby Randhawa. The number of children who have enrolled in the academy have increased manifold and we have some champs from the Junior Camp shining in many of the feeder tournaments. Special thanks to our leading pro – Mr Rahil Gangjee who has been kind enough to devout his time in improving the skills of the Juniors at the Camp. Our ultimate aim is to make KGA a strong hub for golfers. The Course is in great condition thanks to the relentless efforts of Mr. Prashanth Sakamuri, the Committee Member in-charge and his sub-committee and the dedicated team of course employees. We are trying to improvise on the gardening and do more landscaping on non-playing areas to make the course picturesque and scenic. Here, I take a lot of pride in saying that our course has been nominated several times as the Best Golf Course in Asia. The area around the First Tee Box will soon see improvements which include a small gallery around it. A proposal is also on the anvil to improve the water bodies at 1 & 8th, details of which will be shared with you all shortly. The creation of a vast Putting and Chipping area at the far end of the driving range has received a lot of praise. Additionally, we are also in the process of creating a cafeteria, video analysis centre etc. for the members as well their guests. We are also working on the modalities of conducting Interclub matches involving the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Delhi Golf Club and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on a quadrangular type of format. The other inter club games with Bangalore Golf Club and Hyderabad Golf Association are going on as scheduled. Finally before I sign off let me inform you all that the club has entered into special reciprocal arrangements with Royal Springs Golf Club, Kashmir and ITC Classic Golf Course, Gurgaon, Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort, Johor, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Hon. Secretary Making his mark Dr. M.G. Bhat New Initiative Open House
Season’s Greetings and a very happy 2019! Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to be the secretary of the KGA. It is with A new initiative by the pleasure that I share my thoughts in this newsletter. Getting used to the role has been a rough ride! With time I can see myself improving! President, Mr. Harish Shetty And making all efforts to address issues and complaints with personal involvement. was the Open House Meeting on 31st Oct 2018. Members We have started our term year with the intake of new permanent members after a lapse of 18 years. The lease renewal made this possible. spoke to the Managing The front of ce staff have gone through stress and pressure of collecting the difference of fee, arranging interviews, satisfying members and Committee and discussed their applicants. These issues indirectly re ected on the ef ciency of our of ce! Large number of wait-listed applicants have paid their difference concerns and shared their of fee. At the same time some have withdrawn. There were many where we made extra efforts in the form of multiple mails to the candidates, suggestions on how KGA can their proposer and seconders, telephone calls, notice board requests to members, website and paper ads. Finally, we succeeded in tracing be improved. The interaction most of these applicants. We are in the process of creating an ef cient and friendly administration. The most important aspect we need is was fruitful, around 60 integrity, honesty and friendship in the system. I seek all your support and cooperation is establishing this culture in KGA. members attended and the It will be nice if many can make use of the KGA App. We are constantly improving on the content and updates. We wish to become more topics discussed were course digital in our communication and nancial dealing with the club. Digital billing and digital transactions like elsewhere needs to become management, buggy use, popular and accepted by all. communication with members Khalin Joshi and child membership. Won the Panasonic Open India
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2 11 President Mr. Harish Kumar Shetty
Greetings & Good Wishes. I am honoured to be elected as the President of this prestigious club. Along with my team I would like to bring greater glory to the club in our tenure. KGA hosted two major gol ng events during the year; The Take Solutions Masters and The Bengaluru Open. These tournaments attracted high pro le pro-golfers from around the world and has helped in establishing KGA Bangalore, as the major gol ng destination. We are proud of the achievements of our own member Khalin Joshi in winning the prestigious Panasonic Open at Delhi and the local Pro Viraj Madappa won laurels by winning Take Solutions Masters. Members would have noticed the new academy area at the far end of the driving range. It is a pleasant sight to watch our budding golfers honing their skills and is buzzing with activities. Last year as a Captain of the Club, I realised that we had serious constraints in the short game practice facilities and took-up the task of setting up a fully equipped academy area. A large practice green, bunkers, chipping and other facilities were created after clearing the garbage dump. Members should also utilise these facilities to practice & ne tune short game. The newly built academy range structure is ready for inauguration. KGA will be completing 50 years in 2023 and is gearing up to celebrate the Golden Jubilee year. To commemorate the occasion, we have decided to start some important new initiatives. They are: New Club House project - to create additional infrastructure facilities, Golf Course Upgradation - to keep KGA Course among the top courses in the country, New Golf Course – to address long pending demand of our members. These are long term projects which require focussed team to work on it till the completion of the project. Our proposal for constituting following three standing committees was approved by the general Body. (1) New Club House Committee. (2) Golf Course Upgradation Committee (3) New Golf Course Committee All these standing committees have already started working on their plans for the respective projects. We will come back to the general body for approval of those proposals. As approved by the General Body, we will be engaging a top ranking Golf Course Superintend with the services & expertise of a world class Golf Management Company. Other important decisions taken at the SGM include: (1) Amendment of many rules. (2) Increase in limit of Permanent Members & Services Members; (3) Substantial increase in monthly intake of members/associates, (4) Revision in Admission fees for various categories, etc., Intake of new members has given a great relief for many applicants who have been waiting for about 18 years. Acceptance of new applications has created tremendous excitement and there has been over whelming response. KGA has always been investing surplus funds in the Bank Deposits. It was felt that we should explore some better yielding options without compromising on safety of funds. In order to give expert advice for investment planning, based on SGM approval we have constituted an Investment Committee, which is a standing committee consisting of nancial experts.
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