State to form its own golf association soon

This has given rise to at least nine golf courses,most of which are managed by real estate developers and hoteliers. Meanwhile,Vadodara,Rajkot and Bharuch have at least one golf course each. However,with very few golf enthusiasts taking up the game,golf clubs in the state,which were hitherto vying for patrons individually,have now teamed up under the umbrella of an association in a bid to promote the sport in a big way.

Both public and private golf courses will be eligible to become members of the association. Some of the founding member golf clubs include the Kensville Golf & Country Club,Gulmohar Greens Golf and Country Club,Kalhaar Blues and Greens Golf Club (Sanand),the Army Golf Course,BSF Lions Golf Course,the Belvedere Golf and Country Club (Ahmedabad),Cambay Golf Resort,Aalloa Hills Resort & Golf Course (Gandhinagar),the Gaekwad Baroda Golf Club (Vadodara),Rajkot Golf Course,Narmada Golf Club (Bharuch) and an upcoming golf course to be started by a Surat-based real estate player.

“While each of us have been individually promoting our golf course,many of us are struggling hard to stay afloat as golf is picking up very slowly here and the golf properties are expensive to maintain. So,we decided to come together under one umbrella and promote it in an organised manner. Through the association,we can come up with a golf calendar and have events in a structured way which can attract golf enthusiasts,tourists and professional golfers. Currently,there are around 600 professional golfers in the state,” said Alpesh Parikh,MD of Gulmohar Greens Golf & Country Club.

The association will seek to represent Gujarat not only in the sports and tourism ministries but also at the Olympics committees as golf has been included in the upcoming “Olympics 2016” as a competitive sport . The association will be affiliated with the apex golf body in the country,Indian Golf Union (IGU),and represent the state as part of India’s western zone.

Sources close to the development say that while a group of golf course promoters had met the Gujarat Tourism Minister Saurabh Patel and other department officials last year. Patel had backed the idea,but has not yet made any formal plan to promote the same. With the state currently looking at a lot of Japanese investments trickling in the field of automobiles and allied sectors,pharmaceuticals and chemicals,there has been a surge of interest in promoting the state to the Japanese expats who are avid golfers and who will be expected to set their base in the state soon.

“Our role in boosting golf in the state is limited to marketing it on the Gujarat Tourism website and our brochures. This is especially helpful for the spate of ‘corporate travellers’ who are visiting Gujarat to get information about the nearby golf course. If the golf courses get organised as an industry under an apex body,it will surely be hugely beneficial to them,” says Sanjay Kaul,MD of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited.