DP World Tour Star David Howell At NDTV World Summit 2025: On India's Growth In Golf, Future Changes In Sport

An esteemed guest at the NDTV World Summit 2025, long-time DP World Tour member and five-time European Tour winner David Howell offered insights into the evolution of golf in India. Sharing the stage with a cricket great-turned-golfer, Kapil Dev, Howell recalled his challenging history with the country's iconic courses and offered a firm view on the future of the professional game's rules. Howell vividly recalled his initial, rather frightening experience with one of India's most famous venues.

"I remember coming for the first time to Delhi Golf Club in 2008. I was in terrible form, and I remember I walked onto the opening hole and all I could see was the jungle left and the jungle right and I was absolutely terrified. I was never going to get round that golf course in any sort of good number and, sure enough, it was a short visit because I missed the cut. I was on that flight Friday night, which was a shame because it's such a vibrant place to come and visit."

Fast forward to today, Howell perfectly narrated how far India's golf facilities have come since then, specifically referencing the Delhi Golf Club (DGC), which he now views as a high-calibre tournament venue.

"It's amazing to see the change since the changes have been made at Delhi Golf Club, how it looks like now. I mean, now it looks like a top-notch, top-level tournament venue... I know, having commented this week, the players are absolutely having a real thrill trying to play a unique golf course, a much narrower, tighter golf course than they're used to week in, week out. And it's great, it's great to be here. Golf is growing across the globe, and here in India as well. Quite clearly, it's finding its footing now."

When asked about the potential for future rule changes in the game, Howell found himself in a tricky spot. Rather than changing rules, he advocated equipment changes during the event, specifically involving the golf ball:

"I think they've just changed all the rules. You know, I would change the equipment actually, I would change the golf ball. They're going to do that in a couple of years time. Delhi Golf Club has just proved that if the pros hit it less far, actually, the game can be more interesting. So the rules are about to change somewhat with the equipment. I think they're doing the right thing, and I'm fully on board with it."