Taking Golf to the Masses
Face-lift for the Siri Fort Golf Range - India's only stand-alone public golf driving range.
Want to start playing golf but don't have a Club membership? No worries, if you stay in Delhi or places around the capital, just head to the revamped Siri Fort Driving range. It's the only stand-alone public driving range in the country and your gateway to learning golf by paying a minimal amount.
India's top golf pros in fact tried out the revamped Siri Fort Range earlier this week and were very impressed with the upgrade. European Tour regular and a product of this range, Shiv Kapur feels.
"The turf is fantastic. They have great golf balls, they have all the equipment that you want and it's very centrally located. I wish the Government takes a leaf out of this book and develop a few more driving ranges. Since golf is now an Olympic sport, I think it's a huge boost to have public courses and driving ranges," he said
Golf professional Amandeep Johl recently took over the range as he wanted to give back to the game by providing better facilities and training at an affordable cost to everyone. He says, "Why should not having a club membership prevent one from learning and enjoying the game?"
So how much do you need to have in your pocket? Well, one can get an all-access day range pass for as little as 500 rupees, a golf lesson for 250 rupees and 50 balls for 75 rupees. Johl also conducts junior training clinics, golf specific fitness drills and nutrition tips. There is video and swing analysis available and a golf simulator is all set to be installed soon.
© NDTV
Golf may be one of the fastest growing sports in India but it has a very long way to go when compared to countries like USA that has thousands of public driving ranges. 3-time Winner on the Asian Tour, Gaurav Ghei feels that such efforts will go a long way in popularizing the sport in India, "It's like kids in a colony in India playing cricket, who knows we might be producing a world champion in the next 10-15 years due to places like this."
Here's hoping that the Government takes cue and develops more such affordable facilities to take the sport to the masses not only in the big cities but in smaller towns across the country.