Bangalore is teeing off to glory

Kolkatan Arjun Atwal’s victory in Wyndham championship, a US Professional Golfers’ Association tour event, has stirred fresh hope in Bangalore, the emerging golf capital of the country.

Golfers in the Garden City, which is now slowly transforming itself into a golfing city, believe that Atwal’s victory only proves that they could also aspire to be among world’s best in the sport. There has already been a surge in the number of golfers in Bangalore with some of them like Sharmila Nicolette, S Chikkarangappa and Anirban Lahiri already hitting the bull’s eye.

“The main reason why golf is picking up in Bangalore is due to the fact that we now have structured programmes where one can enrol at any age. So if you want to take up the sport, you can go to any academy and start the game without even being a member of a golf club,” said Dr Rohit Shetty, executive director, Peter Murphy Touche Golf Academy.

“The easy availability of golfing kits in Bangalore has also ensured that more and more people are taking up golf,” Dr Shetty added.
What these two things have done is that not only youngsters, even women are taking to the sport big time. “This is a very addictive game. So what we have seen in  recent times is that a lot of wives have taken up the game, so that they can spend time with their husbands during the weekends when the latter are busy playing golf,” Tarun Sardesai, a leading coach in the city, pointed out.
But what makes Bangalore score over other cities in golf is its weather. “This gives a major advantage to Bangalore where you can play around the year,” said Chetan Medha, director, Eagleton Golf Resort. This has also resulted in a phenomenal rise in golf tourism, especially conferences.