It wasn’t the most ideal way that Sir Nick Faldo would have imagined to launch his golf course and academy in India. The cyclone threat in Mumbai meant the six times Major winner had to board two flights and one chopper to reach the site of his ‘new baby.’
Faldo landed in Lavasa, a hill station near Pune, nearly two hours late but he did not show any signs of tiredness. With a slight grin on his face, the ‘entertainer’ straight away decided to brief the media on his project. “This is the first time I have been to India and it’s been quite a visit,” he said. “I am yet to see the project site but from what I just saw the aerial view from the chopper and trust me, this is a spectacular site.”
The course will be designed by Faldo Designs, who have designed courses in all the continents and have completed 21 courses. They expect 270 acres of the land to be utilized for the entire project, which they believe shall be completed by 2012.
Faldo becomes the fourth man after the legendary Jack Niclaus, Greg Norman and Peter Thomson to visit India. “We’re still at the conceptual stages, but we certainly plan to create a golfing journey that takes in all of the various elements and distinct features on offer. We’ll incorporate the many extraordinary backdrops,” the Englishman said. The course is expected to be a 18 hole-championship standard course.
But what excites Faldo even more is his academy. “India has got a lot of potential. And now you have guys like Jeev Milkha Singh doing very well on the tour so the youngsters have someone to look up to,” he said, stressing on the importance of having a role model.
“You have youngsters like Rashid Khan who have the potential to make it to the top. They just need proper guidance,” said Faldo, who attained Knighthood on Tuesday. Delhi teenager Khan is one of the most promising youngsters and has made it to his third straight Faldo Series finale, after he won the Asia leg earlier this year. The academy is aimed to be inaugurated in 2011, informed Faldo Designs manager Nick Edmond.
“We will also bring young golfers from other centres of the Nick Faldo academy here as a part of exchange programme so it helps them understand the game better,” Edmond said.
Asked to reflect on his career after golf, Faldo said: “There were many preconceived notions about me. During my playing days, people thought I was this grim-faced player who hardly smiled. I was a very determined person then and focus was solely on my game. But now that I am into commentating and live TV, I like to think I am an entertainer.”
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