Teeing off young

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Abhishek Kuhar was just eight when he realised that golf was the sport for him. And, he thanks his father for it. "Papa told me about golf. He said you can take it up as a career if you wish to," says Abhishek, now 14. His father, Arun Kuhar, himself an avid boxer in his youth, initiated six-year-old Abhishek into cricket first. Later, he tried his hand at snooker and basketball as well, which served as a good testing ground for aptitude. So, when golf came around two years later, Abhishek just knew "this was it". Today a fifth rank holder in Category B, he practices four hours each day through the week and up to six hours during the weekend at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon. And, what is Abhishek's dream? "To play at the Pebble Beach golf course in the US."That golf is increasingly becoming popular among children is a fact Abhishek's mother Manju Kuhar agrees with. "Back in 2003, when he started playing, we could stand on the course and observe his game. Now, there are so many children on the course, there is hardly any place for parents to stand and watch," she says.Bangalore-based golf coach Tarun Sardesai cannot agree with her more. "Just go to any practice facility on a weekend and you will see a number of children taking to the sport. Junior golf programmes are immensely popular and there is no looking back," he says. One of the children Sardesai trained began playing at three! Another one, six-year-old Ananjan Kaushik, is already playing better than eight-year-olds and prefers to call himself 'Tiger'.In Bangalore alone, Sardesai estimates, "over 20 children to be pursuing golf as a career". Ananjan, incidentally, began to play when he was just four. "For some reason he was fascinated with golf. He used to watch it on TV and mimic the sport on the carpet. That's when we decided to put him under a coach. Initially people were reluctant to coach him because he was so young," says Aparna Kaushik, Ananjan's mother. Ananjan took to the sport almost naturally and has been practicing twice a week since. Keeping in mind Ananjan's interest in the sport, Aparna even quit her job, as "he is too young to be left alone".It would be safe to say that golf is increasingly becoming the new tennis in India. Close to 300 children enroll for the golf summer camp at DLF Golf Club alone! Despite the fact that the club releases a few memberships each month, the waiting list runs up to a year. Its academy receives up to a 100 enquiries each month with the intent to take up membership, says Akash Ohri, senior GM, DLF Golf Club. Considering that the membership fee for five years at the club is approximately Rs 10 lakh, one can easily map the growth trajectory of the sport in India.Rishi Narain, founding director of Rishi Narain Golf Management (RNGM), estimates the size of the junior golf industry to be over Rs 50 crore. He says even by rough estimates, the industry is growing by 15% per annum. Narain shares how he arrived at the figure: "There are at least, if not more, 5,000 competitively active children at golf clubs across India, which means an average of 50 children in each of the 100 clubs in India. Each of them spend anywhere over Rs 1 lakh per year on the game," he says. Corporate houses are also showing a lot of interest in the segment. "Pester power is one factor. Moreover, children these days are very brand conscious. So it is natural that we will see brands coming forward to associate with junior golf soon," he says.Narain would know; RNGM has just been awarded a three-year contract to run the Indian Golf Union's national junior tour for the next three years. He is talking to corporates for sponsorship and it looks like there is no dearth of it.This could possibly be a reason why Sanam Merchant, a professional golfer, sensed an opportunity and teamed up with corporate trainer Santosh Bagkar to invest in an 18-bay driving range and four-hole course play in Mumbai. Incidentally, Merchant herself started playing when she was 17. "The trend pretty much caught up in the past five years. Parents are now looking at this sport not only as exposure to new grounds, but are also accepting golf as a profession," says Merchant."As opposed to 80 golf courses five years back, India now has close to 300 courses," she says, adding "Apart from the privileged few who have access to various golf courses, there is a huge number of enthusiasts who want to try their hand at golf."Her sense paid off well—in four months her academy has already been host to over 500 golf enthusiasts.Even schools are now offering golf as an option in sports. Pathways World School, for instance, has a driving net, eight-hole putting green and 50-yard chipping area at its Aravali campus. The other two schools of the group in India have putting areas. "About 30 children are pursuing golf on a regular basis in the school. There is a former caddy to train them. Initially we provide them with kits, but most students tend to buy their own later," says Rupmala Singh, marketing head, Pathways World School. Given that the school has squash, gymnastics, soccer and horse riding as other options, golf does seem to enjoy a fair amount of popularity.One reason behind the popularity of the sport could be the money factor, says Shona A Singh, a golf columnist. "It is hardly a revelation that there is a lot of money in golf. And unlike other sports, golf in India happens to enjoy a lot of corporate sponsorships. Look at the prize money in major tournaments—it has steadily increased since 2000 and the Indian golf calendar is completely choc-a-bloc with events," she says.For instance, the Toyota Etios Junior Golf Tour kicked off in Gurgaon just last week. Another reason, adds Sardesai, could be the status tag attached to the sport. "Parents often boast that my child too plays golf," he says. Narain feels "the combination of the success of Indian golfers overseas—Jeev, Jyoti, Arjun Atwal, Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar and others—has encouraged Indian children to aspire towards international competitive golf. Further, Tiger Woods has raised the 'cool' quotient of golf among youngsters and changed the image of the game to that of athletic and stylish".But the road to becoming a pro is an expensive one. So, before the reward must come crucial investment of time, effort and money. "You are looking at an average of Rs 7 lakh a year spent on travel, equipment and coaching. Of course, the time invested is relative, but anywhere between 15 to 20 hours a week of practice is essential," says Sardesai. Merchant, on the other hand, estimates the investment to "easily sum up to an average of Rs 3 lakh a year". A golf kit itself can cost anywhere up to Rs 1.5 lakh.Some respite came for the golfers in Gurgaon last week, when the Haryana government scrapped the 25% entertainment duty in golf clubs, bringing it on a par with the rest of NCR.

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