Feature
General Abhi Parmar , the then DG , IGU hosting Uttam , wife Mona and daughter Ishanna special guests at the IGU AGM Dinner party .
Uttam with Anirban & Chawrasia at Rio Olympics
Mr TV Narendran , MD Tata Steel , The Patron of Golf in Jamshedpur along with wife Ruchi , being welcomed at the Tata Open . Mr TVN & USM were neighbours in 1990 at Calcutta & have mutual respect for each other ever since . have upped the prize money , more and more sponsors and corporates are keen to affiliate themselves with the game . We have a whole set of new keen spectators who love watching professional tournaments because they play the game themselves . The clubs are opening doors to new talent and the awareness in the masses has increased dramatically . It looks very positive and the way forward will be much easier for everybody concerned . Even at an amateur level people are excited to be on the golf course and look at the game as a great lifestyle challenge that they want to conquer . I guess the golfing scene looks very vibrant to me .
The concerns which need to be tackled with immediate effect are to increase the availability of golf courses and driving ranges , we need to have many more public golf courses where everybody and anybody can go and hit balls . That ’ s the first step into making this game reach out to the population
Q . Where do you see the sport twenty years from now ?
A . In twenty years I see a prize purse so lucrative that we have the world wide top players playing on the tour .
Q . As a player , what are the changes you would like to bring about to better the
game ?
A . After playing pro golf for 17 years , when I joined PGTI and took on the role of an administrator , the idea and focus for us was to have the tour managed primarily by the players as they would be sensitive to the requirements of the game . Since then in conjunction with our Board , TPC committee etc ., we have changed a whole lot of local rules and regulations to accommodate and be fair to each player and sponsor concerned . We do not tinker around with the rules of golf as we have to be at par with the world tours , but the tour tries to better the playing conditions and make it as pleasant as possible for everybody . I guess this process will be never ending as the system evolves every couple of years and we cannot sit on our past laurels
Q . What according to you is the significance of the Asian Tour ?
A . PGTI works very closely with the Asian tour and we have a number of joint sanction events in India and the numbers are increasing over the years . Every tour is significant in its own area . Asian tour provides a great platform for not only all Asian players but also from many other parts of the world . It has significant prize money and carries world ranking points
Champagne time- victorious Tata Steel Team at the Merchants Cup - The Class of 1990 .... which springboards our Asian players on to the world scene .
Q . A lot of players have a hard time surviving . Do you have a plan to address this problem ?
A . I don ’ t think this is a problem unique to this game . I think this is a universal phenomenon with every sport . Pro golf has become very competitive and it will only become tougher in the coming times as more and more youngsters and talent comes in . Fortunately there are other avenues in golf that one can pursue like Rules official , Golf course management , Coaching etc .
Q . Which one is your pick amongst the 4 Majors and why ? What is the defining factor ?
A . The Masters is one of my favourite major championships . It is the most sought after in terms of prestige . I have had the pleasure of being at the masters a couple of time and I must say that every time I come back stumped by its ability to be perfect in every way possible .
Q . Tell us about your experience at RIO
A . I had the rare honour and privilege to be an official at the Olympics especially at a time when our two top boys AnirbanLahiri and SSP Chawrasia were playing . A very young and talented Aditi Ashok was also part of the contingent which added to the excitement . We held our head high with pride ; the feeling cannot be described in words . I had an incomparable opportunity to meet and watch the world ’ s best golfers play which was a dream come true . I was very fortunate to meet Nick Faldo , Gary among many others .
The icing on the cake was to taking time off in the evening to watch Usain Bolt run and win his 100 mtrs . Completely awesome !
58 G o l f P l u s JULY 2017