Golf sheds ’Old Man’s Game’ tag

Sport catches youth's attention; state to open two new golf courses

Golf sheds 'Old Man's Game' tag

Sport catches youth's attention; state to open two new golf courses

Oft written off as an Old Man's game, golf has silently shed its ageing tag to become a sought after sport of the youth in the city. Seeing the growing popularity of the sport -- particularly after two city boys, Khalin Joshi and S Chikkarangappa, brought glory to the country by winning a bronze medal after 18 years at The Nomura Cup in Fiji this August -- the Karnataka Golf Academy (KGA) has decided to open up two new golf courses for the benefit of aspiring golfers.

Explaining why the city needed more golf courses, Chandraprakash, President, KGA said, "In 1950-60, the game was restricted to army personnel only. In the 1970s, civilians started showing keen interest in the game, but the sport was still considered as an old man's game. However, things started looking up from 1975 onwards when Tiger Woods creating ripples in the sport internationally and Bangalore earned the status of 'Golf Hub' in south India. Today, the youth are showing keen interest in the sport, so we need two more golf courses."

According to golf enthusiasts, the city has helped to put India on the golf map of the world in the past two years by producing several young golfing talents such as Khalin Joshi and S Chikkarangappa. The city is also gaining popularity as a venue for golf tournaments. The third edition of the Karnataka Golf Festival is scheduled to start here in the first week of September. Around 400 golfers from as many corporates will participate in the event.

N C Munniyappa, principal secretary, tourism, said the state has earned the status of an emerging golfing hub, so a lot of tourneys areu00a0 organised here. These events attract a lot of enthusiasts from across the country, giving a boost to tourism sector.