Former pro-golfer Tarun Sardesai starts programme to offer both full-time studies, golf coaching

While the Sports Authority of India has produced some top athletes over the years, academics of a budding athlete has never been taken care of.
Tarun Sardesai’s golf academy in Bengaluru has 32 trainees.
Tarun Sardesai’s golf academy in Bengaluru has 32 trainees.

BENGALURU: The concept of residential sports academies is still a fairly new one in India. While the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has produced some top athletes over the years, academics of a budding athlete has never been taken care of, forcing parents to think twice.

The same goes for golf. Already an expensive sport, it doesn’t let parents encourage their children as they have to spend a lot of time on a course, either at an academy or in an event. But with golf growing rapidly in the country along with the number of academies for it, the necessity for a European or Korean style of school programme is the call of the hour.

That, however, is not a distant dream any more, thanks to former professional golfer and coach Tarun Sardesai. In a first in South India, Sardesai has started an integrated school programme at his TSG Academy in Zion Hills (Kolar), joining hands with National Institute of Open Schooling to offer full-time studies — from Standard VIII to XII as well as professional golf coaching.

Sardesai believes that parents need to be more understanding in order to offer their children a base to excel as a golfer. “I’ve learned from personal experiences that it is virtually impossible to focus on a sport with the amount of pressure you have from schools. Kids end up leaving the sport, or drop out of schools,” he said.

“Parents have to understand that with regular schooling and just one hour practice, you can’t become Tiger Woods. You have to divide both equally. Through this programme, we can now have kids study full-time and practice every day for about 5-6 hours.”

Launched last year, TSG already has 32 children training at its academy. Since its launch on July 3, TSG has received good response. In less than a fortnight, 12 children have signed up, including one from Abu Dhabi. Viraj Madappa, who recently turned pro, is still a student of Sardesai. Madappa opined that integration of academics and coaching is necessary for attracting aspiring sportspersons and convincing parents.

“I think it’s a breakthrough in Indian golf. If you are getting all the facilities you need to become a world-class athlete and education is also taken care of, you can play freely. It will help produce a lot more golfers, which we very much need.”

krishnendu@newindianexpress.com

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com