CHENNAI: Let’s face it. Becoming a couch potato comes quite easily to most of us. Watching the likes of Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth putt and drive their way to glory on the idiot box is but the first thought to cross the mind of avid golf buffs. Going to a golf course for doing the same does, after all, consume time, varying amounts of money, and — most importantly — energy.
“You can watch golf on TV forever, and still not understand the abstracts involved in the game. It does contribute towards building interest for the game,” says G Suresh, captain of Madras Gymkhana Golf Annexe in Guindy. “But being on the green is how one can really learn the nitty-gritties.” The usage of ‘Madras’ — not ‘Chennai’ — in the name of the 18-hole course (one among the two in the city) gives this place a historic aura.
Originally set up on Island Grounds and then shifted to Guindy in 1887, the links course is one of the 19 of its kind in India. “We have around 40 tournaments at the course every year. Around 30 are organised by the club itself, and the rest are corporate events,” he explains.
According to Suresh, who also officiates in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), all the events see a healthy mix of amateurs and professionals, thus creating more buzz for the sport in the city. “We’ve also started an academy for children. They will be coached by Sandeep Syal, a professional golfer,” he says.
The upkeep of golf courses is an arduous task not to mention its financial implications. In the case of the Madras Gymkhana, around 6,690 yardage of real estate has to be kept under constant scrutiny and tended to. Rahil Gangjee — who had featured in the Pro-Am charity golf tournament that was held at the course last Sunday — too echoed the same line of thought.
“I have been visiting this place since my amateur days, which is pretty much more than a decade ago. It still looks quite the same to me,” says Raheel. “I know it is difficult to keep a golf course in shape, especially when the sport in itself is not given much priority. But, this is after all one of the oldest links courses in India.”
Suresh too affirms that no efforts are being spared from the club’s side as far as maintenance is concerned. “Most of the funds that we get are from the club itself,” he explains. “But, one particular constraint that we face is water. Groundwater can’t be used to keep of the green cover here. We are setting up an effluent treatment plant to help us out on that front.”