While the golf season is winding down on professional tours around the world, ours has just begun. A very hot summer followed by the humid monsoon give way to the best golfing season in India ? the winter. The Professional Tour of India (PGTI) has just about started its 2007-08 season with the second event currently underway at the scenic Digboi Golf Course, while amateur golfers will soon be flooded with offers to play Pro-Am competitions that are held every weekend at different golf courses around the country.
India has great potential to be marketed as a perfect destination for golf tourists as we have some of the best courses in the region, designed by legendary professionals like Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
Furthermore, it is cheaper to play golf here than in many other countries, specially like Europe, the United States of America and Japan and facilities like golf buggies and coaching are also easily available.
Another point in our favour is that our best season falls at a time when most other countries have a severe winter ? including heavy snowfall ? and most golf courses are inaccessible. November to March, the sun shines brightly, warming the day, which eventually gives way to chilly evenings and for golfers there is no other place more quite, serene or inviting than a golf course.
And since most cities now have two or three good golf courses within driving distance, it is also convenient to offer golf packages that include stops at these without having to include long distance travel. Delhi has the Delhi Golf Course, DLF Golf and Country Club, Jaypee Greens Golf Course and the Golden Greens Golf Course, which are ranked amongst the top courses in the country today. Kolkata has the historic Royal Calcutta Golf Course and the Tollygunge Club opposite each other, while Mumbai has the Bombay Presidency Golf Course. Even Chandigarh and Punchkula ? twin cities ? each have a golf course to boast of. Not too far away, Katmandu has the Gokarna Golf Resort ? one of the most beautiful courses I have visited, as it has been designed on land acquired from within the King?s forest.
Yet these are not the only courses on offer. More courses are on the anvil and are being designed even as we speak. India seems to be the destination for everyone these days and golf designers are not far behind. There is also more awareness now. Gone are the days when India was just the land of tigers and elephants and people looked at you in shock when you said you played golf. Most did not even know we had golf courses here.
I recently stayed at the beautiful cottages at the Jaypee Greens Golf Course in Greater Noida and for those of you who think, ?who?s going to go out there? I have some news. The cottages were totally booked and I was informed that it is almost impossible to get a room unless one has booked much in advance. And all the people staying there were foreigners, from different parts of the world!