There is something very interesting happening with Indian golf, and I have been thinking about it lately. We are sending our children abroad on golf scholarships, celebrating their college admissions, sharing their photographs with friends and relatives, and proudly announcing that our son or daughter is going to America to play golf.
Four years later, the golf clubs are gathering dust, the golf bag is probably somewhere in the garage, and the youngster is working for a multinational company in New York, California or Texas.
Or, if things go according to the traditional Indian family plan, he or she returns home to join the family business.
Nothing wrong with either option, of course. Education is important, a stable career is important, and not every child who plays golf needs to become a professional golfer. But it does make me wonder: Are we using golf scholarships to create better golfers, or simply using golf as a ticket to a better education?
And perhaps the more important question is: What can we do in India to give those children a genuine reason to pursue a career in golf?
Before somebody gets angry with me, let me make one thing clear. I am not against education. I am not against business. I am not against our youngsters working in America. I have plenty of friends who would happily send their children abroad if they got the opportunity.
But if a young golfer has spent years training, competing, sacrificing weekends and waking up at an hour when even the birds are negotiating with their alarm clocks, then perhaps we should be asking whether we have given that golfer a viable pathway beyond college.
Because a scholarship is not the finish line. It is supposed to be a starting point.
The Indian parent and the report card
We Indians have a complicated relationship with sport. We love sport. We celebrate our champions. We watch cricket matches as if our digestive systems are connected to the scoreboard. We celebrate medals, trophies and international victories.
But when it comes to our own children, the conversation can change rather quickly.
“Golf is very good, beta. But what are you going to do after your degree?” That question has probably been asked in thousands of Indian homes.
And honestly, I understand the concern. A parent wants the child to be secure. They want a good education, a stable income and a comfortable life. Nobody wants to watch their child struggle financially.
The problem is that we sometimes treat sport as an extracurricular activity that must eventually surrender to a proper career.
A youngster can spend more than 15 years studying to become a doctor or engineer, and we call it an investment in the future. But a youngster who wants to spend 15 years developing into a professional golfer? Suddenly, everybody wants a backup plan, a second backup plan and perhaps an MBA application ready for emergencies.
Prize money is not just about the winner
The obvious thing is that we need more money in the game. But it is not as simple as announcing a larger winner’s cheque and expecting Indian golf to transform overnight.
Yes, bigger prize purses matter. They attract players, create opportunities and make a professional career more financially sustainable. But the real challenge is the depth of the ecosystem.
What does a player ranked 40th or 60th on a tour earn? How many events can he or she play? Who pays for travel, accommodation, coaching, equipment, fitness and medical care? What happens when a player misses a cut for three consecutive weeks?
I have played enough golf to know that a professional career is not built on one good week. It is built on the ability to keep showing up, competing and improving, even when the results don’t cooperate.
Sponsors need to look beyond the occasional headline player. A structured support system for promising golfers could include travel grants, development contracts, performance-linked funding and assistance with coaching and sports science.
Imagine a young golfer knowing that, for the next two years, a sponsor will help fund a defined development programme. Not a blank cheque, but a genuine opportunity to build a career.
And yes, I realise I am asking sponsors to invest in a sport where the return on investment is not always as easy to measure as a boundary rope or a six on television. But that is where creative thinking comes in.
Where are the public golf facilities?
Another question we must address is access. If we want more children to play golf, we need more opportunities for them to discover the game without their parents having to take out a second mortgage.
We need public golf facilities, affordable practice areas, junior programmes and structured access to coaching. We need to explore driving ranges, short-game facilities and community-based golf initiatives in cities where full-length courses may not be practical.
We have seen how other sports have expanded through academies, public infrastructure and affordable access. Golf can learn from that model without losing the character and traditions that make it special.
Can we change the definition of success?
The biggest change, however, may need to happen in our mindset.
A career in golf does not necessarily mean becoming a winner on the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour. There are opportunities in coaching, sports management, golf operations, tournament administration, golf technology, sports science, equipment, media and course development.
Perhaps a young Indian golfer returning from an American university should not be viewed as someone who failed to make it as a professional. They may have gained an education, played competitive golf and developed skills that can help grow the sport in India.
Of course, we should also be honest about the challenges of becoming a touring professional. Not everybody has the game, the finances or the appetite for the sacrifices involved. A realistic assessment is essential. But a realistic assessment is not the same as discouraging somebody before they have had a chance.
The family business will still be there. The corporate job may still be there. But the window to pursue a serious sporting career is often much shorter.
A different kind of return on investment
I sometimes wonder whether we have become too focused on measuring everything in terms of immediate financial returns. If a child goes abroad, gets a degree and earns a good salary, we call it a success. If the same child spends a few years trying to build a professional golf career, we worry about the risk.
But what if we looked at sports development as a long-term investment in the individual and in the country?
Here’s the funny thing about golf: We spend a fortune trying to get the ball closer to the hole, but when it comes to developing the next generation, we sometimes don’t even know where the hole is.
Maybe it is time we fixed that. And if anybody has a good idea, I’m all ears. Preferably over a round of golf.
Though, given the price of green fees these days, I might need a sponsor for that too!
Rahil Gangjee is a professional golfer, sharing through this column what life on a golf course is like