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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Sandeep, Amar make it to Indian senior golf team
Seasoned local senior golfers from Chandigarh Golf Club, Sandeep Sandhu and Amar Bajwa have been selected in the Indian senior golf team. In the recently concluded Indian Golf Union All India Senior Amateur Golf Championship played at ITC Classic Golf Course Gurugram, both Sandeep Sandhu and Amar Bajwa played steady golf to make it to the Indian senior golf team. (HT File) In the recently concluded Indian Golf Union All India Senior Amateur Golf Championship played at ITC Classic Golf Course Gurugram, both Sandeep Sandhu and Amar Bajwa played steady golf to make it to the Indian senior golf team. The golf course was playing tight and on account of rains, the rough was high, making conditions difficult. Despite this, both of them played some exceptional golf to make it to the four-member team. The other two members are Gaurav Ghosh from Kolkata and David D'Souza from Bangalore. With this victory, Sandeep is selected to represent India in The Asia Pacific Golf Championship to be played in Manila, Philippines in September end. This is the third year consecutively that Sandeep has been selected to represent India. He is currently Order of Merit Winner on the AVT Golf Tour and will be representing India at South Africa Senior Amateur Golf Championship in October 2025.
News18
23-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Races, Rinks, Ranges: Unpacking India's Expanding Leisure Infrastructure
Last Updated: How India Unwinds: From high‑speed tracks to heritage polo fields, winter ice rinks to weekend golf resorts, leisure in India has shifted from afterthought to essential. Once seen as luxuries, recreational spaces are now at the heart of India's urban story. From golf courses stitched into tea estates to all‑weather ice rinks and racing circuits, these hubs are redefining how India unwinds — and how cities measure their quality of life. Leisure, it turns out, isn't just pastime; it's becoming part of the country's growth narrative. Golf Courses on the Rise The Indian Golf Union currently oversees 194 golf clubs across the country, and the industry is gaining traction among both players and travellers. According to a report released by the Golf Industry Association (GIA) in April 2020, the golf travel industry in India had an annual growth rate of 20 per cent. The number of golf tourists in India grew rapidly at a 13 per cent CAGR between 2017 and 2021. The total amount of spending by the inbound foreign golf tourists in India during 2015 was reported at Rs 17.7 crore ($ 2.7 million), which increased at a robust CAGR of 20.9 per cent during 2010-2015. In addition to this, golf based real estate projects saw revenues worth Rs 3,829.4 crore ($ 573.5 million) during 2015, out of which Rs 957.4 crore ($ 143.4 million) have been generated from the golf premium added to the sector. Last December, Delhi inaugurated its longest 18‑hole course in Dwarka, stretching 7,377 yards. Just months earlier in October, AIVOT Golf & Sports Management, exclusive partner of the PGA of America in India, announced the country's first PGA‑branded courses in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Hyderabad. A June 2024 report by Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy notes that India has approximately 429 courses, with rising awareness of golf's health benefits. Delhi NCR accounts for a significant share, home to iconic venues such as the Qutab (India's first public golf course) and the Delhi Golf Club (established in the early 1930s), Noida and Greater Noida's Jaypee Greens (designed by industry veteran and golf course architect Greg Norman), along with Gurugram's courses like the DLF Golf & Country Club, TERI and Hamoni. Sikkim's Yak Golf Course (the world's highest golf course as per the Guinness Book of World Records), Srinagar's Royal Springs golf course (designed by renowned American golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr.), Mizoram's Thenzawl Golf Course and Chennai's Guindy Links are yet other prominent names. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club, established in 1829, remains the oldest club outside Britain. Meanwhile, Assam's tourism board is leveraging 'tea‑tees" — golf courses integrated into tea estates — and airstrip‑linked bungalows for charter‑flying golf tourists. The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also spotlighted Jammu & Kashmir's untapped potential, hosting golf conclaves and tournaments to drive visitor interest. India's tournament calendar is heating up too. The Delhi Golf Club will host the DP World India Championship this October, marking the first year the country stages two DP World Tour events after the Hero Indian Open. Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy has confirmed his participation. Racing Circuits & Events According to Nielsen, India ranked among the top five countries by F1 fandom in 2019, with 31.1 million fans. MotoGP has announced the return of the Indian Grand Prix in 2026. Over 50,000 fans had turned up for the inaugural edition of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in 2023, which made it the biggest motorsports event held in the country since the 2013 Formula 1 race. The Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, home to MotoGP Bharat since 2023, hosted three F1 Indian Grands Prix between 2011–2013, all won by Sebastian Vettel. Fast forward to March 2023, 13-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner David Coulthard drove the RB7 – Vettel's 2011 championship-winning car – at Mumbai's popular Bandra Bandstand during the Red Bull Showrun. The Hyderabad Street Circuit was a temporary racing circuit, used to host the inaugural FIA Hyderabad E-Prix in 2023. Meanwhile, the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit was opened in August 2024, and has hosted the FIA Grade 3, F4, Indian Racing League, and India's first night race. Ice Rinks in India The Ice Skating Association of India manages five outdoor rinks — Shimla, Gulmarg, Leh, Kargil, and Kaza — alongside indoor venues like ISKATE by Roseate in Gurugram. ISKATE, India's largest all‑weather rink, spans 15,000 sq. ft., supports up to 150 skaters at once, and hosts national coaches and visiting trainers from the USA, Russia, South Korea, and Germany. For beginners, 'penguin buddy" skating aids make learning safer and more accessible. Leh's iconic Nawang Dorjay Stobdan rink, with capacity for 3,000 spectators and an Olympic‑standard 60 m x 30 m rink, is set to become an all‑weather ice hockey venue this year. In December 2023, the Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League launched training camps across seven Ladakhi zones, part of a long‑term bid to field an Indian team at the 2042 Winter Olympics. LEISURE INFRASTRUCTURE — A SNAPSHOT Polo in India Polo remains one of India's most storied sports. The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in the United States estimates that polo is actively played in 77 countries, though professionally in fewer countries — including India. At present, there are 33 polo clubs affiliated with the Indian Polo Association. From Leh's Ladakh Polo Club and Imphal's Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association, Chennai's Madras Polo & Riding Club and Bhavnagar's Gohilwad to Delhi's Army Polo & Riding Centre, Kolkata's Fort William and Jaipur's 61 Cavalry, the sport's footprint spans the country. Kolkata's Calcutta Polo Club, established in 1862, holds the distinction of operating the world's oldest continuously operating polo club, and is home to historic tournaments like the Ezra Cup. While Army regiments have traditionally been polo's backbone, new private‑sector teams are investing in infrastructure and training, ensuring the sport's revival beyond elite enclaves. top videos View all Final Takeaway From high‑speed tracks to heritage polo fields, winter ice rinks to weekend golf resorts, leisure in India has shifted from afterthought to essential. As cities sprawl and lives accelerate, recreational infrastructure is increasingly shaping how Indians relax — and how the country imagines its future: faster, fuller, and with a place to pause. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : golf Leisure polo view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 23, 2025, 17:05 IST News india Races, Rinks, Ranges: Unpacking India's Expanding Leisure Infrastructure Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
India's rebel franchise golf league likely to start in January
New Delhi: The inaugural edition of the rebel Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) will take place next January in a six-team, home and away format, league director Manav Jain announced on Tuesday. The league will be played across four weeks and will involve 60 golfers -- 10 in each team. The launch of the Indian Golf Premier League. (IGPL) The franchises are expected to be based in Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Mumbai, although a formal announcement is expected in October- November. Each franchise will have an icon player. Indian stalwarts Shiv Kapoor, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jyoti Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chawrasia are expected to don the role. 'We will have a home and away concept for the first three weeks, which will eventually lead to the grand finale week,' Jain said. The players will be picked from a 'strategic auction' that will be held later this year,. The league will be played in a no cut, three-day stroke play format. 'There will be no financial exchange to get the players. For the first three years, all the players have been contracted by us and they are part of the package that we offer to the franchise owners. The franchises will have notional money to build the best team,' Jain said. The auction pool will comprise golfers drawn from the IGPL Tour, Indian Golf Union (IGU) and Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI). The IGPL Tour, a proposed entity parallel to the official Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), is expected to take off in September. Spread across six cities and 10 weeks, it will also be held in a three-day, no-cut format. PGTI president Kapil Dev wrote to all its members last month warning of disciplinary action if they participate in the rebel tour. Jain hoped IGPL and PGTI could co-exist. 'There is enough room for two tours to survive. Unfortunately we could not come to any agreement with the PGTI. We waited to work with the PGTI for almost 15 months and once we could not come to an agreement, we had to make good on our promises to our own investors, our own partner ecosystem. We had to pivot and we decided to create the tour in this form,' he said. 'Every week, we will have six invitations that can be extended to anybody who is wishing to play.'
India Gazette
27-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
IGU receives backing from Sports Ministry to organise first-ever Indian Golf Premier League
ANI 27 Jun 2025, 15:15 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has given Indian Golf Union (IGU), the National Sports Federation (NSF) for golf, a go ahead to organise the inaugural edition of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), which intends to make the sport more accessible to youngsters, in January 2026. The League is being organised in partnership with Bharat Golf Private Limited. A delegation of Indian Golf Union led by Major General (Retd) Bibhuti Bhushan, along with members of the IGPL Board and Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI) secretary general Champika Sayal met with the Honourable Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Hon'ble Union Minister of Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday for a meaningful discussion on how to promote golf as a discipline at the grassroots level and the roadmap for Indian Golf Premier League. Talking about the meeting, IGU director general Bibhuti Bhushan said: 'It was a moment of great pride and honour for the Indian Golf Union to meet both the Hon'ble Union Sports Minister and Tourism Minister at their residence and understand the government's vision on strengthening the sports ecosystem in Bharat. I can say with utmost pleasure that the Sports Ministry has given us the nod to organise the first-ever Indian Golf Premier League, which aims at popularising the sport in Bharat. The IGPL will be organised in January 2026. Through IGPL, we will scout and nurture world-class golf talent who will proudly represent Bharat on the global stage.' IGPL is a city-based franchise league that will have both amateurs and professionals playing in a team format. The IGPL envisions providing international-standard training facilities and coaching to over 10 lakh school and college students within the next three years. (ANI)
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Indian Golf Premier League in January
The Indian Golf Union (IGU) has received the backing of the Union Sports Ministry to host the first Indian Golf Premier League in January. A IGU delegation met the Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, for a fruitful discussion to promote golf at the grassroots level apart from hosting the league. 'Through IGPL we will scout and nurture golf talent,' said the IGU Director, Bibhuti Bhushan. The IGU aspires to make golf more accessible, especially for thousands of school and college students, over the next three years.
