GI Enterpreneur Series – Ashish Agarwal believes golf improves business instincts

Tariq Engineer

May 20,2016: Golf has long been seen as old man’s game and there’s some truth to that claim. Since golf is a sport people can play well into their dotage, many golfers have only turned to it only after giving up a different sport they played as young men.

But that image obscures the many, many young people who also play the game and revel in its uniqueness. Golf is a sport where there is no team-mate to lean on, and no opponent to battle against.

Ashish Agarwal is one of a number of young entrepreneurs who enjoy both the solitude of the game and its ability to forge friendships and build networks. Golf takes them out of their homes and their office (and yes, gyms too) and gives them the chance to spend time outdoors with their friends minus the many distractions that populate our lives these days.

And they can play well into their dotage too.
What’s not to love?

Ashish Agarwal
Co-Founder, Kontapps Messenger (www.kontapps.com)

When Ashish Agarwal wanted to do a test run of his new Kontapps messenger app designed to connect users to businesses and services over chat, he knew exactly whom he could turn to for help and valuable feedback – his golfing buddies.

“Before getting into random vendors and random local shops, I contacted four or five of my friends who all have businesses, shops, restaurants. I could connect to them immediately and get feedback of what they are looking at, what they currently do and how Kontapps might help them in the future.

“So this gave me a lot of confidence and it was much quicker for me to roll out my plan as compared to not having access to these guys.”

The 37-year-old Agarwal took up golf on a whim about 20 years ago and is extremely glad that he did. Thanks to playing in tournaments, he has been introduced to a much wider network of people than he would otherwise have met. “Within the span of a few years, you get to know almost the whole golf community in your city and sometimes even from outside your city. So you get connected to a lot more people easily,” he said.

He has also benefitted in terms of personal growth. “Golf teaches you a lot. How you handle pressure. How you deal with situations where you are normally not familiar. No single day of golf is the same. This relates to life where every day is not going to be the same. You are going to face some unfamiliar situation, some pressure. You get to learn how to handle situations and that’s the best thing about golf.”

A nine-handicap golfer, Agarwal plays every weekend, typically at the Willingdon Club or the Bombay Presidency Golf Club in Mumbai. He has also travelled to a number of other countries to play golf, with one of the perks being the ability to compete in international competitions. In 2009, Agarwal and three team-mates won the India leg of the World Corporate Golf Challenge and were flown to Spain to play in the final at the La Manga Club.

“It is very rare that I have missed a weekend of golf unless I am travelling or there has been a reason I could not make it,” Agarwal said. “If I don’t play golf, it means my week is not complete. It is part of my lifestyle now.”

Agarwal became a father for the first time last year and already has plans to introduce his currently seven-month old son to the game when he is a little older.

“I won’t force him but I will encourage him. I will make sure that he has a feel of golf because I have learned so much. People who don’t play golf won’t realise this but people who do will recognise that golf really changes your personality and gives you a lot of confidence.“