Caddy Pros battle for existence as Delhi Golf Club tightens screws

Some of the recent decisions at the Delhi Golf Club have left the Caddy Pros wondering about their future in golf

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Several PGTI rookies each year come through the ranks as caddy turned professionals

Anand Datla

April 27, 2016: The Delhi Golf Club is a national treasure, a vibrant legacy of the British colonists that brought their hobbies along with their boats. Despite the strong heritage around golf in India, it remained a game of the elite. And that was one of the reasons why golf barely grew in India. But the arrival of Ali Sher, a caddy turned pro changed things irrevocably. His success at the Indian Open and elsewhere through the 1990s opened the doors of aspiration to the middle class, helping the spread of golf in India.

Unfortunately though, it is the growing number of non-elitist golfers that is causing consternation around the clubs in Delhi. As interest in the game spiked through the past two decades, the emergence of players such as Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa added to the aspirational allure of golf.

Young kids from lower income families took to golf, through the means of their presence around golf clubs, serving as caddies and playing support roles to the regular members of the clubs. There have been a great collection of golfers who have come through the ranks.

It was estimated last year that nearly three out of five golfers on the PGTI Tour were caddies turned professional golfers. Considering the wealth of talent emerging from the shadows, one would expect adequate opportunity for these talented young men to pursue their craft and progress to the next level.

The Delhi Golf Club’s sub-committee managing the facilities decided that caddy pros can only use the golfing facilities at the prestigious club after 0530pm. The decision has lead to widespread resentment among the vocal community of caddies that work at the club.

At the recently concluded Hero Indian Open, players such as Rashid Khan and Honey Baisoya played the tournament sporting a black ribbon on their caps. It was a symbolic yet powerful representation of the disappointment among the community that serves the club so well.

Golfing Indian met and spoke with several caddie pros and there was a uniform sense of disgruntlement at the decisions made at the Delhi Golf Club. “We have worked at this course for a long time. Some of us have become good at golf and we need the facilities to practice the game,” said one of the caddy pros at the venue during the tournament.

“Our inability to practice at the course is affecting our game and hurting our prospects of gaining entry to the PGTI Tour. Even some of the most successful players among us are not allowed to use these facilities despite winning tournaments,” added another caddy pro.

“There is hardly any time to play or use the range after 0430pm as it is difficult to find more than one or two spots at that time. How do we improve our game?” pleaded the desperate sounding caddy pro.

On the other hand, the club seems to be battling for capacity. “There are 6000 members of the club and it is necessary to provide them the facilities they need,” said Champika Sayal, Secretary General of the WGAI and a long standing member of the club.

“This is a prestigious club and its first responsibility is towards its members. The range and the course is crowded as it is, so while we understand their concern, it is a difficult problem to address.”

“The club also has no space for expansion, leaving the committee with no choice but to protect the interests of the members first. There is no question of turning down a member wishing to play golf at their convenience.”

Both sides have valid arguments. At the heart of the matter though is the success of golf in India. Success stories such as those of SSP Chawrasia and Mukesh Kumar help broadbase the game in India. Considering the genuine need for promoting the game in our country, the two sides ought to share a table and find a way to address the need for caddy pros to hone their game.

In their success lies the strength of golf and it is imperative that we find a collectively meaningful solution that keeps the interests of golf at heart.

Our emails to the Delhi Golf Club did not elicit any response and hence we were unable to carry any official statement from the club.

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