February 11, 2016: The WGAI’s Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour is very much a work in progress. But like a classy painting, it is a painstaking process of layering the canvas one brush stroke at a time. The fact that the HWPGT is a full-fledged season of events is a tribute to the vision of benefactors such as Hero, DLF and Yes Bank – who find it meaningful to invest in the future of the tour through the WGAI.
As the tour travels from one city to the next, the motley group of professionals trundle along with their kits laying the foundation for the future of women’s golf in India. There are just 20 women who are currently professional practitioners on the women’s tour. The tour is playing this week at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata, after a successful event last week at the RCGC.
Cultural factors have been a major influence in serving as a constraint to the growth of women golfers in India. The game is an expensive affair and large parts of the community cannot afford to support their girls in the pursuit of their golfing dreams.
Turning a caddie has been one means of accessing the infrastructure and support needed to pursue golf. The men’s game has been a beneficiary of this aspect, with the success of Ali Sher inspiring several young boys into the game irrespective of financial background.
Many young children took to caddying at clubs, learning the game even as they earned a living through the fees and tips they collected from those playing at the club. Being around the club and on the course helped them learn the nuances of golf and the vast amounts of time spent on the course, helped hone their game.
Vivek Sharma, the COO of WGAI lamented about this factor during his conversation with the Golfing Indian. “The absence of women caddies is one of the reasons why we are unable to deepen the field on the women’s tour,” said Vivek. “Our primary source of growth is the amateurs and we are always eager to add players to the circuit. Hopefully, we will see a significant increase in the years to come.”
And then there are familial pressures, related to marriage and economic independence. There is no doubt that the increase in prize money, courtesy some generous support from Hero, benefits the professionals. But at just over a crore, it is still not large enough to sustain a vast number of professional golfers.
“The prize money today for one tournament is nearly the same as it was for an entire season, just a few years ago,” said Vivek. “We are making progress and then there are a few golfers who are also on the rolls of companies. So prize money isn’t their only source of income.”
The signs are very encouraging too. The tour is gradually catching the attention of people and the arrival of Yes Bank as one of the major sponsors to the women’s tour has added to the resource pool. More importantly, that fact that the tour aligns well with the bank’s women first strategy is a theme that should echo with several other players.
The tour is also sending out constant updates to the media, covering print, television and internet providing adequate visibility to the performances of the women. The fact that the tour is modeled largely around playing two events at every stop is enhancing impact.
The double event in every city is a model that works well for the golfers too, helping them cut down on travel and increasing their RoI from each trip. These are early years yet, but with the WGAI and its sponsors pursuing their vision for women’s golf in India with dedication points to a bright future filled with opportunities.
