Sep 03, 2019: Blazing a trail has been a habit for this tenacious first lady of Indian golf. Kavita Singh was the first Indian woman to join the Ladies European Tour board of directors in 2012. Over the years, Mrs. Singh has played a pivotal role in keeping women’s golf vital and throbbing in our country. She is also the chair of a four-member panel overseeing golf in India under the umbrella of the IOA.
Q1. Where do you think the future of women’s golf in India is headed?
I think definitely winning more medals and more money, I mean that’s what the career is all about, right? Getting our rankings and making money is definitely where the future of Indian women in golf is headed.
Q2. Tell us a bit about the history and the foundation of women’s golf in India?
Well I have to admit, it was all started by Champika Sayal. I was the Vice President of Women’s Golf Association of India (Pro Golf) and Satish Tandon was the President and she being a golfer herself saw the need for profession golf for women as there was no professional body for golf for women in India at that time. Men had their tour for the past six decades but women did not. So she approached me and said that she conceived this idea so really the credit goes to her.
Q3. Who are your favorite golfers?
I love our Indian girls. 15-year-old Anika Varma was something special. She had the dedication. A lot of the girls from the far-east are very good like from Korea, Singapore, Thailand. Among our own girls, I feel that all of them stand a very good chance. I see the development in them not just in their game but as representatives of the company here and the country. It is an overall development of the person.
Q4. What are your objectives on heading the chair of the governance panel at Indian Olympics Association (IOA)?
What we want to do and the government also wants is a sort of sports code that applies to every game whether it is equestrian, fencing, golf etc. They have done a lot for women’s wrestling and other sports for women like Hockey and cricket. They want to bring about a code that enables the government to help all the golfers to achieve all their ambitions and aims. It should absolutely be on merit, the financial support should go directly to the players. I think the government has done an immense job in that sense in the past four years. They are really very supportive on the right track. They want a sort of body where whether it is women’s golf or men’s golf, there is a discipline that percolates from the top to the bottom and everyone is an equal in that sense.
Q5. What is your favorite moment of golf on the Indian soil?
When I have birdies at the DLF golf and country club because it is such a challenging course (laughs). I love the Gary Player course. When I have birdies and a good score then I feel great. Golf is such a regulator as one week, I would feel like I have played an amazing round and the next week, I’ll shoot 30 to 40 over, it brings you down with such a crash. Golf is a game which you play against yourself, it teaches you honesty, integrity and discipline.
By Poorvi Gupta
