Golf is also swelling its sponsorship coffers with increased funding. | |
| Golf still has a lot of snob value, but its lack of the sort of drama that makes crowds erupt in jubilation "" no hard-hit yellow ball bouncing high, no leather cherry heaved off all the way to the long on boundary "" has not stopped its emergence as a matter of mass interest in India. |
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| For one, it is now a genuinely competitive endeavour with its own stars now. Jeev Milkha Singh recently won the Taiwan Masters, while the likes of Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur have been consistently doing well on the Asian circuit. Broadcasters, once only interested in USPGA tour events, have started warming to the idea of a wider audience. |
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| For another, it's the game of corporate choice, with golfing analogies entering business talk like never before. It all adds up to a sudden flush of sponsorship funding. Hero Honda, American Express, ITC and the UB group, among others, have been forking out big sums in support of the game. |
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| Back in the 1990s, when golf had started to attract interest and players like Ali Sher and P G Sethi had started to make a name for themselves on the greens, the prize money was only a few thousand rupees. Golf was only just shaking off its image of being something industrialists do while talking shop. |
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| But now with golf players forming their own association, and talent coming from all over the country, things have changed for the good. A change that has been wrought by "a mixture of talent and corporate support", feels Amritender Singh, a board member of PGTI. |
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| The recently concluded BILT Open had the highest prize money on offer, a purse of about Rs 70 lakh. Says BILT's chairman Gautam Thapar, "BILT is committed to the development of golf at every level and we would like to see this sport grow and turn out a world-class player from India." |
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| McDowell's has been organising the Signature golf tournament and has had celebrity golfers promoting the game. Timex has been fast on the uptick, too. |
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| "It is a perfect platform for lifestyle brands to get associated with and helps in promoting the game," says Salil Sadanandan, vice-president, marketing, Timex India. |
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| Taylormade, the Adidas subsidiary that has been providing golf apparel and equipment to golfers, sees the game having had a terrific tee-off and ready to soar. |
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| "When we came to India in 2003, the market was still in a nascent stage, but in years to come, the sport will grow by leaps and bounds," predicts Dennis Allen, vice president, Asia-Pacific, Taylormade. |
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| By one estimate, the total prize money for six PGTI events scheduled on this year's calendar is Rs 3.5 crore. But there are other tournaments too, and the grand total money being spent this year on golf is estimated anywhere between Rs 12 crore and Rs 15 crore. |
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| The white dimpled ball has garnered more attention than you may have realised, and there's quite a course to go. |
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