By Meraj Shah
Scotland may be the home of golf. Thailand may be the most visited golf destination in Asia. The PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LIV Golf might be the premier professional tourneys in the world, but as far as corporate golf events go, India is in a league of its own. While our cohorts in Europe mostly ‘pay and play,’ in events, usually pulling their own golf trolleys, we’re wined and dined, plied with substantial goodie bags, not to mention the on-course prizes, the trophies, and sometimes, even lucky draws. We’re thoroughly pampered; corporate golfers in India are.
To understand that, you need some reference. Last month, your columnist travelled to Mauritius to play in the pro-am of that country’s national open. A big ticket event for the pros and major CRM and outreach exercise for the main sponsor – AfrAsia Bank. Needless to say there was fabulous hospitality, VIP enclosures, evening soirees and the like. At last week’s Select Golf Invitational, a corporate event in the NCR, a high-profile gathering of corporate golfers spent a weekend at the Heritage Village Resort & Spa – a tony resort in Manesar – and played a couple of rounds at the Classic Golf & Country Club. “This event is about more than just the game; it’s about bringing together friends, colleagues, and partners from across various industries to strengthen relationships and uncover synergies…” said Arjun Sharma, Chairman, Select Group as he milled about at the post-event dinner at the golf club. Sharma, who first hosted this event in 2023, clearly sees value in doing so, “ We don’t measure every event purely in terms of ROI—it’s not always about immediate numbers or metrics. For us, the real success of an event like the Select Golf Invitational lies in the intangible returns… These aspects are far more enduring and valuable in the long run,” he said. That apart, given the high-profile sponsors — Nuvama Private, Sotheby’s International Realty, EY, Nexus Select, Mercedes-benz–Silver Arrows—that have continued to support the event for the second year in a row, it’s a fair conjecture that sponsors are getting a bang for their buck. “Corporate golf is used for relationship building and meeting like-minded people. I don’t think business is discussed at golf events, but yes, it does open doors,” says Rishi Narain, founder, RN Sports Marketing, a golf marketing firm.
From a macro perspective, the game has seen remarkable growth in India over the past three decades. Until the economic reforms in 1991, it was nigh impossible to buy a decent golf set in the country. Today we have scores of players who regularly travel overseas to play golf; amateur leagues are coming up faster than you can keep track of, and it can be a task to get a weekend tee time at top golf courses. Given that it’s not surprising that the game has emerged as a strategic tool building relationships, fostering team spirit, and building brand equity. “Over the last 25-30 years that I have been selling sponsorships in golf, there’s been a big change in the number of brands that are aware of the benefits that golf offers and how many more people are open to it and are open to it. 25 years ago when you went and talked to someone they had no idea what you were talking about and today almost all the companies in the target group are aware of it,” says Narain.
What hasn’t kept pace with interest in the game and the influx of new players is the infrastructure. Sharma, who was at the helm of Sita Travels for many years, says there’s plenty of potential for golf tourism in India, with a caveat: “Golf tourism is undoubtedly a significant opportunity for India. Globally, destinations like Thailand, Mauritius, Turkey, and Vietnam have made impressive strides in developing this segment and they are reaping the benefits of attracting high-spending tourists who are drawn to the exclusivity and experience that golf offers…” But adds that “…To truly compete with global leaders in this space, we need a concerted effort in developing world-class golf courses, creating seamless connectivity to these destinations, and offering tailored hospitality services to cater to the international golf enthusiast.” Narain, on the other hand is more critical “India is so thoroughly under-served in terms of facilities it’s atrocious. Bangkok has with 60-70 courses, Kuala Lumpur has over 50 courses … now even Vietnam has built 80 courses over the last decade. In India things have been stagnant, there are no dates available at golf courses to do events, we’re just absolutely stuck with the growth of the game unless we build more golf courses.”
All of this pressure on golf courses means that golfers who aren’t members have a really hard time getting a weekend tee time, especially in peak golfing season, which is about right now. I’ll admit, unabashedly, that by dint of writing on the sport, I do get invited to play in a number of corporate tournaments. For me, it’s mostly about the golf, but whether you’re there to network or not, you will meet a cross-section of people at corporate events that you probably wouldn’t, off the course. Over the past month, I’ve played with a South African pro, the head of investments for a global bank, a musician, and a pro car racer. Interesting interactions all, of which two are probably going to become friends! That’s a lot of value if you ask me. And then, of course, the goodies: at the Select Invitational no one in my four-ball hit the green on the par-3 which had a ‘closest to the pin’ contest. But if one of us had, then that player would have won a Honma putter. And that was up for grabs for every single fourball. Gobsmacking.
The writer is a golfer, writes about the game.
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