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Chandigarh Golf League on a hattrick
The credit for CGL’s launch goes to an ever-evolving management team at the club , who in a bid to make the sport more competitive and popular ended up with a bonus advantage of spicing up the environment not only in the tricity but the region as a whole
“This Golf League has transformed the golfing edifice in the region. Fillip to the sport, bonhomie amongst fraternity and a carnival like atmosphere represents a true picture of this beautiful sport”, is how a chip of the old block member at the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) summed up the euphoria surrounding the commencement of the third edition of the Chandigarh Golf League (CGL).
The CGL, similar to cricket’s Indian Premier league (IPL), made its debut at the greens of the CGC in 2022. The credit for its launch goes to an ever-evolving management team at the club , who in a bid to make the sport more competitive and popular ended up with a bonus advantage of spicing up the environment not only in the tricity but the region as a whole. Brandan de Souza, the inimitable organiser of the sport across country, came as a blessing in disguise. He adds a special flavour to the event with his professional approach. A month-long edition is all set to tee-off for a hattrick from September 12. Let’s dwell over the salient feature of competition and how it has evolved since its inception, thus making it a well-rounded carnival of the swing game.
Format: A total of 21 teams comprising 18 playing members will battle it out on a league-cum-knockout basis over a month to win the trophy. All participants are members of the club, making it an in-house tournament. In the previous editions, teams had an option to import one player which has been done away with. Thus, additional 21 vacancies are available for CGC members.
Composition Each team gets to choose 10 players to form a part of their outfit ab initio or what they call as core players. The remaining 8 players are picked up at the poker auction, thereby affording an equal opportunity to members who wish to participate. Each team has to have at least one lady golfer and another one aged over 75 years.
Following a successful auction, the teams are now poised to enter the fray. The team owners are the members of the CGC and multiple sponsors from the region make their mare go!
Now, for a scintillating development this season.
Team “Sleepy owl” decided to call it a day after a decent performance during the previous two editions of the league. Taken on the popular coffee brand to which the part owner, Col Karan Thandi (retd) was associated with, stirred the hornet’s nest, thereby necessitating induction of a fresh team through an open auction. Thus, an auction was held to replace Sleepy owl. Well, the auction got astoundingly fierce with the bids touching fresh altitudes and finally going beyond four times mark of the base price. The new owners , obviously passionate about the game of golf, named their team “Seven iron”, a name which chartered a departure for a fresh twist to the often used names by teams. Well, the bar is now raised and so is the fervour. The CGL season gets the business going. Besides, a spike in the sales of golf equipment and apparels, demand for team mentors, coaches, psychologists and strategists cakes up the event. Most heartening is a fillip to the earnings of caddies, who look forward to the league. A caddy who is disillusioned with more and more golfer members taking to golf carts post COVID is upbeat when he remarks, “CGL mein koi caddy gaon nahin jaata..maine to khud apne bhai ki shaadi ko tournament ke baad ke liye rakha hai.”
Golf practice range is abuzz with players and coaches keenly trying to reset skills amid laughter and quips. One can’t help but get reminded of this beautiful quote by Donato Di Panziano, an Italian coach, “Golf is like music , love and fresh air. It has the power to make people happy.”
avnishrms59@gmail.com
(The writer is an avid golfer and a participant in the CGL)
