It started as a means to augment family income. Then, 13, Akshay Sharma’s first earning from the Chandigarh Golf Course was ₹25. Fast forward to October 2020: Sharma, 30, now a professional golfer, bought a two-storey 180 square yard house at Nayagaon near Chandigarh for his family last week.
A family of six, including four siblings, living in a one-room rented accommodation has moved to its own six-room house making Sharma the latest success story among those who started as caddies and became professional golfers.
“My life revolves around the 18-hole golf course. First, it was the job of the caddie to earn a pocket money and contribute in my family’s meagre income and now I play golf to provide a decent lifestyle to my family,” says Sharma, whose highest four-day earning is ₹8.08 lakh from winning QA InfoTech Open in 2018 held in Noida.
“In my previous locality, Kishangarh, which is close to the golf course, many school-going kids doubled as caddie to earn money. So, looking into the financial condition of my family, I started taking up the caddie job on weekends. But more visits to the golf course mean more money, so gradually weekends turned into a daily affair and I started bunking school. Eventually, the course became my classroom,” adds Sharma, who quit academics after Class 12.
Sharma turned professional in 2010 and since 2015 he has got the full card to play the entire season on the Indian tour. “The day I turned pro, my ultimate target was to have my own house. It took me almost 10 years to realise my dream. Now, as I am free from my biggest responsibility, my next target is to save money to play on the Asian Tour. Hopefully, by next two seasons I will able to have a decent savings, so in case I don’t get a travel sponsor, I will able to invest funds from my own pocket,” says Sharma, whose career earning is ₹65 lakh, of which ₹32 lakh was won over the past two years.
{{/usCountry}}Sharma turned professional in 2010 and since 2015 he has got the full card to play the entire season on the Indian tour. “The day I turned pro, my ultimate target was to have my own house. It took me almost 10 years to realise my dream. Now, as I am free from my biggest responsibility, my next target is to save money to play on the Asian Tour. Hopefully, by next two seasons I will able to have a decent savings, so in case I don’t get a travel sponsor, I will able to invest funds from my own pocket,” says Sharma, whose career earning is ₹65 lakh, of which ₹32 lakh was won over the past two years.
{{/usCountry}}“Over the years, I have realised that if I have to play big golf then, initially, I have to invest money in the sport.”
Days of struggle
After two years of caddying, Sharma bought two second hand clubs (7 Iron and Sandwich) for ₹500 each. As he was not eligible to use the course, Sharma honed golfing skills in the ground at Saketri, near the course so after his caddy work.
“To have a personal golf set was one of the requirements to get permission to use the golfing facility on the course, so for almost two years I saved the money and bought my first set. It was second-hand and cost me ₹8,000,” he says.
For the first five-six years, Sharma would travel by train, look for cheapest lodges and share rooms with caddies accompanying other pros. “In the initial years of turning pro, I had limited earnings. So my main focus was to save as much money as I can. Gradually, things started improving on both personal and professional fronts and since 2017, I am able to afford traveling by air and staying in decent hotels. For the last two years, I have been able to take my caddy Monty Kumar (from Delhi) on in the Indian circuit,” says Sharma.
Back on Tour
Next month, the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) will resume after the lockdown in March to combat Covid-19. There will be tournaments in Panchkula and Chandigarh in successive weeks beginning on November 4 and November 9. Sharma along with other caddy-turn pros are eagerly waiting for them. “Covid has been tough for professional golfers. I played the last tournament in February. I had some savings but now it is almost exhausted. So, we all are hoping for a good show in the events.”
“The good thing is that the pro circuit is starting from Chandigarh-Panchkula, so we don’t have to pitch in money for travelling. Playing on the home course will be an added advantage.”