Golf tourism: A swinging good time

Traditionally, golf is a summer sport. It began in 15th-century Scotland and spread outwards, going wherever the British went and beyond. In fact, the colonialists established the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in 1829, which is not only the country’s oldest but the first ever outside Britain. Golf is still very much a spring time sport in much of Europe and North America, but as parts of Asia began promoting golf a few decades ago, it readily shrugged into the mantle of a year-round activity. And to attract avid golfers from iced-out countries, clever marketing has packaged it as a winter pastime.

COMMERCE AT PLAY

Beyond the genteelness of the game, there is hard commerce at play. So it is easy to see why India in particular and Asia in general are keen to draw golfers. Numbers are hard to verify, but it is estimated that there are over 80 million golfers throughout the world; more than a third of these in North America. When courses freeze over for months on end, a significant portion are potential customers for Asia. In comparison, India is still a nascent market—the country has between 200,000 and 400,000 registered golfers, a number that could be higher since it doesn’t take into account casual golfers. According to the R&A Global Golf Participation Report for 2023, India had 175,000 registered golfers in 2022. The global average of unregistered golfers is generally taken as five times that of registered, by that estimate, there could be one-two million golfing enthusiasts in India. Considering golf is a sport of the affluent, this is an incredibly lucrative market.

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More enticing is this: the global golf tourism market is currently estimated to be around $24 billion and is expected to grow at more than 8% annually to reach nearly $42 billion by 2030, according to a report from business consulting firm Grand View Research. There are no reliable numbers for India, but golf industry insiders agree that golfers, whether domestic or international, tend to stay longer and spend more—about 30-40% higher than the average tourist. One estimate claims, despite the numbers being very low at the moment, that inbound European golfers tend to stay around 21-30 days and spend an average of €17,000-18,000. Clearly, these numbers are not lost on the government. About a decade ago, after sustained nudging from various golfing quarters, the Union tourism ministry began evolving policies. It now strongly pushes golf tourism when it attends international travel marts. However, it is still very much a work in progress.

JAMS ON THE FAIRWAYS

There’s a niggling problem though. “We have about 240 golf courses but half or more are inside defence premises and therefore seldom accessible to the public; they definitely do not allow foreigners. Of the rest, about 35 are of international standards," says Rajan Sehgal, president of India Golf Tourism Association, adding that these are often inadequate to cater to the rising demand. “Compared to before covid, golf has grown in popularity and the number of golfers has increased by 25-30%. Across the country, weekends are full and there is no chance of getting an empty slot," he says, highlighting the gap between supply and demand.

Prestige Golfshire Club, a beautifully expansive course with a sprawling hotel adjacent to it, sits on Bengaluru’s outskirts with dramatic views of Nandi Hills towards the north. Since 2020 it has been named India’s best course during the World Golf Awards four times, and epitomises the dizzying rise of golf’s popularity. “We have about 1,200 golfers playing every week, with weekends filled to capacity. Before the pandemic it was about 550 a week," says general manager Declan McCollam, adding that the course is much sought after in the local market. Almost 85% come specifically for golf, and only 15% are on business. People spend the whole day on the course, only breaking for lunch; people travel from outside for short breaks just to play golf and the course runs on full capacity, he adds.

Golf tourism industry insiders say more than 15 new courses are currently under development across the country but estimate that at least 100 are required over the next decade to meet the burgeoning demand. Shortage of slots has, however, done nothing to stem the demand. Just the opposite, in fact. “Over the last few years, several of my friends took up golf. So I began learning earlier this year," says Neel Murthy, a senior-level techie based in Hyderabad. “Spending time on the course is quite relaxing. Most of us are far from good, but we meet more for the camaraderie. This way, I get to meet friends regularly. There is even talk of travelling to play golf," Murthy says.

TEE TIME DIVERSITY

For both domestic and international players, the country’s unique attributes are its biggest selling points. “India is the only country which can offer golf throughout the year, since there are courses across the country and it is possible to play in some part no matter what the season," Sehgal says. India can boast of not just diversity in its golf courses but also wide geographic distribution. From desert to hill station, from forested lands to seaside, from tea estates and coffee plantations to urban centres, from traditional parkland layouts to modern resort setting, there’s a golfing green.

More significantly, many are situated in picturesque locations and come with interesting antecedents. At the top of the country, sitting at the foothills of the snow-clad Zabarwan Range of the Himalaya, the Royal Spring Golf Course in Srinagar overlooks the Dal Lake and is unarguably one of the most stunning courses. Adding a bit of legacy is the pre-independence era grove of cork oaks that were imported and planted by Maharaja Hari Singh. About 50km to its west, Gulmarg Golf Club, considered to be one of the highest courses in the world, is the country’s longest course and has India’s longest hole. It was established in the late 19th century by Colonel Neville Chamberlain (not the former UK Prime Minister) who is also credited with inventing snooker while he was stationed in present-day Jabalpur.

Still staying at the Himalayan foothills, Ananda in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand has a tiny course but makes up with jaw-dropping views and indulgent spa sessions after a stint on the green. In the North-East, in Shillong and Mizoram, golf enthusiasts can get putting amidst rolling greenery supplied by tea estates, hills and valleys.

In the country’s capital region, golfers are spoilt for choice. Delhi Golf Club is a storied institution that has hosted viceroys and nawabs and is also a birdwatchers’ paradise, while the Qutab Golf Course prides itself on being the first public golf course in the country. Opulence and indulgence go hand in hand at others such as ITC Green Bharat and Jaypee Greens Golf Resort, which boast of luxurious accommodation, spa and fine-dining restaurants.

Rajasthan brings regal flavour to the greens. Jaipur’s Rambagh Golf Course is among the country’s oldest and most prestigious golf clubs, but more interestingly, it was the hunting grounds of the maharaja of Jaipur. It is set within pristine forested lands with the scenic Aravalli hills as backdrop. In Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Gulmohar Greens Golf Course is the first to build an island green while Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Course is among India’s longest and highly regarded courses.

In Maharashtra, while Mumbai has several options, the ones outside offer both lavish stay and spectacular scenery, such as Oxford Golf Resort near Pune and Amby Valley Golf Club near Lonavala, which has Swiss chalets and Spanish cottages.

Glimpses of the blue waters of the Arabian Sea make for a surreal golf session at Goa’s Lalit Golf Resort and Spa; it draws inspiration from local culture and offers baroque Portuguese-style accommodation.

Down south, Bengaluru has a number of courses inside the city and on the outskirts. Those in the rest of the state are spectacularly located, such as Mercara Downs Golf Club in Coorg situated amidst hills, valleys and coffee, and Kimmane Luxury Golf Resort set in the heart of Malnad’s green plains with the backdrop of the Western Ghats. Coimbatore, Ooty and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, and Munnar and Kochi in Kerala have glorious courses. Especially eye-catching is the Trivandrum Golf Club, dating to the 1850s, which was part of the hunting grounds of the maharaja of Travancore and the ancient red-brick hunting lodge continues to stand today.

BEYOND THE GREENS

As much as golfers can tee off against storied and scenic settings, the bigger draw is the array of things on offer. “We are a golf-plus country. We have so many things to offer in terms of culture, cuisine, places, safaris, etc.," says Arun Iyer, who heads Mumbai-based My Golf Tours which has won several “best golf tour operator" awards over the last few years.

Sehgal concurs. “In India it is not just golf, but also history, monuments, culture, shopping and cuisine," he says, describing a recent tour he organised for a group of British golfers, where they played on five courses. “It was supplemented with sightseeing in Agra and Jaipur. They also travelled a portion on Palace on Wheels. In Jaipur, they played at the beautiful Rambagh course followed by dinner. They said they had never experienced something like it," he recalls.

For context he points to the average experience in other countries: “In Thailand, Malaysia or Vietnam, they just play golf and then go to the spa or restaurant or bar. In India, we can give them so much more with golf. We are now mixing yoga also, and have started offering yoga before/after golf, which is a unique thing and people like it."

Sehgal says not only do all corporate events now mandatorily include golfing, but that it has spilled over into celebrations. “As part of destination weddings, besides sangeet, cocktails and other ceremonies, we have been getting requests for including a round of golf. Out of a group of say 200-300 wedding guests, there are 40-50 golfers who want to play. So it is now becoming a part of wedding packages," he says.

OUT AND ABOUT

As for Indians heading out on golfing holidays, that’s seen a definite uptick as well. “It’s a very conservative estimate, but we think around 6,000 Indian golfers travel out of the country every year to play and this number is growing exponentially compared to pre-covid days," says Iyer. “Depending on where they are located in the country, it is very easy to fly to Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore or Vietnam. All these countries have excellent golfing. Besides, the flight time is not much and visa procedures are easy. Between October and February, they also head to West Asia, especially Oman and Bahrain. Turkey is another popular place. Spain and Portugal are slowly emerging. The UK has been an old favourite, especially Scotland which has old and beautiful courses and can be combined with whisky tours," he adds.

Iyer says that if the spouse/family are travelling with the golfer, then the itinerary is much more varied. “There are mixed packages like golf plus cruise, where the wife can go on a shore excursion. Or like in Thailand, where we do family golf packages; the wife does a city tour with shopping and spa while the husband plays golf and they meet for dinner. On the last day, we make sure the trip ends on a high note with a yacht party," he points out. Itineraries are also designed such that the golfing session is situated either at the beginning or end of a trip, which works to everybody’s convenience.

Loveleen Multani Arun of Bengaluru-based Panache World, a boutique travel solutions company, says she is increasingly seeing people making golf a part of their itinerary when they travel abroad. “Earlier, it never occurred to people that they can play golf but now they ask if there’s a possibility and to include it. So the trip, while certainly not centred around golf, does definitely have a golf component," she says.

Arun designed two such itineraries recently for two sets of clients. “A group of three retired Air Force pilots, all golfers, and their spouses went on a 10-day trip to France. In Normandy they were keen to golf so we organised a day of golfing at the Deauville course, and for the wives, we did a walking tour of Deauville. Both were really happy. Another high-end client, an avid golfer, travelled to Ireland on holiday recently with his family and stayed outside Dublin. He and his son took a helicopter to a different course in the morning while the wife and daughter went to the spa or did other things during that time, and they all met up later," she elaborates.

Clearly, golf tourism has much going for it and fans insist the combination, of passion for the sport-plus beautiful locations and the potential to make it family-friendly, with wellness and relaxation thrown in, is a potent one. That it promises to be an economic driver is hard to discount. India has a long way to go to compete in the region, leave alone the global stage. Thailand saw the writing on the green and began promoting more than two decades ago; even Vietnam is ahead. But India has a big advantage: sheer numbers of potential golfers as percentage of the population. Till the infrastructure evolves to draw international players, domestic players are bound to impact the bottom line.

Anita Rao Kashi is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru.

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