India needs more driving ranges

SIMPLY GOLF

Golf is often described by journalists as the country's fastest growing sport. But how do they reach that conclusion? Often, by looking at the membership of golf clubs. But they probably forget that many golf club members aren't golfers.

So, who is a golfer? In the US, some outfits collecting statistics reckon that a person is a golfer if he or she plays as little as three rounds a year!

Whatever it may be, real golfing strength can only gauged if there are lots of golfers "" both professional and amateur.

One place to figure out the popularity of golf is the driving range. This is where aspiring golfers go to head to sharpen their skills. And it's not tough to understand why it's the first stop for many golfers. Golf is a time-consuming game and a full round can take over four hours.

Even nine holes can take two and a quarter hours or more. On the other hand, hitting balls at a driving range takes less than one fourth that time and can even be accommodated in the middle of a hectic week.

All over South East Asia, Japan, Europe and the US, driving ranges are hugely popular. But in India, there are hardly any driving ranges, except for those attached to the golf clubs. The lone exception is the driving range at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in South Delhi.

Ram Dayal, a professional, who runs this range under a lease from the Delhi Development Authority contends that driving ranges can be big business.

"People who don't have time for a full round prefer half-an-hour to 45 minutes at a range. You should come here in evenings when the weather is good. The wait to get a bay (from where the ball is hit) can take as much as an hour," he says.

Dayal pays about Rs 1.5 lakh every month for the rights to the range at Siri Fort. But his only source of income is the Rs 40 he charges for entry and Rs 30 for a bucket of 50 balls.

He also rents clubs at about Rs 5 to Rs 10 a piece. Plus, there is coaching, ranging between Rs 70 and Rs 250 for half-an hour, depending on the level of the coaching pro.

"Things can be made better and more money can be raised, which in turn can help to make the range better or increase the number of ranges," adds Dayal. But there are restrictions on advertising at the range "" a prime spot for equipment manufacturers.

But since ranges like the Siri Fort belong to the local government, the paper work is tedious and often the administration is not interested in the game.

Improvement at a range can be made by investing in good balls, clubs and coaches. Safety measures are equally important; The range periphery must at least have a fencing of 30-40 feet and there should be adequate parking outside. It must also be equipped with a cafeteria and a change room too.

"All this costs money, and right now, we make very little to invest in these areas," says Dayal, who also has the right to the driving range at India's only public course in New Delhi's Lado Sarai.

He also manages the range at the nine-hole course near Bhaleswa Lake in North Delhi. He runs the ranges with his two sons, Rajesh and Rakesh, who also double up as coaches.

The weekends are crowded at the Siri Fort range with as many as 100 to 150 people arriving there to play. The range could become a two-tier one to accommodate double the number of people using the facilities currently.

But for this, the fencing must be increased by another 30 feet. Considering that even a small range is about 100 metres wide and 300 metres long, the fencing will alone cost a packet. "If all the things suggested are done, it could cost as much Rs 2 crore," says Dayal.

That might sound like a lot of money but for golfers these are basic necessities. Even on hot afternoons, students, executives, embassy staff and ladies can be seen hitting up to 50 or 100 balls at a go and sweating it out to experience the high of seeing the ball soar high and land far away. That experience can be made better.