Golfing blues

TRAVEL: Poor infrastructure stands in the way of booming golf tourism.

Shortage of hotel rooms and exorbitant rates in India's major metros may just kill the emerging segment of tourism. Many in India have been betting big on golf tourism because of the tremendous international interest as well as growing popularity of the game within India.

The stumbling block this season is the high hotel rates in Delhi. Rishi Narain of Rishi Narain Golf Management, which organises golf tours in India, complains of a lean season.

"The turnout is very low this year. All because it is impossible to get a room," he laments. The situation, he says, is likely to be the same for the next two-three years. "The tide will only change when more rooms are added in the city."

At present, due to the high cost factor, India is losing out to countries in the region like Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai and even China. Narain, however, is optimistic about the future of golf tourism in India. He has a reason to be with many new golf courses coming up all over India.

According to Narain, three golf courses are coming up near Ahmedabad and four golf courses are in the initial stages of development on the outskirts of Bangalore . "All new courses that are being developed will be of high-quality," says Narain.

Besides these, Hyderabad will soon get an international quality 18-hole championship golf course at the Boulder Hills integrated township project, being promoted by Dubai-based Emaar. A similar project by Emaar in Mohali "" called the Mohali Hills "" will also have a golf course. Both these townships also have hotels.

Many more townships are being planned around golf courses such as the 1,500 acre Sushant Golf City by Ansal API in Lucknow with an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Martin Hawtree; the Riverdale Kinley in Goa also with a signature 18-hole championship golf course. There is a project with an 18-hole course being planned in Raipur as well.

"Most of these golf courses within larger townships will allow outsiders and tourists to use the greens as it will be a great source of revenue for them," says Narain.

God's Own Country, Kerala too is keen to tap the high-end golf tourist. The director, Kerala Tourism, B Suman informed that there are a number of golf courses being developed in the state, some by the government and some in public-private partnership.

The one in Kochi will be an 18-hole international standard golf course, which will be commissioned in mid-2008. Rs 10 crore has already been sanctioned for the project. The course is being developed on land owned by the Cochin international airport. The one in Trivandrum is being built at a cost of Rs 40-50 lakh.

There are plans for a course in the hill station of Vagamon and another one in Periyar. Some of the older golf courses in the state need a bit of tweaking. The aim is to create a golf circuit in the state, says Suman.

The ministry of tourism too is getting proactive. In the latest Incredible India campaign, CNN has produced a film on golf hosted by India's top professional golfer, Jeev Milka Singh, that was filmed at Delhi Golf Club and the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon to promote golf tourism in India.