Golfing paradise: Hyderabad successfully hosts 2nd season of TPGL

The second season of the Telangana Premier Golf League (TPGL) is drawing to its close on October 30.

More than 16 teams participated in the tourney which started on September 25. The teams include Sreenidhian Thunderbolts, Team Tee Off, Mahi Masters, Vardhaman Eagle Hunters, Valley Warriors, Devpixel Devils, Team Elegans, Classic Champs, Glendale Golfers, Apollo Cancer Crusaders, Team Labonel, Myk Strikers, Villagio Highlanders, Mysa, Agile's Dirty Dozen, and Klr Kings.

Eight rounds were held in three different formats over five weeks at Hyderabad Golf Club.

Launched by Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA), Telangana Premier Golf League (TPGL) was aimed to promote competitive golfing in the state.

Hyderabad Golf Association is a non-profit society formed in 1992, with the objective of building a golf course to meet international standards.

History of Golf in India

Like most other popular sports today, golf was brought to India by the British. Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the first club outside the British Isles, was founded in in 1829. The Indian Golf Union (IGU) was established in 1957 and hosted the first-ever international golf tournament in India, the Indian Open, at the Delhi Golf Club in 1964.

The world saw golf evolve from a gentlemanly game to a competitive sport many years later.

But in India, the sport did not grow as popular as cricket. It remains an elitist sport with limited and exclusive access to golf courses across the country and expensive equipment.

NewsMeter spoke to players and organizers to know why golf has remained an elitist sport in India.

"I've always enjoyed sports, but golf can be pursued for a longer period. I'll be able to play for another twenty years. I started playing during the covid lockdowns because I wanted to start some sport," said Murali Yadama, Managing Director of MYK LATICRET and sponsor of the MYK STRIKERS.

"I think accessibility is one reason. One can't play Golf in a lane. We don't have enough resources in India. But again if you see international champions in the game, they are not business people. So it is about patience and accessibility."

Sunil Chavada, sponsoring the Classic Champs team, said he has been a cricketer for fifteen years. "But after that, my body gave up. I started playing golf. Playing golf is very similar to business. It requires a lot of individual decision-making," he said.

League title sponsor and chairman of Sreenidhi educational institutes, KT Mahee, said golf is supposed to be a gentleman's sport. "Sports show a person's character. No one is watching you all the time while playing golf. So it comes down to your integrity. It tells a lot about you as a person," he said.

He said due to the lack of resources, golf has become an elite sport. "In the USA, for example, it is not an elitist game; most green zones are converted into golf courses. We need better resources and infrastructure to make the game more popular," he said

Sanjay Gaddipati Chowdhary of Valley Warriors, who's been playing the sport for 18 years, said he stumbled on golf due to his work. "That's when I went to Bangalore and trained in the game. A lot of people get into the sport at semi-retirement age. So the pace of the game is relaxing, not as physically taxing as other sports," he said.