NEW DELHI:The Golf Industry Association (GIA) concluded its 7th Annual India Golf Expo in the city on 19th and 20th of April, with the primary focus of the gathering centered on raising awareness about golf among real-estate developers, tourism authorities and club managers. The two-day exposition focused on sustainability of Golf and touched upon key elements required to grow the sport in India and the world.
Once considered a sport for the elite, golf is now becoming popular among the middle class, and one sector that sees huge potential for profit from Golf is real estate. As more people are looking to buy residential units linked to a golf course because of the fabulous views of open green spaces, water bodies, flowering trees and landscaped mounds that make up a golf course, real estate developers are scouting locations across India looking at promoting high-end housing through golf.
“Five years ago, golf was considered only for the rich elite. Today it is accessible to almost everyone. There is a huge demand from urban buyers for residential complexes close to a golf course, primarily because of the prestige attached to it and also because of the green open spaces that come with it. As more golf courses come up around the country, we see the potential for a real estate boom as properties around golf courses are mostly priced at a premium. This trend could make the growth of golf in India a very profitable proposition for real estate developers,” said Rishi Narain, MD RN Sports marketing and Board Member of the Golf Industry Association.
The relationship between golf and real estate, still at a nascent stage in India, was a hot topic at the expo that was attended by 45 companies and 275 delegates, an increase over the number of participants from last year’s event. Over 50 golf clubs and 70 real estate developers participated in the event from across the country. The event included a seminar by a delegation from The R&A — The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland – the global governing body for the sport.
“It is important that the sport grows in a manner that can be efficiently maintained and furthered. There is a lot of sustainability being built into the design of golf courses including in the variety of grass that we grow, sustainability is also present in scientifically designed systems that eliminates wastage of water and promotes recycling,” said Ravi Garyali, Managing Director, Irrigation Products Intl Ltd.
India has great potential to be recognized as a global golfing destination. Not only does it have golf courses of international standards in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune, the weather here, with 324 days of bright sunshine, is a boon for the game. The Indian government has also been working in close association with private companies in different states to push golf as a tourist attraction. At present, new golf projects are being worked on in Mizoram, Naya Raipur and Hyderabad, some on the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. Various training programs for caddies and other related Golf tourism programs are also being conducted by the government.
The IGA is a non-profit industry association whose aim is to build and promote the Indian Golf Industry and has its members drawn from the golf industry, real estate, travel & tourism and urban development sectors.
The India Golf exposition comprised of a symposium, IGU turf care seminar, over 10,000 sq ft. of exhibition area, exclusive deals on equipment and apparel & industry awards and also provided ample networking opportunities over buffet lunches, industry dinners and entertainment.