Dubai: While outgoing chairman Sudesh Aggarwal is leaving to further his political career with the Smast Bhartiya Party back in Haryana, The India Golfers Society of the UAE (IGS) lives on under their unanimously elected successor K.J. Singh.
The mandate now, since the June 17 election, is to increase membership, level the average age of members and streamline their own inhouse handicap system in time for a new-look season for the Indian golfers — their 15th year since its formation in 1996.
As well as four domestic tournaments next season, The Indian Independence Day Cup and the Inter Society Championships (of which IGS is the defending champion), Singh also looks to expand the calendar with two more domestic events of varying score format.
Internationally IGS will also travel to play at St Andrews in Scotland next May for the fourth time in their history, thanks to a decade-long tie-up with Chivas Regal.
They will also play at the Aphrodite Hills course in Cyprus sometime in August or September. The society, made up of the new K.J. Singh-led board and consisting of Joseph Andrade, Devanand Kurup, Farad Lakadawala met on Sunday night to discuss and finalise their programme for the 2011/12 season.
Handicap system
Singh who stresses anyone can join the IGS, despite nationality or ability said: "We are bringing in our own handicap system maintained and recorded by us. Apart from the handicaps our members have with clubs we will analyse performances ourselves, raising and lowering accordingly to keep competition healthy."
Expecting an increase from 102 current members to 130, Singh not only looks to invite old hands back to the society but also take on newcomers and juniors to fuel IGS' progress from the bottom-up, that's having maintained membership at Dh750 annual with a Dh1,500 newcomers joining fee.
"Anyone from anywhere can join the IGS, it's not a matter of being Indian you just have to be a good golfer and know the basics," said Singh.
Aggarwal added: "I can say with a sense of satisfaction, if not pride, that the society today is on a solid footing, having achieved its mission of creating the right atmosphere for social and business networking."
Although not an academy but rather a "laidback and relaxed" social platform for business professionals to build relationships, the society is not entirely opposed to healthy competition and development.
The Lakadawala brothers, Bayaan and Shezad, Sidney D'Souza, Andy Andrews, Aditya Judge and Rhea Nair have all gone on to take golf seriously because of their fathers involvement with the society and in turn the organisation is working on ideas to develop the youth.
The 55-year-old Singh, in Dubai since 1991, is a cousin of India's star golfer Jeev Milka Singh. He said: "While golf is progressing well in India under various up and coming golfing talents, the IGS too is growing as a result here in the UAE. In five to ten years time Indian golfers will be on top of the world and interest in the IGS will sky-rocket as a consequence."
"If caddies can go on to become champions, you can only imagine how the sport is broadening its base there in India," Singh said.
