If you are an ardent golfer, you’ll probably find the idea of vacationing and golfing at the same time, extremely enticing. With a perfect blend of salubrious climate, invigorating natural beauty and a top-notch golf course that is on the way of a makeover, Vizag has a symphony that not many places can offer for a golf holiday. This uniqueness of the place is now being tapped to put Vizag in the top of the international golfing map.

Nestled amid lush hills with a green carpet of grass all around, the 134-year-old East Point Golf Club (EPGC) may soon be hosting international and national level golf tournaments. Plans are afoot to turn the 100-acre 18-hole golf course at Mudasarlova to category-A course. “An additional land of 12.72 acres adjoining the existing land was given to EPGC by the government recently. We are planning to redesign the golf course to category-A from its present category-B status,” says T S Varma, secretary of East Point Golf Club says.

With an aim to put Visakhapatnam on the global golf tourism map, EPGC is also in talks with AP Tourism to host a tournament for golfers from Singapore. “We have reached out to the AP Tourism Department to showcase Vizag as a golf tourism destination. There are plans to host a golf tournament for a group of 50-100 golfers from Singapore and showcase the best of AP Tourism to international travellers,” says Varma.

History

The club was started around 1884 primarily for the relaxation of the British, a purely white man’s domain. Originally, the golf course was located in the area where the VUDA Park and The Park stand today. It moved to its present location at Mudasarlova in 1964, thanks to the efforts of Raja PV Gajapathi Raju of Vizianagaram and other avid golfers then.

Over the years, with some efforts, golfing in the city received an accelerated push; as a result, today the club has 1,100 members out of which 300 are active golfers. “In today’s high work pressure life, the game is a great de-stresser and soothes your frazzled nerves,” say the golfers. On April 1, EPGC hosted its annual award ceremony ‘Captain’s Nite’. “This is one event in the calendar of the club that every golfer in the city looks forward to. Apart from a golf tournament on March 31 and April 1, the winners of the 12 tournaments held over the year were honoured and awarded on that day in front of the entire golfing fraternity,” Varma says. ‘Captain’s Nite’ saw a host of glittering events like performances by popular drummers groups and a dance group apart from other cultural events.

The game is rapidly shedding its ‘elitist’ tag and India is seen as an affordable golfing destination. “We do have a lot of potential for golf tourism in the country, though a lot needs to be done. At our East Point Golf Club, for instance, facilities like rooms for golfers to stay and convention centre are needed. But we are facing challenges with funding at present,” Varma says.

Way of life

Over the years, golfing has become a way of life for many in the city and also moved from being a man’s domain to include a vibrant team of women golfers. “I learnt the rules of golf even before I started playing as I would accompany my husband to the golf course and watch them play,” says Hajra Saleh. She was one of the first women to join EPGC back in 2003. “Those were the days when we didn’t have a practice range and the golf course was a huge patch of brown, unlike the rolling greens that exist now,” she recollects. Today, she has not only mastered the game, but also won several tournaments. Others like Sajeeda Kalagara feel that the game is therapeutic. “Just by simply looking at the golf course you feel so relaxed! You can socialise on golf courses and now we have a Whatsapp group of women golfers who meet regularly and play,” she adds.

There are many youngsters of the EPGC family who today are playing at the South Zone level. For instance, Sriya along with Prisha and Prabhav are selected to participate at the South Zone tournament of Indian Golf Union to be held shortly in Coimbatore. According to golf pundits, the game instils self-discipline, upright manners and an important set of values within children and hence is being seen as an effective way to boost emotional intelligence. “Golfing is addictive for everyone! Once you experience a day in the green grass surrounding the hills around the East Point Golf Club, it’s a feeling that is sure to linger longer than expected!” exclaims Hajra.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Society> History & Culture / by Nivedita Ganguly / April 06th, 2018