The revamped nine at Qutab GC and a chance encounter

By Rahul Banerji

The Qutab Golf Course is crowded. We are there to get a feel of the recently re-opened  front nine holes and the wait to get to Tee One is long.

The morning is chilly and as the waiting list continues to grow, a cup of tea beckons. Chitchat, shadow swinging et all done, there’s still time to kill so one ventures forth to check out the new clubhouse.

In an area chock-a-block with classical medieval architecture, the structure sticks out. There has been no attempt to integrate it into the landscape or the history and heritage of the vicinity. The building is a transplanted Lego block. No more, no less.

Still and all, we finally hit off. By and large the layout and hole distribution is unchanged but for the old second hole that has been turned from a longish oar-3 to a dogleg, short par-4.

Adding a bit of spice is a large water body that straddles the first and second fairways.

More contouring

The rest of the course flows on in sequence with the only noticeable change being much more contouring on the fairways that provide something of a test. The re-laid greens too are more undulating, so keep your putter warm.

By the way, the course is back to being nine holes only as the back nine has already been shut. Waterworks and associated machinery are already being dug out and the greens have had the pipes dug out from underneath.

The front nine took over three years to complete so it’s anyone’s guess how long it will be before all 18 holes are available at the QGC once again.

Well met

Early into our second nine, we run into a strapping young man. He’s one his own, dumped by a partner who wanted to finish in a hurry, and joined the group ahead. It turns out to be a meeting well made.

Savdeep Kadiyan will turn 13 in December 4. He’s already close to six feet tall and has a swing that could have come out of the copybook.

Stance, grip, trunk and shoulder synchronization are so good that even at his age Savdeep is hitting the ball a long way,

His father Deepak is caddying, and I ask about Savdeep’s progress and how he has been doing in age group tournaments.

“He’s not played too many yet,” Deepak says. “For one, it is a little early and also, I can’t afford to take him to too many tournaments played outside Delhi and the NCR region, to be honest.

Deepak is a fitness instructor and yoga teacher, living in nearby Madangir. Why golf, I ask Deepak,

Own choice

“From very early, I wanted Savdeep to play a sport,” says Deepak. “So I took him to various venues around Delhi, tried out different games and he liked golf the most. So we decided to get him into the sport in whatever way possible given our resources.”

Savdeep, a Class 8 student of Birla Vidya Niketan in Pushp Vihar, has trained under QGC’s range coaches Rakesh and Rajesh Kumar and his father is hopeful of getting him into the Delhi Golf Club’s Strive for Excellence programme.

“Something like that would be of great help. If he gets through into one of these coaching schemes it may help us as well because we have been managing with old sets and even old balls as and when someone comes forward,” Deepak says.

The young man is also aware but unfussed by the limitations that are part of his life. “I’ve played when we have tournaments close by. Anyway, I like playing with old golf balls. They are more experienced,” he says without a trace of irony.

A grounded, level-headed young fellow. At age almost 13.

Also read: Junior golf programmes tend to skim the cream of talent