By Rahul Banerji
Eight new golf tournaments for Indian juniors will be added in a few days time with the advent of the US Kids Golf India Tour. The first event in the programme will be played at the Classic Golf and Country Club near Manesar this Friday,
US Kids Golf bills itself as the biggest junior golf foundation in the world, and the inaugural edition of the 2018-19 India tour will be held across six cities, with three events in Delhi NCR and one each at Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Pune.
Besides the Classic course, the other venues are the Tollygunge Club (Kolkata), Eagleton Golf Resort (Bengaluru), Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club (Hyderabad), Chandigarh Golf Club and Poona Club Golf Course.
According to Rajesh Srivastava, president of US Kids Golf India, there is a need to develop junior talent in India with a fresh approch.
“With golf now being a part of the Olympics and the Asian Games, and Indian golfers doing well internationally, it is about time that we focus on the right way of developing junior golf in India,” he said.
“With this initiative, we will be putting forward a scientific approach to the development of junior golf in the right environment to ensure that our kids grow their game, while enjoying the sport and also remain free from injury and fatigue.
New focus
“One of the major focus areas will be the certification of junior golf coaches and caddies, who are the first point of contact between a junior golfer and the game, as per US Kids Golf global norms and standards.”
A statement from the promoters said US Kids Golf is recognised as a world leader in youth golf and aims to help to bring better equipment, scientifically-designed tournament play with age-appropriate yardages, and new learning and coaching resources to the table.
For over 20 years, US Kids Golf has been at the forefront of a junior golf development programme and between its divisions, has impacted over one million young players around the world, the statement added.
Age group play
The US Kids Golf India Tour 2018-19 edition will be played across age groups for boys starting from six and under up to 18 as well as girls, from age seven and under under till 18.
The kick-off is on Friday, December 7 at the Jack Nicklaus designed Classic Golf & Country Club.
The Tour will also carry ranking points, and with participation in a minimum of four events out of the eight, juniors will be able to gain qualification for the US Kids World Championship, US Kids European Championships as well as US Kids Teen World Championship.
It may be mentioned here that the Kids World Championship and Teen World Championship are held every year at Pinehurst, where tournaments like the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and US Open have been played.
Top venues
For its part, the European leg will be held at the Longniddry Golf Club, Royal Musselburgh Golf Club and Glen Golf Club in Scotland, while the boys and girls 15-18 category will take place at the Renaissance Club,where the Scottish Open 2019 as well as Ladies Scottish Open 2019 will be held.
Added Dan Van Horn, president and founder of US Kids Golf, “It is a new era that is beginning in India for junior golf.
“This effort includes not only the launch of the a nationwide tournament series but also development of kid-friendly coaching for future players of the country and an organised distribution of the right kind of equipment for young players.
“US Kids Golf is recognised as the world’s leader in youth golf (National Golf Foundation) and is proud to play a vital role in the development of golf in India for young players.”
The subsequent edition of US Kids Golf India Tour is slated to be a year-long effort, with zonal and regional tournaments, culminating in a national championship.
Schedule of US Kids Golf India Tour (Winter 2018-19):
| SN | Date | City | Venue |
| 1 | Dec. 7, 2018 | Delhi NCR | Classic Golf & Country Club |
| 2 | Jan. 3, 2019 | Kolkata | Tollygunge Club |
| 3 | Jan. 9, 2019 | Bengaluru | Eagleton Golf Resort |
| 4 | Jan. 12, 2019 | Hyderabad | Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club |
| 5 | Jan. 18, 2019 | Delhi NCR | Classic Golf & Country Club |
| 6 | Jan. 28, 2019 | Chandigarh | Chandigarh Golf Club |
| 7 | Jan. 31, 2019 | Delhi NCR | Classic Golf & Country Club |
| 8 | Feb. 6, 2019 | Pune | Poona Club Golf Course |
Also read: Asia increasingly a magnet for world professional golf
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