The Golf Industry Association (GIA) today announced the winners of the second edition of the Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards 2017, with Aditi Ashok, who finished second in the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit last year with the help of two victories, expectedly bagging the Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Player.
S.S.P Chawrasia, who successfully defended his Indian Open title earlier this year and had two victories of on tour last year when he also won his first overseas title at the Resorts World Manila Masters, bagged the Award for the Men’s Player of the Year (2016). The most cheers were however reserved for veteran golfer Ali Sher, the Delhi Golf Club caddy turned pro-golfer, who was feted for an Outstanding Playing Career.
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Ali Sher’s win in the Indian Open back in 1991, was not only the first by an Indian professional golfer, but it completely changed the paradigm of the game in the country, with many Indian golfers after him tasting international success. He won an Arjuna Award that year and then went on to win the Indian Open again in 1993.
Addressing guests on the occasion Mr. Aakash Ohri, acting president and patron of GIA said, “I congratulate all winners for their sterling effort in promoting and popularising the game of golf in their own way across the country. The GIA is committed to the development and growth of the game at all levels and we hope that this small token of appreciation goes a long way in encouraging all stakeholders to do even better going forward. Golf in India has come a long way since Ali Sher’s Indian Open win more than 25 years ago and if the growth trend continues, it will not be long before India has a major champion in Gold as well as Olympic medals.”
There were other significant Award winners as well as a total of 15 awards were presented. The city of Ahmedabad had two winners with the 1st Participant IGU Golf in School Program, which went to Apple Global School and the Best New Golf Course award, which went to Glade One Golf Course. Simran Singh, who has coached the likes of Shiv Kapur and Amitinder Singh at the Junior level and Jeev Milkha Singh, DIgraj Singh and Daniel Chopra in National camps was awarded the Pioneer in Golf Coaching award.
The GIA Awards 2017 function was the last act of day one of the sixth edition of the India Golf Expo 2017, South Asia’s largest Golf industry trade show. The day began with a panel discussion on the ‘Kashmir Model’ of promoting Golf through effective public-private partnerships. The panel consisted of Mr. Inamul Haq Keen, Incharge Engineering Department, J&K Bank; Mr. Rakesh Sharma, Managing Director, A2 Horizon and Ms. Nuzhat Gul, Secretary, Kashmir Golf Club among other.
Among the foreign guests, Stacey Walton, Director, Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand had an enthralling session on maximising profits for Golf Clubs. There was also a special panel on Growing Women’s Golf with Mr. Mike Round, Director-development, Ladies European Tour (LET), Ms.Kavita Singh, President- WGAI, Ms. Simi Mehra (pro golfer), Ms. Nandita Rao, VC-Ladies, Indian Golf Union (IGU), Ms. Champika Sayal, Secretary General, Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI) and WGAI’s Ms. Nonita Lal Qureshi.
Expert panels were also conducted on crucial issues such as water management on Golf courses as well as presentations by various government functionaries from the ministries of tourism including Mr. Naveen Raj Singh, Secretary, Tourism, Government of Karnataka, on the umbilical relationship between the growth of Golf and tourism. A daylong exhibition of various facets of golf infrastructure development, equipment and apparels were also on display at the Expo.
Complete Awards List
Award | Winner |
|---|---|
1st Participant- IGU Golf in School Program (West Zone) | Apple Global School (Ahmedabad) |
Regional Award for Golf Promotion (North Zone) | Delhi Golf Society |
Regional Award for Golf Promotion (South Zone) | Karnataka Tourism |
Regional Award for Golf Promotion (East Zone) | Meghalaya Golf Promoters’ Society |
Regional Award for Golf Promotion (East Zone) | Protouch Golf Academy |
Regional Award for Golf Promotion (West Zone) | Evolution Sport |
Regional Award for Golf Promotion | IGU West Zone |
Outstanding Achievement as a Player | Aditi Ashok |
Golf Course Restoration Award | TNGF Cosmo Golf Club |
Men’s Player of the Year (2016) | SSP Chawrasia |
Best Golf Tour Operator | My Golf Tours |
Digital initiative Award | Golfing Indian |
Best New Golf Course | Glade One Golf Course, AHmedabad |
Pioneer in Golf Coaching | Simran Singh |
Outstanding Playing Career | Ali Sher |
