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The members of the Bangalore Golfers Foundation (from left to right): Agastya, Rajiv, Raman, Saravanan, Illavarasan and Jibin
When you hear the world ‘golf’, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is a bunch of filthy rich corporate honchos strolling leisurely on a lush green course, alternating between taking emphatic swings at the ball with their 9-irons and laughing indulgently at their cashmere-n-caviar jokes. What you don’t picture is a group of passionate, driven individuals squeezing every last second of their time in their bid to develop the sport and raise funds for the needy.
It’s time to change that perception. Meet N R K Raman and V Illavarasan, two of the six founders of the Bangalore Golf Foundation. The group aims to organize golf tournaments in different parts of the city, and use the proceeds for the welfare of caddies and maintenance personnel involved in the sport. It’s a noble cause alright, and one that you wouldn’t normally associate with a rich man’s game like golf. But no matter how much we enjoy stereotyping certain sports, there can always be instances every now and then that break convention and surprise us, can’t there?
What started merely as a way to enhance the fun and competitiveness quotient in their everyday golf games has now turned into something infinitely more credible. Raman admits that when he and the five other founders first started talking about the initiative around nine months ago, all they had in mind was conducting a few games of golf that had actual prize money and participation from golf enthusiasts outside their circle of friends. That changed rather quickly, though.
“We came from such different backgrounds – construction, hospitality, etc. – but we had one thing in common: love for golf. So we figured: while enjoying the competitiveness and professionalism that holding a golf tournament would bring, why not give something back to the game as well?” Raman reminisces.
Conducting city-wide golf tournaments was always high on the agenda of the group. But another thing that was always on the radar was the fact that the oft-forgotten individuals in the golfing ecosystem – the caddies and the maintenance personnel – deserved their fair share of attention too.
The number of people acting as caddies and undertaking maintenance tasks is a lot higher than you would expect. For instance, the Karnataka Golf Association course at Domlur alone employs close to 400 caddies, in addition to hundreds of gardening and course maintenance personnel. And while these people might be working in a cash-rich and glamorous industry, they are not immune to the financial problems that are currently plaguing the working class in the country.
The caddies at the Champion Reef course
With that in mind, Raman, Illavarasan and their co-founders set up the Bangalore Golfers Trust along with the umbrella foundation organization. The main purpose of this trust is providing assistance to the caddies and maintenance personnel plugging away thanklessly in the city’s golf environment. This assistance is given in the form of group medical insurance coverage, guidance counselling, free health check-ups, educational fees and scholarships, emergency financial assistance in case of accidents, and other similar methods.
How does all of this work, though? If the foundation’s golf tournament conducted recently at the Champion Reef course is anything to go by, it’s a simple matter of, not necessarily give-and-take, but more like take-enjoy-give.
The event, held on the 1st of September, attracted participation from as many as 56 golfers, which is the maximum number that the 9-hole course at Champion Reef (or any 9-hole course, really) could hold. Each of these golfers had to pay a registration fee which, along with the amount pumped in by the sponsors, made up the prize money purse.
But it wasn’t just the cash prizes that the proceeds were used for. At the end of the event, the foundation members announced that the funds raised would be used towards reimbursement of the educational expenses incurred by two girl children – one, the daughter of a caddie, and another, the daughter of a maintenance employee. This assistance would be provided until the two girls, who are both currently studying in the fifth standard, completed their 10th standard exams.
How were the two girls identified? There was a systematic process overseen by the organizers of Champion Reef, through which the people who wanted to be considered for the financial assistance sent in their applications. The applications were then carefully evaluated, and after a thorough and objective analysis, the two most deserving candidates were selected.
The Bangolfers logo
To say that the event at Champion Reef was a grand success would be an understatement. Not only did it attract a slew of big-shot sponsors – there were names like iGate, Epson, Kotak, Puma, Evergreen Golf, Mantri and Golf Studios among others who happily associated themselves with the event – but the response received from golfing enthusiasts in the city was overwhelming. Raman recounts how he kept getting calls from interested acquaintances well after the registration limit was reached, and how the whole initiative received applause from friends and strangers alike.
The events of the foundation are marketed mainly through word-of-mouth, although the members have also set up a Facebook page to promote them (which can be found here).
The members of the Bangalore Golfers Foundation, who call themselves the ‘Bangolfers’, plan to hold at least four tournaments every year on different courses of the city (the next one is tentatively planned for the 1st of December), and maybe one even outside Bangalore. When talking about courses outside Bangalore, Raman and Illavarasan can’t stop themselves from gushing dreamily about the possibility of organizing tournaments on exotic courses like that at the Oxford Club in Pune, or the ones in Srinagar and Dharamsala. You know you’re talking to really passionate golfers when they wax eloquent about golf courses like a kid would talk about an ice cream sandwich.
Organizing tournaments and providing assistance to caddies is just the start, though. The long-term vision of the Bangolfers includes promoting golfing talent at the grassroots level. “If you look at the handicaps of some of the caddies and other less-privileged amateur players around the city, you’d be amazed. If these people are given the right kind of facilities and opportunities, they can do wonders and maybe even join the professional circuit. Hopefully in the future, our foundation will be able to help these talented individuals in some capacity,” Illavarasan says.
The proceeds from the Champion Reef event being donated towards children’s education
Then there’s also the desire to see golf get rid of its niche status and become more accessible to the common public. Raman feels that if more people are given the opportunity to try their hand at golf, there’s no reason why the sport can’t join the list of the most popular sports in the country. “We plan to one day set up public golfing ranges where anyone can come, borrow a club, and play to his or her heart’s content”, says Raman.
All the founders of the Bangalore Golfers Foundation have busy corporate careers. Raman is the Chariman of Nanobi Analytics, while Illavarasan is a directer at Om Sai Intex. How do they find the time to do justice to the foundation and the trust? Both Raman and Illavarasan break into wide smiles at that question.
“There are late night calls, emails, Whatsapp messages. Weekends are used to the maximum. The bottom line is that we really enjoy all of this, so we find a way to balance our different priorities in life”, Raman chimes. Illavarasan nods fervently in agreement.
“The other members of the founding group, namely Saravanan, Rajiv, Jibin and Agastya, have also made tremendous contributions and perhaps given more personal time and efforts to get the Bangolfers initiatives off the ground and make the inaugural tournament a grand success,” adds Raman.
Organizing competitions, providing financial assistance to the needy, encouraging talented golfers, promoting the sport in the country, and all the while balancing their corporate careers and families – it seems like the Bangolfers have a LOT on their plate. But who says you can’t do it all?
The Bangalore Golfers Foundation has got off to a terrific start – there’s no doubt about that. But as Raman and Illavarasan assert, this is just that: the start. Bigger and better things are in store for the Bangolfers, so don’t be surprised if you see this initiative receiving countrywide acclaim in the years to come.
