‘New challenges & innovations’ the central theme as 11th Golf

Golf Industry Association President Anirudha Seolekar (third from left) along with Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India, Suman Billa (third from right) pose for images with other Board Members on Day 1 of Golf & Turf Summit in Pune.

More than 40 esteemed speakers from across the globe took part in insightful panel discussions and interactive workshops attended by more than 200 delegates

Khel Today Bureau

Pune: The 11th edition of the Golf & Turf Summit commenced on Thursday here at the Oxford Golf Resort. The central theme of this year’s summit was ‘2024: Is the Golf & Turf Industry prepared for new challenges and innovations?’

Organised by the Golf Industry Association (GIA), the Golf & Turf Summit was inaugurated by Guest of Honour Suman Billa, Additional Secretary (Ministry of Tourism), Government of India. This year’s summit witnessed 40-plus esteemed speakers, comprising of renowned golf course architects, turf managers, and industry stalwarts, taking part in insightful panel discussions and interactive workshops.

GIA president Anirudha Seolekar gave the opening address & welcome by Anit Mehrotra, vice president  which was followed by keynote address from Suman Billa on the topic ‘Driving Sustainable Tourism Growth Through Golf: Policies, Strategies, and Partnerships’.

“India is the fastest growing world economy for several years now. We have been growing at 7-8% in the last 8-9 years and there is nothing in the market to believe that it will change in the next couple of years. If the economy continues to grow, tourism will also continue to grow. As aspirations rise and disposable incomes grow, there will be more people playing golf in India. There will be more golf courses and more tourists in India for the purpose of playing golf. The tourism sector’s contribution to our GDP is 5.4%. Global average is around 10%. Our target is to double this number from 5 to 10% in the next couple of years,” Suman Billa, Additional Secretary (Ministry of Tourism), said in his address.

“For that to happen several engines need to fire to make the growth significant and rapid. It can’t just be leisure tourism or business tourism. For example, in Kerala Tourism, there was just beaches, backwaters, hill stations and wellness. So, we have to identify the ones that are essential for tourism’s growth and golf tourism seems to be that vehicle that can take it forward. It brings brilliant demography of individuals to experience tourism, for example, people who come to play golf spend more and stay longer. The value of tourism is not about how many people we can attract or bring to our country but the quality of people that come,” he added.

Session was concluded with a thank you note by Deepali Shah Gandhi, Board Member, GIA.

An exclusive question and answer session was organised next with prominent golf course owners and real estate developers like Devang Shah, Managing Director of Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ashwani Khurana, Founder & CEO of Karma Lakelands, Rajesh Gurumurthy, Senior Director & Head-Strategic Consulting of JLL and Anirudha Seolekar, Chairman of Oxford Group. The session was moderated by Nandan Heblikar, Consultant of Golf Designs.

Thereafter, Andrew Harvey Johnston, General Manager of Sentosa Golf Club, gave his insights on the topic ‘Golf Course Design Trends and Sustainability, followed by Clinton Southern, Director – Construction & Agronomy of Troon International gave a power presentation on ‘Power of Communication.’

Sandra Ruttle, Real Estate and Business Planning Executive of European Tour Destinations and Jeremy Slessor, Managing Director of European Golf Design were involved in an engaging discussion on ‘Strategic Management of Golf Course Operations’, sharing their invaluable experiences.

In between the session, exclusive presentations were made by Gareth Knight, The Toro Company, Mohan Subramanian, Rain Bird Corporation, Kneale Diamond, Capillary Flow, and many other…

In the post lunch session, the Golf & Turf Summit saw some brainstorming discussions starting with ‘Enhancing Member Experience: Innovations in Club Amenities and Services.’ The panel discussion was moderated by Indraneel Mujgule, Vice President, The Poona Club Ltd.

In addition to the Sessions & presentations, an exclusive fireside chat was organised to discuss the real estate perspective. Moderated by Ravi Garyali, GIA; panellists Rohan Seolekar, CEO, OGR & Austin Roach, CMD, Clover Greens shared their views.

The session on the subject ‘Maximizing Collaboration: Forging Partnerships Between Tour Operators, Golf Courses, and Hospitality Providers’ was moderated by Karan Bindra, Founder of K&A Golf, followed by a discussion on the topic ‘Uplifting, Upgrading, and Expanding Golf Footprint in India.’

Summit concluded with the announcement of strategic collaboration between GIA and CMAA, in the august presence of Anit Mehrotra, Vice President, GIA; Bruce Williams, Visiting Professor, CMAA, Mr Seolekar, and digital presence of Brad Revill, BRT Agronomy.

On Day 2, an 18-hole golf tournament will be organised for Real Estate developers, golf course owners and senior government officials.

About Golf Industry Association

The Golf Industry Association (GIA) is a promotional body formed by Golf Industry Groups in 2011 as a non-profit organization under the Indian Trusts Act 1882. The main objective of the Association is to provide a forum to co-ordinate all key sectors of Golf Industry to grow, develop and promote the game of Golf through their respective involvement. Assist to build and promote the Indian Golf industry by supporting the activities and aims of the Indian Golf Union, the Government of India Tourism Authority and other golf related groups. The Association is responsible to provide advice to the Government on industry wise issues without interfering individual members’ relationship with specific Government agencies. Our goal is to look after the interest of all members and to strengthen the individual position of each member.