Graham said, \u201cWell first and foremost the role of the R&A from the development side is to support our affiliates across the 145 countries. And obviously, I\u2019m very fortunate to look after the Middle East and India. India, given the size of the country, has a lot of opportunities. We believe it\u2019s very important that we support the Indian Golf Union in its initiatives and programmes to develop golf. And that\u2019s not just about high performance, that\u2019s looking from grassroots and upwards to that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Echoing the sentiments of Graham, Ng said, \u201cIndia is definitely one of our key focus markets for innovation, especially in the future. And hence, that's the reason why we actually hosted the strategy workshop with the IGU this week. I think we had a full day where we actually hosted the council members, coming in together to brainstorm the pathways for Indian golf in the near and far future.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I think the future is bright for Indian golf because there are a lot of passionate individuals within the council. Of course, there are always more problems to be solved, but I think that's why people are there. I think having a strategic plan paves the way forward for any successful organisation, I think that's what we'll see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brijinder Singh, President of the IGU, is very satisfied with the support and interest that R&A is showing in India.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn any new marriage, both sides need to understand each other. So we've been very happy with the relationship we share with the R&A. Neal (Graham) has been very supportive and has been guiding us with the best practices that have been practiced around the world. They took up this opportunity to come to India, they hosted our entire council, and we had a full-day brainstorming session.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"They invested their time and organised this conference. We understood a lot of things we did not think about, and after this brainstorming session, a lot of notebooks have been filled. We will use all the good information that we have received. We look forward to R&A\u2019s continued support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThese gentlemen bring a world of experience, and the very fact that they are concerned, they come to us, they share with us, they share our concerns about growing golf in India. I think that the biggest learning for us has been from their presence more than anything else,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Graham further felt there was a need to make golf more appealing and added, \u201cFirst of all, we have to understand what people are saying, whether it\u2019s within the golf circles or the stakeholders. We have to understand what their needs are. It's important that we look at improving the perception of the game of golf. We understand that here in India, cricket is the No. 1 sport, it takes up a lot of time and it takes up a lot of potential opportunities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"But we work very closely with the international federations to change the perception of the game, to make it more attractive. We are aware that golf takes a long time to play \u2013 4 to 5 hours. We do quite a bit of short course formats of the game to make it more appealing, more accessible as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe R&A is supporting what the IGU needs. We\u2019re very keen to help and assist them in building that pathway from grassroots all the way through to high performance. That is our No. 1 objective to help and support.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs I said earlier, there is a great opportunity. There is a huge population. I think there is, what has been pleasing to see, there is a great willingness to promote the game across the country, whether it\u2019s through the IGU, the state golf associations, and other state clubs. So that\u2019s a real positive, that there is a willingness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The R&A plans to make regular visits to India and not just monitor the progress but also help in setting up future projects, especially at the junior level.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/03\/indias-golf-potential-encourages-ra-to-lend-full-support-to-igu-for-development.JPG", "alt_img": "India\u2019s golf potential encourages R&A to lend full support to IGU for development", "alt_title": "India\u2019s golf potential encourages R&A to lend full support to IGU for development", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "India\u2019s Golf Potential Encourages R&A To Lend Full Support To IGU For Development On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "India\u2019s Golf Potential Encourages R&A To Lend Full Support To IGU For Development, Indian Golf Union: Indian golf\u2019s growing status and the potential it holds got a resounding thumbs up from the golf\u2019s.", "seo_keywords": "Middle East, Neal Graham, Indian Golf Union, Brijinder Singh, Bibhuti Bhushan, Indian Open, Ancient Golf Club, St Andrew, Development Manager, Jerome Ng, Regional Director", "tag": "", "tagging": "Middle East, Neal Graham, Indian Golf Union, Brijinder Singh, Bibhuti Bhushan, Indian Open, Ancient Golf Club, St Andrew, Development Manager, Jerome Ng, Regional Director", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "indias-golf-potential-encourages-ra-to-lend-full-support-to-igu-for-development", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "1046", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2024-03-28 19:46:03", "updated": "2024-03-28 19:46:03", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Middle East, Neal Graham, Indian Golf Union, Brijinder Singh, Bibhuti Bhushan, Indian Open, Ancient Golf Club, St Andrew, Development Manager, Jerome Ng, Regional Director", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-03-28 19:46:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/indias-golf-potential-encourages-ra-to-lend-full-support-to-igu-for-development-141339" }