Army Golf Course Bangalore - Thoughts

Some thoughts and suggestions for the ASC Golf Course, Bangalore.

I have been fortunate to experience the kind hospitality of many different golf clubs and top class golf courses around the Globe by virtue of my IGU membership and of course, as a keen traveller, golfer and hobbyist golf writer.

Several friends of mine and I play golf regularly at the ASC Golf Course in Bangalore and indeed, have been playing here over the last few years with a great deal of enjoyment. IGU members have access to this course and are able to play here by paying the applicable Green Fees and of course the relevant Caddy fees etc.

Indeed, in my memory of the ASC golf course, unlike the BGC and KGA (which are also far more crowded), there has always been much gentlemanly camaraderie and give and take here between various groups of golfers in terms of courteously letting faster groups through, accommodating other keen golfers who may not sometimes have a regular playing partner with them or those golfers who have been stood up by their partners or what have you!

Indeed, it is to be commended and appreciated that, albeit in an unspoken, un-stated manner, the ASC course has always visibly had many of the old value systems stay very easily in place, a fact largely due to the decorous Army culture.

Now the Green fees charged by ASC have gone up by over 60% in one fell swoop a couple of months ago. I may mention that one is yet frankly to really see any real and tangible results at the course since this raise, given the standard of maintenance of this course and the facilities provided there at the moment. However, given today’s economic situation and the relative value of the rupee, no one grudges this at all, even remotely. Indeed, like is the norm all over the World, most of the IGU golfers playing here even tip the poor ASC caddies a bit over the norm as a simple gesture of appreciation and gratitude for what can be a rather trying job (for the caddies of course)!

As a regular golfer on this course, I would definitely consider myself amongst its more outspoken well-wishers and would therefore like to suggest certain small pointers which could be taken into account to ensure that those who use this course continue to enjoy it and at the same time, with the growing popularity of this game, more people take it up.

The Turf cut from the KGA whose course is undergoing a major overhaul has been brought in (donated by KGA) to the ASC. However, this turf has been placed all over the ASC course in a rather haphazard and unscientific manner without even the benefit of the staff having prepared the ground adequately to accept new turf. This fact, combined with the complete lack of water resources in this dry season, will seal the NON - SURVIVAL of this turf, as anyone with common sense will be able to see!
Ideally, in this season, the turf should be carefully nurtured in a typical plantation -type hessian covered nursery, so as to ensure diffused, controlled, indirect sunlight. The turf should be watered frequently to ensure its preservation, till the root formation process takes place. In tandem, the course should be prepared by digging wherever required and placing proper growth promoters and fertile soil.
The actual placement of the strips of turf should be planned properly at the right places on the fairways, where a well hit ball is likely to land, in order to ensure the proper and valuable deployment of this excellent turf!
Similar to the other good clubs, the ASC could have a simple caddy line up (looper) system with a caddy master cum starter, who completely controls the movements of all the caddies.
At the moment, I’m sure a lot of people will agree that it is rather haphazard and unlike anywhere else, it is not on a first come first served basis; indeed the caddies run rapidly after those golfers from whom they think they will gain most by way of tips! While at the caddie’s level, tips are all important, this “running after tips” is a fact which can get rather irritating for the Senior Serving Officer Golfers who play here regularly, as also for the equally important Early Bird Golfers, who are forced to wait for no fault of theirs! After all, time is a valuable commodity in today’s world and must definitely be respected.
A way around this could be that Caddy Fees at acceptable levels for a 9 hole round or 18 hole round as applicable, are collected at the start along with the Green Fees and paid to the caddies at the end of the round by the starter.
In addition, there could be a simple caddy welfare drop box introduced, to which golfers are encouraged to contribute a “little something” over and above the regular caddy fees and whose contents are shared between all those caddies on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

The manners of the starter and some of the full and regular members, sometimes leaves much to be desired, as also the etiquette of some of our playing compatriots. Just imagine our chagrin when recently, some of us were told by the starter at ASC (who indeed is NOT the regular starter), that any “Guests” including all IGU members and “suchlike” would only be allowed on the course at a time suitable to the ASC management and full members, when until now, it has been on a purely first come -first served basis, which system has worked quite well. Bearing what I have said above in mind, this state of affairs seems rather ironic, especially considering that the current President of IGU is General J.J. Singh, the Chief of Army Staff!

Let it be quite clear that those who do play at ASC either play as full and regular members, OR, via their IGU memberships by paying the normal green fees. It is a documented fact that as per the rules and bye-law’s of IGU, those members who have paid green fees and registered for a round at any of the IGU affiliated clubs, are deemed to be and considered as full-fledged members of the club for the duration of the round and thus, entitled to the use of all the normal club facilities during that time.

Thus, it would be quite fair and correct to state that the ASC Course and its full and regular members are really not doing the IGU members any great favour by allowing them to use the course – it is a simple commercial transaction which most definitely benefits the course considerably in terms of revenue gains, word of mouth publicity and is a working system which has hitherto been handled in a decent and gentlemanly manner as befitting the ideals of Golf, the “Gentleman’s Game”! After all, it is the people frequenting it that make or break any place!

Of course, it goes without saying that the rules, regulations, decorum, manners and other etiquette of the game, the club and the course need to be adhered to, which I am sure everyone would be happy to follow.

It would genuinely be nice if the ASC Golf Authorities would please take these views into account so as to enable the continued conviviality of this game and an enjoyable atmosphere at the Army Golf Course for all the regular golfers there!