SHILLONG: While sports like archery, football and boxing have gained considerable popularity in the North Eastern states over the years, golf has remained the exclusive preserve of elitists, due chiefly to the lack of facilities for common people.
With an aim to give impetus to golf as a sport in the region, Assam Rifles is organised the Amateurs Open Tournament on July 27 at their newly-developed 18-hole golf course.
The course at the Assam Rifles Environmental Park and Training Area (AREPTA) is extremely challenging at an approximate altitude of 5,600 feet and has been recently recognised by the Indian Golf Union.
The course has been developed from its nine-hole configuration to a full-fledged 18-hole course over the last year.
People from humble origins have made it big in golf, with Indian professional SSP Chowrasia rising from the position of caddy.
Up to 40 young budding golfers took part in the event from the North East, including golfers from Meghalaya.
The first ever tournament of this kind is expected to herald new opportunities for budding golfers from the region.
Such tournaments will hereafter be held regularly in order to enable participation by more and more young golfers from the North East and further popularise the sport.
Promising golfers will be imparted further training and will be sponsored at the national level.
Besides imparting impetus to the sport, the tournament is also expected to further reinforce the Assam Rifles tagline as ‘Friends of the North East Peoples’.
