Gurgaon, India: The Indian golf industry is gearing up to ride a wave of growth.
That’s the message from the India Golf Industry Association (IGIA) as momentum builds ahead of the sixth edition of the India Golf Expo.
To be staged on April 20-21, the gathering promises to bring together the country’s golfing fraternity as well as experts from around the world to share knowledge, experiences and chart the course for the future of golf in India.
Featuring industry conferences, networking lunches and dinners and industry award ceremonies, organisers said they anticipated the attendance of 500 industry delegates and more than 2,000 walk-in visitors over the course of the two days.
An IGIA spokesperson said: “The Expo aims to bring some focus on the rapidly growing potential of the Indian golf industry and create more opportunities for the growth of Indian golf.
“India currently has over 250 golf courses, half of that number belonging to the Armed Forces. Although public courses and driving ranges are few and far between, the country has over 100,000 registered golfers.
“The golf industry in India has been steadily growing with several signature courses ranging from Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer making their presence felt.
“With India’s Gross Domestic Product poised to grow at 7% for the 2017-18 fiscal year, the golf industry is gearing up to ride the wave of growth.
“The Ministry of Tourism has included golf as a major attraction for tourism in the country with regions such as Kashmir, Delhi-NCR and Bangalore offering fabulous golf outings for visitors.
“The golf equipment market, too, has grown by 10% over the past year and is slated to continue its growth with the increase in junior golf programmes and the introduction of more people to the sport.”
For the first time, The R&A and the PGA Tour will be among the high-level organisations represented at the Expo with presentations from Dominic Wall, Director – Asia Pacific, The R&A, and Christian Hardy, Senior Director – International Business Affairs, PGA Tour.
Within the 16,000-square foot exhibition area, more than 40 leading global golfing brands will showcase their products, including Asian Golf Industry Federation Executive Members Toro, Rain Bird, Ransomes Jacobsen and John Deere.
Among participating golf course architect companies is Ernie Els Design, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
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