The Delhi Golf Club League will be played at the par-72 Delhi Golf Club from October 14-31, 2021. The DGC League, powered by Vredestein Tyres, will feature 18 teams locking horns for supremacy. Each team comprises 18 players supported by one Mentor and one Coach. The tournament will be played on a four ball better ball Matchplay Format.
“DGC as an Institution has given India 14 Arjuna Awardees in Golf and numerous champions, something we are proud of. This legacy and vision to continue nurturing champions drives us to create and support events which enable talent development and the DGC League is a step in that direction” was President DGC Mr Manjit Singh’s message to the media during the Press Meeting held on the 29th of Sept 2021 to announce the league.
“Golf Leagues have been conducted successfully at leading clubs in India and we have taken into account best practices to create a structure which will help the entire golfing ecosystem. The mentoring programme of the league has some of the Finest Golfers in India sharing their knowledge and expertise with all the members, a fantastic learning opportunity for the members, especially the Juniors” said the Captain of DGC, Maj Gen AP Dere (Retd) during the meeting.
“For a golf club, it is essential to have both competitive spirit and camaraderie amongst the members. The DGC League has several strong elements which bind the community together and we are already seeing that happen” said Lt Gen Balbir Sandhu, Chairman of the Tournament Committee and the driving force behind the League.
The League was on the drawing boards for some time after Vishal Chawla, a passionate golfer and coach, suggested it to the DGC after witnessing the huge success of the league at RCGC. The committee embraced the idea, developed it further and after diligent process which involved assessing offers and presentations from leading event companies, assigned the mandate to market and conduct it to Vishal’s company – Gran Canaria. By then Vishal also tied up with Digraj Golf Inc to help him conduct it.
Some of the biggest names in the golfing world, who have honed their skills at the Delhi Golf Club, are involved with the League at different levels as mentors, owners and players. Prominent names include four Arjuna Award winners namely Shiv Kapur, Ali Sher, Nonita Lal Qureshi and Amit Luthra. Stalwarts such as Gaurav Ghei – the first ever Indian golfer to qualify for the Open Championship ’97; Vivek Bhandari – winner of the Honda-Siel PGA Championship ’97; Arjun Singh – winner of the Wills Masters ’98; Asian Tour regulars – Chirag Kumar, Naman Dawar and Amandeep Johl; leading Ladies Tour professionals Meher Atwal and Ayesha Kapur, top ladies Amateur golfer Gauri Monga and top National coaches – Brandon de Souza, Jasjit Singh and Ajai Gupta, amongst others. Arvind Khanna, who catalysed the growth of Professional Golf in India through his marketing and management of the initial PGA of India golf Tour is one of the Team owners. And while some of them are participants as well, other prominent names included in the field are names like Cricketing Legend Kapil Dev, Asian Gold Medalist Rishi Narain, Five times National Champions Ashok Malik and many more such inspiring individuals. All passionate golfers, they are all collectively adding tremendous value to the golfing ecosystem at DGC and nurturing it beautifully.
“I have been a product of the DGC system and feel very privileged to have had an opportunity to learn my golf here. And now this opportunity to give back to the club, its members and juniors some of the knowledge I have gained over the years” said Gaurav Ghei during the press meet. Incidentally Gaurav is also remembered for taking the golfing world by storm with his chip-in victory in the Gadgil Western Masters in 1995.
The League will be played in two stages – a Round Robin stage followed by a Knock-out stage. During each playoff match between two teams, each team will field 7 pairs (14 players). One pair from each team will play against a pair from the other team in a four ball better ball Matchplay format with all the players playing off 75% of their original handicaps. The teams will get points for their wins. For the Round Robin stage, the 18 teams have been divided into 4 groups, with top two teams from each group qualifying for the Knock out stage, starting with the Quarter-finals. The Finals will be played on the 31st of Oct 2021.
Strict COVID protocols will be followed during the conduct of the event and golf allows for that.
The 18 teams competing in the League are: ‘The A-Team’, ‘Sterling Swingers’, ‘Baale Golf’, Eagles & Birdies’, ‘K Devils’, ‘SwingKKings’, ‘Shiva Motocorp. Land Rover’, Bajaj Foundation’, Tee Birds’, The Pioneers’, ‘Ocean’s 20′, Team Coca-Cola’ ’24 Lions’, ‘TEEm EDC”, Athletic Drive’, ‘BMW-Deutchemotoren’, ‘Delhi Tigers’ and ‘Radvin Birdie Machine’.
The list of Central Sponsors for the event include Vredestein Tyres who wear the hat of presenting sponsors; Shiva Motocorp. Land Rover, Krisumi, Grant Thornton, Three Sixty, Concor, Athletic Drive, Rezon, Ravissant, Johnnie Walker – The Journey, Golf Plus, Oakley, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Pashmkaar and Nine are wonderful partners for the event and have supported the event in several innovative ways.
