By Shobha Smilemaker

Mar 22: Since 1998, Mangalureans had a wonderful golf course just 12 km away from the city at the Pilikula Golf Club off Vamanjoor in Moodushedde. In spite of having around 1000 members, till just about 3 years ago, there used to be only around 20 active golfers who would take advantage of these spectacular greens.

Golf as a sport was not really popular among most Mangalureans in those times. All this changed when in March 2022 the first golf Coaching Camp was started inside the city at Perfect Pass in Falnir by an avid golfer Gautam Padival.

His vision to spread the awareness of the sport and its benefits paid off. In the 3 camps that have been held every year, around 200 participants have been trained so far. And the number of active golfers playing at Pilikula has suddenly risen from 20 to 80 in just 3 years all due to some amount of out of box thinking!

Gautam realized that having this golf training camp on a turf 5-a-side football ground and not on a golf course or a driving range got a much better response from the general public because of its close proximity to everyone within Mangalore city. As Gautam says 'if people do not come to learn golf then I will take golf to them'.

Earlier golf training camps within the golf course would get poor response. Golf had never been taught on a football ground, but this was required to make this unique 5 phased golf training programme a success. Also these training camps were reasonably priced mainly because the ultimate goal was not to make profits but rather to train people to become golfers.

To learn the basic grip, swing and contact, the infrastructure at Perfect Pass during the 3 weeks at first 2 phases in the Falnir camp is sufficient. The participants are given personalized training with coaches like Kalappa, Bhadru and Aishwarya. Even senior golfers and Managing Committee members like Manoj Shetty, Girish Rao, Prem Fontes, and several other golfers like Keerthan Adyanthaya, Sharath Poonja and more have dedicated their time and energy to motivate and encourage the beginners. This is a true demonstration of the passion and enthusiasm for life that most golfers have!

The participants are also taken once around the Pilikula golf course and given a small brief on what golf is really all about. In the third phase, the participants get to practice at the flood lit Driving Range located at Pilikula Golf Club, Moodushedde.

In the Phase 4 the participants are taken into the golf course for coaching. By this time the thrill of playing amidst expansive greenery around the magical time of sunrise or sunset is an experience that cannot be described in mere words. And then by phase 5, the participants can purchase their own Golf kits, apply for GHIN (Handicap Certificate), become members etc.

I too attended this amazing Perfect Pass camp last year. The thrill of bettering our own strokes and competing against our own self is what makes golf a unique sport. I feel that playing golf requires a true combination of body, mind and soul and surely makes one, an all rounded balanced person, capable of dealing with life in a much better way! Besides you get to make a whole lot of like-minded friends. The amazing bonding and camaraderie among golfers is to be seen to be believed!

Due to increased participation in tournaments from 20 to 80 golfers, the number of jobs created in the vicinity has gone up significantly. Each golfer requires a caddy while he/she is playing. The fees varies from Rs.200 to Rs.500 per round which is a lucrative side job for most youngsters in and around the club.

Playing golf has also changed several people's lifestyle. Most golfers try to be focused about their game which translates to a change in better eating and sleeping habits too.

All participants from these coaching camps who have gone on to become golfers are called perfect pass golfers in jest! Students from Perfect Pass 1.0 like Prashanth Rao Aroor and Varun Rao Aroor have played in over 30 Golf courses in India and around world despite learning to play golf barely 2 years back.

The camp has coached several doctors, who manage their busy schedule and some veterans like Dr Sandeep Rai and Dr Ronald Menezes continue to play golf regularly and win prizes in tournaments. The camp has coached several participants from the neighbouring districts and some like Dr Sandeep Shenai and Subash Kamat come 3-4 times a week all the way from Udupi/Manipal to play golf and participate in tournaments. The enthusiasm and commitment of the club members is so high that some who are stationed in Bengaluru/Mumbai like Vithal Bhandary, Deepak Rai, and Brig Prabhu travel every month to Mangaluru for golf tournaments like NITTE PGL which is sponsored by golfer Vishal Hegde.

Participation in tournaments has grown by leaps and bounds on account of new players from the perfect pass coaching camp. All 4 team owners Eugene Rent, Christopher Naronha, Nitin Shetty and John Salins now have 18 golfers in each of their teams. The league is structured in such a manner that high handicappers and beginners have a role of equal importance in the outcome of every game as compared to scratch golfers like Aaron Mendonca and Jason Salins.

The club is seeing increased participation by women like Vasundhara Shetty and Sheela Shetty, Deepika Kadidal and many more. Many senior citizens in their 80s or 70s like M N Rai, Archibald Menezes, and Dr Mukund Kumble come regularly for golf. Several children like Archit Pai Kochikar and Nishanth Kulal have started playing golf at a young age.

Also the ambience of the club house, the swanky bar and the renovated restaurant add to the charm of the Pilikula Golf Club.

Calling all Mangalureans to take advantage of this annual opportunity to register and learn to play golf immediately at the Perfect Pass golf camp and later to play at wonderful golf course at Pilikula!

Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.