The just-concluded GKD Memorial Gold Cup all India team golf championship at the Coimbatore Golf Club (CGC) course here on Sunday brought the best out of the golfers despite some very tough condition.
It was the pretty fast greens and the tricky pin positions that posed a big challenge for most of the participants, from both in and out of the town.
The greens were playing at a speed ranging between 10.5 and 11.
Even the home golfers found it hard to come to terms with the speed of the greens. It was even worse for the outstation golfers. “They were not used to the green speed and they obviously struggled to putt on the greens and four putts were a common occurrence,” said Shyam Sunder, former CGC Golf Captain Shyam Sunder and International Rules Referee.
Most of the outstation golfers pointed out that they were surprised by the roll of the ball. “Some of them have been frequent visitors to this club and have played the greens before. But today it looked a new green for us. It was more like a carpet and was rolling pretty fast,” they said.
“It took a lot of planning for CGC members R. Gopinath and Kondaswamy Naidu to ready the greens for this special occasion. “In fact, it was a special challenge for both of us to get the greens to this kind. And, we had worked for close to two weeks. The idea is to add a new dimension to this prestigious tournament,” said Gopinath, the CGC vice-president.
“It’s easier to putt for those who have a very good touch at the greens. A good player can adjust pretty quickly,” he added. But he felt that the pin positions could have been a little easier. But Team Hurricanes, comprising V. Rajendran, Aruna Kulandaivelu, R. Balasubramaniam and S. Karthikram, managed them all to take home the ‘Cup of Joy’, the GKD Gold Cup.
The tournament, sponsored by LMW in memory of its founder G.K. Devarajulu, attracted more than 140 players, a clear sign of the event’s popularity among the lovers of the sport
Later in the day, Venkatarangappan, LMW’s past Chairman, gave away the prizes.
