Rahul Banerji
Everything’s in full swing and there’s nowhere to go? You’re itchy but it’s too hot? Then pick up your bag and go inside.
In India, where the summer heat becomes intense, indoor golf is a concept waiting to be developed. To the south begins Golfer’s Edge Chennai, a new indoor golf center in the heart of old Madras that opened in March this year.
The center features an ultra-realistic, high-definition virtual simulator and a dedicated 170-square-foot putting turf, says GEC co-founder Bharath Arvind.
While GEC caters to golf enthusiasts in Chennai by offering a fully air-conditioned indoor facility that will allow visitors to “play” all year round, it also aspires to make learning golf affordable, accessible and fun for new players.
“GEC offers one-on-one coaching sessions, affordable membership packages, and special programs for adults and children,” emphasizes Arvind.
“The golf simulator offers training modes that reflect the real golf experience and features over 150,000 courses from around the world, including the Old Course in St. Andrews in Scotland (The Home of Golf), Pebble Beach Golf Links and Augusta National to play Na.
Wave and learn
“With a high-speed tracking camera and live analysis of every swing, chip and shot, the simulator offers a very realistic golf experience that allows you to learn and improve your game.
Arvind and co-founder Hari Natarajan are both avid golfers and sports enthusiasts who believe golf is a rapidly growing sport in India and want to bring it to a wider audience.
Arvind adds: “We have created this facility to be a relaxed, comfortable and safe environment for all visitors to experience golf in a fun and accessible way.
“We hope that perhaps one day we will create a golf champion or a top amateur who started his journey right here at GEC Chennai.”
GEC offers individual and group coaching classes for children and teenagers. GEC will soon open its first summer camp for children aged 7 to 12.
For its junior coaching and summer camp program, the company is partnering with Golphin, an award-winning Scottish company that designs and manufactures junior golf sets and will use Golphin’s proprietary MyPathway2Golf mobile app to make learning fun.
Creating opportunities
“Chennai is a sport-obsessed city, but it has limited options for anyone who wants to play or learn golf,” says Natarajan.
“With GEC, we hope to make it more accessible and affordable, and with an indoor air-conditioned facility, we hope to be able to make golf a year-round sport, even in Chennai’s hot summers.”
GEC is a brand founded by TeeTime Ventures (TTV), a sports and leisure services company based in Bangalore.
Since 2014, TTV has successfully completed over 50 golf halls and sports installations in India and Sri Lanka and cooperates with sectors such as hospitality, real estate, sports, corporations and the armed forces, among others. Golfer’s Edge Chennai is the company’s flagship experience center.
Also read: US Kids Golf India is expanding home series and hosting events across Asia
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