Ambitious plans for golf in Vizag

Visakhapatnam:  A bright future awaits golf in Visakhapatnam. The East Point Golf Club (EPGC) has unveiled ambitious plans for 2014, including 12 high-profile tournaments, putting Vizag on the global map for golf.

Vizag is already a hub for many sports, second only to Hyderabad. The port city also boasts of better facilities than most other cities in the state. The imminent bifurcation of the state is expected turn Vizag into the golfing capital of Seemandhra. Among the tournaments scheduled for the year are the Volvo Golf Champions’ Tournament and the Inter-club Golf Tournament, among others.

“This golf course is probably the one of the biggest in the Seemandhra region,” said  M.B. Patrudu, EPGC secretary.

“The flurry of golf tournaments will give a major boost to the sport in the city, as well as the new state,” he added.

“Many tournament organisers rate Vizag higher than even Hyderabad when it comes to staging tournaments. The club has organised a few inter-club golf tournaments and corporate golf tournaments so far, in which golfers from Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru participated.  

Golf, long considered a niche sport, is fast shedding its elitist image, with quite a few youngsters from Vizag taking to the sport.  The East Point Golf Club was started in 1884, by the Raja of Vizianagaram, who was an avid golfer. The club was set up over 99 acres of land and contains an 18-hole course.