From the manicured greens of country clubs to a rugged, open plot in Ahmedabad’s Shahibaug area, golf has found an unlikely home.
In Sadar Bajar Basti, a nondescript locality, young residents rattle off the names of various kinds of golf clubs such as woods, irons, wedges and putters with the ease of seasoned players.
Their “golf course” is a stark contrast to traditional links: a small, uneven plot adjoining the basti dotted with weeds and scattered litter, where a two-inch hole in the ground serves as their cup. Yet this humble patch of earth has changed their lives.
What began as casual ball-collecting has evolved into an interesting story of opportunity. The transformation started 15 years ago, when army officers at the Shahibaug cantonment called over a few young boys from the settlement located across the road to help them out with fetching balls at the golf course there.
“We used to watch the sahebs play golf in the cantonment. Over time, all of us learned the intricacies of the game like the scoring pattern, the different kinds of clubs used for different shots and the like,” said Amit Dataniya, 23.
200 caddies have been
part of golf tournaments
So far, the seemingly obscure settlement has produced about 200 caddies, with about 50 of them regularly working at various golf tournaments. Many of them caddie for the rich and influential, who tee off at the clubs that have come up in Ahmedabad over the past few years.
“At least 200 of us have worked as caddies in several tournaments that are played at the golf courses in Ahmedabad. We are even called every weekend to the golf clubs,” said 31-year-old Dhaval Parmar, who started his caddie career by helping fetch balls for army officers at the golf course located opposite Sadar Bajar.
Another caddie, Rahul Yadav, said that when tournaments are held, they get paid up to Rs 2,000 a day along with other perks, while on weekends, they get about Rs 600 per day.
‘We are teammates
to players’
“During tournaments, they rely on our knowledge of the features of the golf course and factors like gradients. We are more than caddies to them; we are their teammates,” he proudly said.
On a typical weekend and during tournaments, the day begins early for caddies.
They reach the designated golf course on their motorcycles. “Top functionaries of companies and others prefer playing golf in the first half of the day. We generally get free by noon. When tournaments are on, the game is played until sunset,” said Ronal Vaghela, 20.
Beyond carrying clubs, many harbour professional aspirations. “With proper coaching, we could compete at the national level,” says 18-year-old Vedant Dataniya, practising with clubs gifted by army officers and regular players.
Caddying for cricketers
They also have fond memories of being caddies to some cricketers. “We have been caddies to players like Matthew Wade, Kane Williamson, David Miller and Ashish Nehra and even clicked pictures with them during IPL matches,” said Dhaval Parmar.
While caddie tournaments have been held regularly in cities like Chandigarh, Dibrugarh, Pahalgam, Mumbai and Jaipur, Ahmedabad has also hosted five or six caddie tournaments. However, victory has eluded Sadar Bajar caddies so far.
“None of us is a professional caddie. We do not have facilities to practise the game every day. Without regular access to proper courses, winning is tough,” said Dhaval Parmar.
‘Need good facilities to
nurture talent’
Bhavesh Parmar, 26, has competed in five caddie tournaments, two in Jaipur and one each in Ahmedabad, Pune and Lonavala. “I have not been able to win so far because we do not have proper practice facilities.”
Meanwhile, Gopal Rana, 24, recently placed seventh in a tournament organised by professional golfer Anirban Lahiri.
“We play golf with the equipment the players have gifted us. The talent is here, but we need the facilities to nurture it. If that is taken care of, we too can win tournaments,” Rana said.
In Sadar Bajar Basti, a nondescript locality, young residents rattle off the names of various kinds of golf clubs such as woods, irons, wedges and putters with the ease of seasoned players.
Their “golf course” is a stark contrast to traditional links: a small, uneven plot adjoining the basti dotted with weeds and scattered litter, where a two-inch hole in the ground serves as their cup. Yet this humble patch of earth has changed their lives.
What began as casual ball-collecting has evolved into an interesting story of opportunity. The transformation started 15 years ago, when army officers at the Shahibaug cantonment called over a few young boys from the settlement located across the road to help them out with fetching balls at the golf course there.
“We used to watch the sahebs play golf in the cantonment. Over time, all of us learned the intricacies of the game like the scoring pattern, the different kinds of clubs used for different shots and the like,” said Amit Dataniya, 23.
200 caddies have been
part of golf tournaments
So far, the seemingly obscure settlement has produced about 200 caddies, with about 50 of them regularly working at various golf tournaments. Many of them caddie for the rich and influential, who tee off at the clubs that have come up in Ahmedabad over the past few years.
“At least 200 of us have worked as caddies in several tournaments that are played at the golf courses in Ahmedabad. We are even called every weekend to the golf clubs,” said 31-year-old Dhaval Parmar, who started his caddie career by helping fetch balls for army officers at the golf course located opposite Sadar Bajar.
Another caddie, Rahul Yadav, said that when tournaments are held, they get paid up to Rs 2,000 a day along with other perks, while on weekends, they get about Rs 600 per day.
‘We are teammates
to players’
“During tournaments, they rely on our knowledge of the features of the golf course and factors like gradients. We are more than caddies to them; we are their teammates,” he proudly said.
On a typical weekend and during tournaments, the day begins early for caddies.
They reach the designated golf course on their motorcycles. “Top functionaries of companies and others prefer playing golf in the first half of the day. We generally get free by noon. When tournaments are on, the game is played until sunset,” said Ronal Vaghela, 20.
Beyond carrying clubs, many harbour professional aspirations. “With proper coaching, we could compete at the national level,” says 18-year-old Vedant Dataniya, practising with clubs gifted by army officers and regular players.
Caddying for cricketers
They also have fond memories of being caddies to some cricketers. “We have been caddies to players like Matthew Wade, Kane Williamson, David Miller and Ashish Nehra and even clicked pictures with them during IPL matches,” said Dhaval Parmar.
While caddie tournaments have been held regularly in cities like Chandigarh, Dibrugarh, Pahalgam, Mumbai and Jaipur, Ahmedabad has also hosted five or six caddie tournaments. However, victory has eluded Sadar Bajar caddies so far.
“None of us is a professional caddie. We do not have facilities to practise the game every day. Without regular access to proper courses, winning is tough,” said Dhaval Parmar.
‘Need good facilities to
nurture talent’
Bhavesh Parmar, 26, has competed in five caddie tournaments, two in Jaipur and one each in Ahmedabad, Pune and Lonavala. “I have not been able to win so far because we do not have proper practice facilities.”
Meanwhile, Gopal Rana, 24, recently placed seventh in a tournament organised by professional golfer Anirban Lahiri.
“We play golf with the equipment the players have gifted us. The talent is here, but we need the facilities to nurture it. If that is taken care of, we too can win tournaments,” Rana said.