NEWS FROM NEPAL

By Sachin Prasad Bhattarai

Greetings from Nepal. Over the years, the Royal Nepal Golf Club has been dedicated to nurturing junior golf talent. Through a series of tournaments and programs, the club has identified and developed several promising young golfers. I have been entrusted with leading the junior development camp at RNGC due to my experience analyzing and practicing techniques, particularly during my visit to the United States.

Upon my return from participating in the U.S. Golf Teachers Cup, I actively engaged in various golf activities and tournaments. I noticed that the traditional format of junior tournaments, involving chipping, putting, and longest drive, lacked efficiency, having been unchanged for many years. During my time in the U.S., I observed how juniors were taught and how newcomer tournaments were organized, which inspired me to rethink our approach.

Additionally, the GYAN Foundation hosts annual junior tournaments, for which I was tasked with tournament management. I introduced a new format where junior golfers aged 8 and below played a nine-hole round from shorter distances, while those above 8 played from regular junior tee boxes. This innovative approach generated excitement among junior golfers and diversified our tournament categories, resulting in a successful event with 75 participants, including juniors and ladies.

The support of RNGC’s president, captain and development committee has been crucial in implementing these progressive programs and ideas over the years. Recognizing that golf is not widely popular outside the capital city of Nepal, I initiated efforts to promote the sport nationwide. I began by providing basic information about golf through national television broadcasts. These videos, presented in Nepalese, cover fundamental aspects of the game, including rules, techniques and equipment, making golf more accessible and understandable to the Nepalese audience.

The following contains the coverage of golf on national television:

Basic Knowledge of Golf For Begineers | SPORTS INFO | 2081-01-07 (youtube.com)
Uses of 14 Golf Clubs | SPORTS INFO | 2081-01-21 (youtube.com)