The government once announced that golf should be accessible to everyone at a nominal fee of Rs 100. This announcement was met with great excitement. However, just 12 days later, while people were still awaiting details on how to access the golf course, the government abrogated Article 370, shutting down communications and closing streets, effectively preventing any interaction.
The "Golf for All" announcement was made just before the abrogation of Article 370, and in the five years since, it has faded from memory. The promise of affordable golf has not materialised, just as the promises of statehood for Jammu & Kashmir and imminent Assembly elections remain unfulfilled.
Currently, membership fees at the Royal Springs Golf Course run into lakhs, and the Kashmir Golf Club, which recently opened memberships at Rs 40,000 per year or Rs 25,000 for six months, might have since closed its doors.
The golf story in Kashmir began on July 25, 2019, and perhaps ended the same day. On that date, the then Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam chaired a meeting announcing plans to make golf more popular. The meeting included senior officers from the Tourism Department, the Secretary of Kashmir Golf Club, J&K Bank representatives, and elected members of the Kashmir Golf Club.
The Chief Secretary's statement emphasised the need to allocate one of Srinagar's two golf courses for local youth and school children. This was intended to help channel their energies positively and aid in personal development. The Kashmir Golf Club was to be designated for this purpose, and applications for new memberships were to be invited from August 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019, with a nominal fee of Rs 100 per month and no entrance fee.
This announcement sparked excitement and was widely covered in the media. However, some editorials criticised the decision, suggesting it would turn the historic course into an amusement park rather than a venue for serious golf.
Social media reactions varied, with some labelling it as discriminatory towards Jammu and Ladakh youth, while others welcomed the move.
The day after the announcement, an official described it as a “historical decision”. Whether people ever gained access to the golf club or not, the excitement generated by the announcement highlighted how government proclamations can capture public imagination.
On August 5, 2019, amid a communication blackout and a sweeping crackdown, the government abrogated Article 370. The promise of affordable golf was overshadowed by political upheaval, and whether the Secretary of Kashmir Golf Club submitted the proposals for a golf academy remains unknown.
In retrospect, the "Golf for Rs 100" offer, which never came to fruition, remains a curious footnote in the broader narrative of political promises and their often fleeting impact.
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