Sportstar Open and MGC partnership has been win-win: MGC golf captain P. S. Jagdish

The two-day 36th Sportstar Open will begin on Saturday (August 26) at the Madras Gymkhana golf course.

Madras Gymkhana golf course in Guindy. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The 146-year-old Madras Gymkhana golf course in Guindy is greener than ever before. The fairways are neatly mown, the putting greens appear luscious.

Of course, this has not happened in a day or two. It has been the undying efforts of key members of MGC for a year or so to ensure MGC remains one of the most well-maintained courses that is loved by golfers, young and old alike.

When the two-day 36th Sportstar Open begins on Saturday (Aug. 26) at the MGC course, it will be a treat for the players, but one that will be challenging too.

“The partnership between Sportstar and MGC has been ‘win-win’. We have received nearly 100 entries. It is one of the most sought-after events on the amateur calendar and golfers love to play here because it’s quite challenging; challenging because it is one of the very few tournaments at MGC that happen in the morning and mainly it being a links course,” said P. S. Jagdish, MGC golf captain, to Sportstar here on Tuesday.

MGC has left no stone unturned in its efforts to make the golf course as rich as possible.

“This year we have invested heavily in buying new equipments such as polisher, time cutters, costing nearly a crore. In addition, we have also hired a qualified green-keeper,” said Jagdish.

The Club has also invested in a new irrigation system. “We have installed an automated irrigation system on six greens. We are also being environmentally conscious by tying up with some hotels nearby for using recycled water for our greens,” he added.

MGC is not satisfied with just maintaining its greens, organising tournaments round the year, and catering to the needs of the members.

For quite a while, MGC has been focusing on the youth program. Recently, it organised the South Zone junior (6-16 years) tournament, that witnessed a good turnout. And in July it had a camp for Chennai juniors (6-16 years) as well that saw an encouraging participation.

T. Jayavelan, MGC Committee member, in-charge of course & tournaments, highlighted the role of Telangana government in supporting the underprivileged kids who had come for the tournament. “Chennai had just five kids while Telangana had brought 14 of them, who were sponsored by the Government,” he said.

MGC, it appears, is firm in its resolve to provide the best to its stakeholders.