JOHN NEYLAN JOHN NEYLAN
Oxford Golf Resort near Pune, India sprawls across 55 hectares of land that is surrounded on three sides by the spectacular Sahyadri hills
In recent months ATM columnist John Neylan has travelled to India to provide agronomic advice and training to local greenkeepers. Here he looks back at his time on the subcontinent and also discusses some of the preventive programmes sports turf managers can put in place to prepare their grounds for the rigours of winter play.
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Indian summer
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olf course architect Phil Ryan, of Pacific Coast Design (PCD), has worked extensively in India since 1992 and over this time has been intimately involved with the Indian golf industry. Phil has always been a strong advocate for training local greenkeepers and reducing the reliance on ex-pats, and to this end he asked me last year whether I was interested in taking on a consultancy/technical education role in India. The immediate reaction was yes, but in thinking about it later there was a fair amount of doubt as to whether I could do it. In 2007 I was fortunate to attend a golf conference in India with then AGCSA president Jeff Gambin and NSW Golf Club superintendent Gary Dempsey. It was an intriguing adventure as we tried to take in all the crowds, sounds, smells and mystique of this booming country. At that time turf management was beginning to change and develop and there was a yearning for more technical knowledge. Following Phil’s offer and thinking back on 2007, I thought that there was an interesting challenge for me and it would provide a good opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. I wrote about this aspect of developing a career a few issues ago (ATM 17.5). As you get older you tend to get a bit less adventurous, but on this occasion I decided to take my own advice!
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 18.2
One factor that gave me a high level of confidence was that PCD director (India), Vincent Pinto, would be there as my mentor and interpreter and to guide me through the cultural sensitivities of India. I cannot overemphasise the importance of Vincent’s help in creating a good co-operative working relationship. Vincent has had extensive experience in golf development across India and was project manager at Oxford Golf through from inception, golf construction to post-two years opening and in charge of management/maintenance. Since agreeing to assist Phil, I have made two visits to India, the first in November 2015 and the most recent in February 2016 to the Oxford Golf Resort and Delhi Golf Club.
OXFORD GOLF RESORT The golf course at the Oxford Golf Resort was designed by PCD and opened in 2009. It is an 18-hole 6419 metre (par 72) layout. PCD have master planned ‘The Oxford’ golf resort as part of the larger Knowledge City Project which includes a university and township set among nearly 400 hectares laid out along a magnificent valley near the city of Pune. It is a beautiful and serene getaway. Pune is about 2.5 hours from the international airport in Mumbai. The course is built on 55 hectares of land that is surrounded on three sides by the Sahyadri hills that give it a stunning backdrop, especially as you drive down the hills with the course lying down below you. Mr Soelekar, the founder and chairman of the Oxford Group, has been the driving force behind the golf course and is also current president of the Indian Golf Union.