Tennis nice Leander Paes, the winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, has shifted focus to golf as he now goals to nurture Olympic champions throughout a number of sporting disciplines.
Paes has partnered with Indian Golf Union (IGU), Skilled Golfers’ Affiliation of India (PGAI) and The Gold Basis (TGF) to construct a pipeline of rising golf expertise within the nation.
The Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), in affiliation with IGU, PGAI, and TGF on Thursday unveiled the ‘Golf Development Initiative,’ a landmark program designed to construct the following technology of Indian golfers.
Launched on the Delhi Golf Membership within the presence of Paes, the initiative marks a significant shift within the sport’s improvement, taking golf instantly into colleges and playgrounds to widen the expertise pool.
This system brings collectively your complete {golfing} ecosystem, together with mentorships from former golfers reminiscent of Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar, SSP Chawrasia and Gaurav Ghei.
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Paes, an Olympic medallist and the the one tennis participant to compete in seven Olympic Video games, goals to construct 10 academies for various sports activities all through the nation within the subsequent 10 years.
“To me excellence in sports activities is to create your individual legacy. I belong to a household of two Olympians and so I understand how to create Olympians. I’m taking a look at Olympic actions by way of all sports activities, together with golf. Eighteen Grand Slam wins and 18 holes is the explanation why golf attracted me,” he stated.
“I’ve opened a Flying Man Academy in Bhubaneswar to nurture future Olympians. The academy at present has one lakh youngsters, together with 40,000 tribal, 40,000 paid and 20,000 worldwide youngsters. I wish to develop Olympic champions.” Speaking about his curiosity in golf, Paes stated his imaginative and prescient is to take the sport to the lots and develop a strong grassroot system.
“My focus in golf is to create academies, driving ranges, golf programs and take the sport to the lots, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and villages as a result of our Olympic champions usually emerge from there,” he stated.
Strengthening grassroots
In a significant announcement, IGPL confirmed a strategic partnership with The Golf Basis (TGF) to drive grassroots scouting. To help this, IGPL introduced the quick institution of world-class coaching amenities in Orissa, Gurgaon, and Andhra Pradesh beginning this yr.
FILE PHOTO: Indian golf legend and IGPL icon participant Jeev stated, “I’ve all the time believed that for Indian golf to develop, we have to give again to the following technology. This initiative is near my coronary heart as a result of it gives younger gamers with the type of structured steering and mentorship that may shave years off their studying curve.
| Photograph Credit score:
Getty Photos
FILE PHOTO: Indian golf legend and IGPL icon participant Jeev stated, “I’ve all the time believed that for Indian golf to develop, we have to give again to the following technology. This initiative is near my coronary heart as a result of it gives younger gamers with the type of structured steering and mentorship that may shave years off their studying curve.
| Photograph Credit score:
Getty Photos
These centres will function regional hubs for figuring out uncooked expertise and offering them with professional-grade infrastructure. In try to succeed in the lots, the organisers have additionally launched a cell ‘Golf on Wheels’ programme.
Indian golf legend and IGPL icon participant Jeev stated, “I’ve all the time believed that for Indian golf to develop, we have to give again to the following technology. This initiative is near my coronary heart as a result of it gives younger gamers with the type of structured steering and mentorship that may shave years off their studying curve.
“By bringing skilled execs and uncooked expertise collectively on the identical platform, we’re instilling the idea that they’ll beat the very best on the planet.” Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO of IGPL, added, “Indian golf is getting greater and higher, and the time has come to construct a technology that may dominate the world stage. To do that, we’re taking the sport instantly to varsities and playgrounds, making certain that no expertise is left behind.”
Revealed on Jan 22, 2026