In Pakistan, where it has long been deemed as a sport for the elite, it is surprising that golf is currently one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

More and more players, especially youngsters are taking up the game. Whether you happen to visit the Karachi Golf Club, a facility established in 1888 or the equally prestigious Lahore Gymkhana you'll notice that players of all ages are busy playing a round of golf.

More and more golf courses are coming up in various parts of the country. After the establishment of the sprawling golf course in Karachi's Bahria Town, the Rumanza Country and Golf Club in Multan opened its doors with a star-studded inaugural last month. Pakistan's first signature golf course designed by golf legend Sir Nick Faldo, Rumanza has put Pakistan on the international golf map.

When it comes to players, Pakistan has never really made its presence felt at the international level. It's not that there is no talent. We have legends like Taimur Hassan, who is the country's most successful amateur in history. However, over the years the country has had little or no success at the international level.

But that, too, can change. Currently Pakistan has a crop of young and talented players who have the potential to win international laurels for the country. Among them are two teenagers -- Omar Khalid and Humna Amjad -- who have attained international status and with proper training can become world class players.

The success of young players like Omar and Humna in recent times shows that Pakistan golf is on the right path.

And the man at the helm of Pakistan golf believes that the country's players will soon be making their presence felt at the world level.

"I'm really pleased at the way our golf is progressing," says Gen Hilal, President Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF). "The game is growing especially among juniors and ladies and that is a very positive sign," he adds.

Gen Hilal, who took over as President PGF four years ago, stresses that it has always been his top priority to develop golf among ladies and juniors.

"Back in 2017, when we began our stint at PGF, it was decided to form a think-tank which should single out the factors which were weighing down our golf. The idea was to have a long hard look at the situation rather than taking any impulsive decisions," he says.

"My first task was to understand the challenges facing Pakistan golf. After a lot of research, it became clear that we are not throwing up good players because of a lack of proper structure. Players like Ahmed Baig, who has been doing so well in recent times, are self-made. He was not made by PGF. It became clear to me that a comprehensive strategy to promote Pakistan golf was missing. That's why I sat down with my team to devise a detailed and long-term policy."

One part of the policy was to bring about transformation in the professional game.

"We noticed that though our professional circuit, which offers more than 50 million rupees in prize money annually, the money wasn't flowing down. The top players were earning the lion's share while the players placed at the bottom weren't getting much. Because of this many talented golfers were quitting golf as a profession.

"In parts of the world where golf is a major sport, they have tackled this by having separate professional tours for second-tier players. We have done the same by launching the Jinnah Development Tour (JDT). The top 40 players of the country cannot take part in it. We have asked all associations to stage one event each. The first event was held in Karachi. A player, M Imran, from Lahore won it. He was beaming and happy for his future when I met him soon after his win. Then we had the Punjab leg at the PAF Skyview Club in Lahore which was won by another player. More and more previously unsuccessful players are winning in JDT matches held in other parts of the country.

"Our JDT initiative has been a tremendous success and has been hailed by all."

The PGF also had to tackle a long-standing issue which was hurting the amateur circuit. This was because several professionals were playing in it and leaving true amateurs little chance of success.

According to international rules, any golfer who earns his bread and butter through golf comes under the category of a professional. However, in Pakistan the golfing authorities in the past allowed players who were actually professionals to compete in amateur tournaments.

However, late in 2020, the PGF decided to only allow pure amateurs to compete in amateur tournaments. The professionals were asked to join JDT, where they could earn their livelihood.

"We had been noticing that Pakistan golf was suffering because professional players were competing and winning in amateur tournaments," says Gen Hilal.

"There were professionals playing on the amateur circuit disguised as amateurs. Naturally an amateur player who is either studying or working seldom stands a chance of beating professionals so the pros were winning most of the tournaments. It was discouraging both for existing players and newcomers. So we took a long, hard look at the situation and decided that something needed to be done to tackle this issue."

The PGF decided to segregate amateurs and professionals on the basis of guidelines clearly provided by the Royal and Ancient (R&A) - the body that governs international golf rules.

The 60th National Amateur Golf Championship of Pakistan -- the country's premier tournament -- was held soon after the new policy was implemented. And 16-year-old Omar Khalid, an O levels student, made history by becoming the youngest ever player in history to win the coveted title.

"Our decision to allow only true amateurs to play in the National Championship clicked," Gen Hilal points out. "I mean we saw the 16-year-old Omar Khalid winning the national title. I'm sure that we will see more Omar Khalids succeeding in the future."

Within a year of winning the national title, Omar has won a series of tournaments and has now established himself as Pakistan's No. 1 amateur and is ranked at 293 in the world.

Gen Hilal takes pride in the fact that in recent years, PGF has initiated new events including an all-Pakistan inter-club championship and long drive competitions.

"The idea behind the PGF Inter-Club championship is to tempt the clubs to invest more in their players of all skills and ages. The thing is that golf clubs are under intense commercial pressure. They are primarily there to cater to the members and are not keen to receive players like ladies, kids and seniors who demand concessions in green fees. But after the launch of the Inter-Club match, the clubs will go the extra mile to make sure that they have comprehensive teams with good players in all categories," he says.

He believes that having regular long drive contests will go a long way in popularising golf in the country.

"A longest drive competition can help bring more people to golf. Golf is a tough game. It can reject you. There are no serious prizes for high-handicappers. You need to have a longest-drive competition to encourage young players including beginners. Such events are very popular in the West. They are crowd-pulling events."

Despite its rapid growth, Pakistan golf is yet to attract big corporate sponsorship. Most of its growth is backed by the support of the three services.

"The three services are doing a lot for golf now. Pakistan Army is giving us all out support. The PAF has made a brand new course in Lahore. That is a great addition. Pakistan Navy hosted the Asian Tour event in Karachi. All these are remarkable achievements. What is lacking is the support of corporate organisations. Wapda has been very helpful and I hope that more such bodies will come forward and support Pakistan golf," says Gen Hilal.

The President PGF is confident that Pakistan golf will continue to grow and believes that it has a great future.

"There is no doubt that Pakistan golf is on the rise. It is growing. More and more youngsters are taking up the game and new courses are coming up. Two world class golf courses have been recently established in DHA Multan and Bahria Town Karachi. That's a very positive sign, I'm confident that the game has a very bright future in Pakistan. All we have to do is continue striving to develop and promote it and one day we will start producing champions."

Khalid Hussain is Editor Sports of The News

khalidhraj@gmail.com