Club together some fun
Manpriya Singh
Reportedly, it takes more than nine years (and referential by 35 members) to join London’s White’s Club on St James Street, more than 15 to join Mumbai’s Breach Candy Club and more than 37 years to join The Delhi Golf Club! Welcome to the club? Not really. With membership lists, the smaller the better; waiting lists the longer, the better and fee hikes aimed at de-clogging those wanting to get in; gaining access isn’t easy and that’s precisely the idea.
With membership club culture having survived and thrived since the British era in India, we take a cursory look at those in the tricity.
Wait a while
— Chandigarh Golf Club
Starting with the one with the longest waiting list— Chandigarh Golf Club. It’s said it takes a minimum of eight years to a decade to become a permanent member. “It’s still better than Kasauli Club, which is said to take a minimum of 12 years or so,” Birinder Gill, the president laughs, over how one has got to be proficient in golf before one can eye membership of the club.
“Currently, we have 200 temporary members, 1,500 green card members and 1,800 permanent members,” he adds, further giving us the break-up of the waiting list. “As one starts picking up the game, it takes three-to-four years to become a green card member and further three-to-four years to become a permanent member.”
Among the activities that the club holds with a regular frequency for its members is the annual Captain’s Day, which is the premiere event of the club, apart from the monthly Club Night and the weekly tambola.
Tambola special
— Chandigarh Club
In, fact tambola remains a fixture at most of the clubs in the tricity, be it the relatively recent PCA club in Mohali or the one of the oldest in the region—The Chandigarh Club. The indoor weekly tambola attracts the local sponsors and participants alike. “At Chandigarh Club we have Sundays and Wednesdays reserved for Tambola, with a turnout of as many as 1,000 to 1,500 members on Sundays,” says Sandeep Sahni, the president. This is out of the total number of as many as 7,000 plus members! Despite the staggering figure, “After the forms and formalities have been completed, it takes about one year of waiting period to become a member.”
On the club premises, there is a live band playing every day, while Thursdays are reserved for Sufi bands, especially from the pool of local talent. “We have all the groups fairly represented at the club, but I’d say it’s mostly professionals that dominate the list, especially lawyers because of its proximity to the High Court.”
More the merrier
— PCA Club, Mohali
At PCA Club in Mohali, one of the comparatively recent clubs in tricity, as seven-to-eight functions are a fixture in its annual itinerary. “Teej, Diwali and, Lohri, you name it and it’s a part of the club’s cultural festivities in some way or the other,” says RP Singla, the honorary secretary. Currently at 1,800 permanent members, the club’s membership has been closed since quite some time now. “But we are going to open membership as soon as the next week, wherein we can fit in 200 more people who are in the waiting list.”
River bank
— Panchkula Golf Club
At the Panchkula Golf Club, as many as 291 people are on the waiting list. “If you enrol today, it might take you up to eight years to become a member,” shares Col. AS Dhillon, the GM of the property. Only then can you go and join the current 1,975 permanent members! He adds, “After all we are talking about one of the only two golf courses in India that are on a river bank.” The members represent all sections of society, “but are largely dominated by those from Defense forces and central government employees.” While they may not have tambola for its weekly activity, but they have two grass lawn tennis courts, apart from a gym, a bar and a swimming pool.
manpriya@tribunemail.com
