Virk, Singh in fray for Chandigarh Golf Club president’s post

With the end of final chance for withdrawals of nominations, the battle line for the next president of the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) has been finally drawn between two veterans — Major (retd) Rajinder Singh Virk and Captain (retd) Mohanbir Singh.

Bringing a pack of promises and commitments, the two presidential candidates have been reaching out to 1,800 voters seeking their support on January 25, as the club will witness polling after a gap of one year for picking its next governing council, including 11-member executive.

As many as 20 members have been approved for contesting the elections of the executive. Dr SPS Grewal, Sandy Lehal, Gags Aulakh, Alamgir Grewal, Dr Atul Sachdev, Brig TS Mundi, Shona Singh, Munish Arora, Dr GS Kochhar and Jassi Toor will represent the “Team Virk”, while Ajay Wadhwa, Dr Angad Sangha, APS Kahai (UV), Brig Balvinder Singh, Gursharan Sandhu (Gugi), Jaspartap Sekhon, Capt PS Chimni (Pushi), Raman Singh Gill (Guchu), Dr Shobhit Ghai and Dr Satbir will represent the “Team Mohanbir Bunny”.

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A work towards development

The team led by Major Rajinder Singh Virk, who had contested earlier as well and lost by slimmest margins, promised to resolve vehicle parking and caddie management. Virk had contested the 2023 elections and lost by a mere margin of 29 votes. He also contested the club’s first “triangular” fight and ended up second with 406 votes — 99 short of the winning candidate.

“Our main focus will be on golf and betterment for golfers. If voted to power, the members of the management committee will not participate in the Chandigarh Golf League (CGL) and will not be eligible for prize money. We will also push for revamping the league’s structure and hold impromptu events for members not playing in the league. We will also bring a computerised draw for tournaments and upgrade caddie canteen and restrooms and bring them under government health schemes. The team will focus on providing premium playing conditions and solve one of the major problems — parking of vehicles — for the members,” said Virk.

“Our team is motivated to introduce green initiatives including solar lights on the fairways and at the junior range, which will lead to more playing time. The team will upgrade junior golf and scout for young talent for nurturing them for the future,” added Virk.

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Focus on betterment

The team of Mohan Bir, who have held posts of chairman (Screening committee), treasure, secretary and captain, focuses on delivering a clean, efficient, and transparent management for the club. “We will ensure top-notch golf playing conditions throughout the year. For enhancing the overall golfing experience, we will focus on improving the upgradation pace,” said Mohan Bir. He also stressed on the need of restructuring tournaments with minimising disruptions and implementing a fair handicapping system. “Golf promotion will be top most priority. Focusing on ladies golf and providing better facilities to junior golfers will not only help the sport grow, but also uplift our club’s stature in the nation. Another important aspect is to have a better liaison with the UT Administration by maintaining strong relationships to resolve any issues, if arise. We will also be pushing for completion of development works in the clubhouse. Building on past successes, we aim to elevate our club to become one of the finest in the country,” he said.

“As the club captain, I have re-done all bundlers and established grass nurseries. Both the practice ranges were also upgraded and ensured pristine playing conditions on the course,” said Mohan Bir.

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Box: Voting on Jan 25

The voting for electing the president and 11-member executive committee will be held on January 25, from 11 am to 4.30 pm. The counting of votes will be held on the same day along with announcement of the winner, while the elected executive members will be announced next evening.