Golfers rejoice as we are heading into the midst of the peak golfing season. Surya Nepal Masters (SNM), the country’s largest golf event is scheduled between March 13 to 17, 2012; the venue is once again the stunning Gleneagles designed Gokarna Golf Course. A major attraction this year is that the event is in the order of merit for the Professional Golf Tour of India and also part of the tour. This event is co-
sanctioned by Nepal Profess-ional Golfers Association and Professional Golf Tour of India and is part of the world golf tour, which will draw the finest players from the region.
The event will be organised in partnership with Nepal Tourism Board and draw about 80 finest international players from South Asia, which is a major boost for golf tourism. Ten sports will cover the event and highlights of the event will be on air at least three times
after the event, this will
further help to promote Nepal as a golfing destination.
Standard Charted Bank is once again the partner of the SNM by sponsoring the Pro-Am, which is schedule for March 13. The Pro-Am is for both serious and fun-loving amateur golfers. Participants will have the opportunity to play in a group with professionals — receiving valuable tips and seeing firsthand some so-called ‘impossible shots’
being executed.
This year marks two decades of Surya Nepal’s association with golf. In 1993, the first Surya Nepal Open was played at Royal Nepal Golf Club with a prize purse of Rs 500,000 and over the period, the event has grown bigger and better which has helped the overall development of golf in Nepal. The prize money of Rs four million will be up for grabs to some 100-odd professionals from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka this year.
All this is exciting news with Surya Nepal realising our dreams of using the development of golf to the advantage of the tourism industry. They are building on the foundation of the expensive golf infrastructure and opening up new dimensions for growth in the golf tourism.
This event is also the starting event for the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13 and 11 more professional golf tournaments are scheduled to be held this year in Nepal with the support of Surya Nepal Private Limited and other sponsors. Last year, Surya Nepal Golf Tour had a total prize purse of Rs 7.6 million with 11 events, top performer Shivaram Shrestha earned Rs 909,600 in the season 2011-12 and this probably is the highest earning by a sports person in a single season. This has all been possible with the unflinching support for golf from sponsors like Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd.  If you wish you come up to the venue and witness the best players of the game, call 4450444 or 4451212.  
(The author is a golf instructor and golf director at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu. He can be contacted through
prodeepak @hotmail.com)