Tulip Festival Golf Championship

Daffodil Team wins

ABID KHAN

Srinagar, Apr 7: Daffodil Team emerged winners in the state level golf championship organized by J&K Tourism department as part of weeklong Tulip Festival at Royal Springs Golf Course here on Tuesday.
Valley’s veteran golfer and former bureaucrat, Nazir Ahmad Khan, inaugurated the tournament.  
More than 100 golfers from Kashmir Golf Club, Royal Springs Golf Course, BSF Golf Club, Army Golf Club and Police Golf Club participated in the event. 
Former bureaucrat SRS Madni led the Daffodil Team while Nazir Ahmad Khan captained Tulip Team.
On the occasion, Director, Tourism Kashmir, Farooq Ahmad Shah said, “The championship is part of the week-long Tulip Festival organized at Siraj Bagh. During this part of the year, golf activities were not being organized at this level but Tulip Festival gave us chance to organize it. Currently in the Valley Royal Springs Golf course, Tulip Garden and Gulmarg attract foreign high spending tourists.”
For taking full advantage of Tulips, which are in full bloom, Shah said, “We’ve started festival which kicked off with Golf championship. In the festival, apart from Golf activities like Kashmiri folk song, sale of handicrafts and savor of Kashmiri cuisines (Wazwaan) were also held” he said.
The Director said that in coming months national and international level golf tournaments would be organized.
“We’ve got international standard of golf course in shape of Royal Springs which is among the best in world. To take its full advantage we are going to start big campaign all over world and as part of that we are going to organize International and national level championships” he said.
“The international level championship will automatically help RSGC to get place at international golf circuit which it deserves,” he added.
After the inauguration of the Tulip festival at Siraj Bagh, secretary tourism and culture, Tanveer Jahan and Shah distributed prizes among the players.

Published in greater kashmir on April 7-2009 http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=8_4_2009&ItemID=5&cat=4