Club News
KGA HOSTS CHARITY GOLF EVENT
By Sharath Bhat - freelance advertising writer based in Bengaluru , and an associate of Rathor Sports Content Syndicate
he 14th edition of the KGA Richmond Fellowship Charity Golf Tournament was held on Friday , 5th February 2021 at the Karnataka Golf Association ( KGA ), Bangalore . All proceeds raised at this charity golf event go towards the care and support of patients and clients with severe mental illness .
The Richmond Fellowship Society ( India ) Bangalore Branch [ RFS ] provides help through its facilities like the halfway home ( ASHA ), day-care centre ( Chetana ), and the long-stay home ( Jyothi ). What began in 1986 as a humble beginning to provide psychosocial rehabilitation and support for those suffering from severe mental illness , has visibly grown in terms of reach , access and consolidation of resources .
In our post event session , we talk to Dr S . Kalyanasundaram – the man with a mission , and the architect behind the organization . The KGA Richmond Fellowship Charity Golf Tournament is a good example of how an NGO with little support outside its walls , works at creating a community of passionate people who will lend a hand for a good cause .
When did the tournament start , and how did things first fall into place in terms of event , location , and early sponsors ?
In 2007 , I discussed the possibility of a charity 48 GolfPlus MARCH 2021 golf tournament with the ( then ) office bearers at KGA -Ramesh Venkateswaran President , VS Thyagarajan , Treasurer . The basic objective here was to garner support and raise funds for our NGO , which does not receive financial assistance from any other source .
The committee was warm to the idea and allowed us to run our first event at the KGA golf course . Around the same time , I approached my golfing friend Sumit Rathor to help us turn this dream into an action planand there was not stopping us after that .
Sumit is a much-respected figure in golfing circles , and helped put things into the right perspective – he also introduced me to the concept of skins . Though we achieved moderate success for a fledgling charity golf event , we were enthused by our endeavor and soon planned to make it an annual event . For the last three years , we have been talking online entries and this year we had 125 entries in a matter of 24 hours !
What feedback have you received from the sponsors , office bearers at KGA , and participating golfers ?
The popular opinion here is that this is one of the best run private golfing events at the KGA – largely going by how the event is managed on the course , and extended sponsor support .
While there is visible awareness for special needs areas such as blindness , HIV and education for rural children ( all very good causes ) very few are aware of NGOs offering rehabilitation services for people with chronic and severe mental illness . Our sponsors take pride in supporting our NGOand tell us that they are happy that the funds will reach the deserving beneficiaries . They have also expressed their desire to visit our centre , to see the kind of work we are engaged in .
For us it is also important to receive feedback from our host club – the Karnataka Golf Association ( KGA ). And I am happy to say that committee members were unanimous in their feedback saying that this popular event was conducted with precision and warmth . They are deeply appreciative of the dedication and commitment of the entire event support team to make it a big success . Members of the committee are also keen that we continue to run this tournament in the coming years .