Kashmir must reclaim its place on India’s golf map: CM Omar

Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said Jammu and Kashmir must reclaim its position as one of India’s premier golf destinations and shared a series of measures to revive the sector, including making the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) tournament an annual event, establishing a golf academy and strengthening sports infrastructure across the Union Territory.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the J&K Open 2026 in Srinagar, CM Omar said golf tourism is an integral part of the government’s broader tourism promotion strategy. “This includes the three major golf courses in Kashmir, Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg as well as the golf course at Sidra in Jammu. We are also planning to upgrade another golf course in the Jammu region,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the Valley has already begun witnessing the kind of tourism the government intends to promote.

“Even without actively promoting golf tourism, we have started seeing people flying into Srinagar for long weekends, arriving on Friday, playing through Saturday and Sunday and returning on Sunday evening or Monday morning. This tournament is an important milestone in putting Kashmir, particularly the Royal Springs Golf Course, back on India’s golf map,” he said.

Omar said the tournament has attracted more than 100 professional golfers, including over 10 overseas participants, and expressed hope that it would become a permanent fixture.

“Our endeavour is that this should become an annual tournament and not a one-off. There has been a long gap since the previous such effort. This is only the beginning. We hope to scale up both the prize money and participation and ensure that it remains a regular feature of the national golf calendar for at least the next five years,” he said.

On being asked whether local golfers would benefit from such events, Omar said the government plans to establish a golf academy to nurture young talent.

“You won’t see me playing golf beyond ceremonial tee-offs. But local golfers must be promoted. These tournaments help because Pro-Am events allow our amateur golfers to play alongside professional golfers from India and abroad. We also organise local tournaments and our endeavour is to establish a golf academy so that children can be groomed from a young age and eventually represent the country at the national level,” he said.

Replying to a question on golf tourism, Omar said Kashmir had been a major golf destination long before recent years.

“We organised such tournaments before 2014 as well and on a much larger scale. Before militancy began in the 1980s, some of the biggest golf tournaments in the country were organised in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Kashmir. During summers, no golfer considered the season complete without playing in Gulmarg,” he said.

Speaking on cricket, CM Omar said Jammu and Kashmir’s recent Ranji Trophy performance has transformed perceptions about the Union Territory’s sporting potential.

“The success of our cricketers in the Ranji Trophy laid the foundation for renewed interest. Thereafter, several of our players were picked up by IPL franchises. For the first time, there was genuine bidding for our players. They were not charity selections or recommendation cases; they earned their place through performance,” he said.

He also referred to the recent selection of a J&K player for India’s team against Sri Lanka as another encouraging sign for sports in the Union Territory.

CM Omar said the absence of international-standard cricket infrastructure remains a major hurdle.

“What is holding us back is the lack of international-quality cricket infrastructure. There is a proposal by the BCCI to build two international-standard stadiums, including one in the Valley, but unfortunately it has not moved forward for various reasons. We want these stadiums to be completed so that Jammu and Kashmir can host IPL matches as well as international cricket in the future,” he said.

Responding to a question on the recent killing of civilians in south Kashmir, CM Omar described the incident as “deeply tragic.”

“It should never have happened. No religion permits the killing of innocent people. No amount of condemnation is enough. Those responsible for maintaining security are expected to ensure that such attacks do not take place,” the Chief Minister said. (KNO)