16 teams of 14 members each to compete in two-stage tournament from April 7 to 23
Will rival Chandigarh Golf League which is into its fourth year
The sprawling 140 acres government-owned Panchkula Golf Club, a younger cousin of the not-for-profit Chandigarh Golf Club, is brimming with excitement as it tees off the maiden edition of its own Panchkula Golf League to rival the Chandigarh Golf League, which is into its fourth year.
Quite remarkably, for a first edition of a league, an impressive 16 teams comprising 14 members each have entered the fray for the two-stage ‘Aeroplaza Panchkula Golf League, 2025’ to play out in a round robin league followed by a knockout stage from April 7 (Monday) to April 23.
The media announcement of the inaugural edition of the three-year Panchkula Golf League, with Aeroplaza by Shudh Gold as its title sponsor, was made by Chairman of the Organising Committee of the league Varinder Singh Kundu, a retired senior Haryana cadre bureaucrat, at the club premises on Sunday.
Kundu shared with your own news portal LifeInChandigrh.com that the league was in the making for the last couple of years as various formats of reputed existing leagues running across the country were carefully studied. Eventually, the Aeroplaza Panchkula Golf League, 2025 has an inclusive structure which ensures each team comprises a lady golfer, one senior golfer above 70 years of age and players from different handicap categories.
Both stages of the league have different scoring systems (explained in detail later in the write-up) which will comprehensively test the players’ skills, strategy and team spirit.
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Claiming an overwhelming response to the league, he said it has had an electrifying effect on the members. We had expected a good response, but not as overwhelming as it turned out to be. There was a flood of registrations when these were opened for the 2700-plus members of the club. There were also 20 bids for raising teams for the league, out of which 16 were eventually approved, he added.
He further informed that the 18-hole course has been spruced up in conformity with the standards expected of a league. Rules are going to be strictly enforced to ensure high level of competitiveness during the entire course of the league.
Golfer Digraj Singh, who is majorly into event management in golf, is the Tournament Director for the league, which will be closely supervised by a three-member team of referees led by well-known referee Swadhin Patel as Chief Referee.
According to Digraj, “During stage 1 of the league, seven days of round robin play will be held, which means each team plays every other in the group. Eight matches are slated to be played each day. The knockout stage starts with the quarterfinals which will be held on April 18. The quarters will be followed by the semifinals on April 20, and the grand finale on April 23 at Panchkula Golf Club.”
The teams in Group A: Highland Kings, ADS Falcons, Golfing Panthers, Aces by Vintage Buildtech, Fantastic Fours, Clubs on Flames, Sneakin Golfers, and Victory Waves.
In teams in Group B: Golfing Eagles, Par-Tee Crashers, Tee Titans, Green Warriors, Raging Bulls, Tee Birds, Shivalik Swingers and Hansa Legends.
An owner-representative of each of the 16 teams in tournament attire was also present at the press conference and posed for a group photo.
Col. AS Dhillon (Retired), General Manager, Panchkula Golf Club, who is also Member- Secretary, Organising Committee of the league, as well as Vishal Dhall, Managing Director, of title sponsor Aeroplaza, were also present.
Scoring System for the two-stage league
Round Robin Stage
All 8 teams in a group will play against each other in the Round Robin stage with a very uniquely devised scoring system.
During a match each team will nominate 5 pairs to take on 5 pairs from the opposing team.
When one pair plays another pair from the opposing team, the combined stableford score of both the partners on each hole will be compared with the combined stableford score of the opposing pair on that hole to determine which pair wins the hole.
The total number of holes won by both the teams, after adding the wins for all the 5 pairs in the team, will establish the winning team, which will get 3 points. In case of a tie, both teams will get one point apiece.
Knock Out Stage
The 4 top teams in each group, in terms of the highest number of points collected in the Round Robin stage, will qualify for the knockout stage which will be played in the Four Ball Better Ball Match play format. Each team will be represented by 5 pairs when they take on another team.
Through the League:
Following each round, the players’ handicaps shall be revised downwards based on their performance in that round. The revision will be based on a Dynamic Handicapping System which will be different for each stage of the league.
During the entire duration of the league, all players will be scored off 75% of their original handicaps with 18 being the highest handicap allowance for men and 24 the highest handicap allowance for ladies.
