Assam’s tea estate golf courses likely to emerge as niche tourism attraction
Assam is home to nearly 23 such golf courses, many of them natural nine-hole layouts set within scenic tea estates.
Several of these estates also feature heritage bungalows.
Guwahati, March 12: Assam’s unique tea estate golf courses – popularly known as “tea-tees” – could soon emerge as a major niche tourism attraction if a new proposal to promote them takes shape.
Renowned golfer Arjun Atwal and Gaurav Ghosh of J Thomas & Co on Wednesday met Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota to discuss the potential of developing the State’s tea estate golf courses into a distinctive tourism and sporting circuit.
Assam is home to nearly 23 such golf courses, many of them natural nine-hole layouts set within scenic tea estates. Several of these estates also feature heritage bungalows, offering visitors the rare experience of staying amid lush tea gardens while enjoying golf and exploring the tea country.
During the meeting, officials highlighted that Assam’s tea-tees represent a rare combination of tea heritage, picturesque landscapes and sporting tradition, making them attractive to golf enthusiasts and tourists from across India and abroad.
“Assam’s tea-tees represent a rare blend of tea heritage, natural landscapes and sporting tradition. Their historical legacy and unique setting have the potential to attract golf enthusiasts and tourists from across the country and overseas,” Kota said after the interaction.
Atwal – India’s only winner on the PGA Tour – later told The Assam Tribune that the State’s golf courses offer immense tourism potential, though many are currently not maintained to their full capacity.
“I will be getting back with my team in the US with a roadmap. To begin with, we may take up one golf course as a model and develop it into a modern-day facility. Eventually, all stakeholders should come on board,” Atwal said.
Calling Assam’s tea estate golf courses a “gold mine” with exceptional natural designs, Atwal also proposed creating an “Assam Golf Trail” – a cluster of golf courses similar to the renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in the United States – to position Assam on the global golfing map.
“It will be great for tourism and also beneficial for investors, particularly those from abroad coming into the State, as many of them play golf,” he said, adding that the revenue model would be self-sustaining once the concept gains traction.
Atwal also discussed the possibility of establishing a golf academy located strategically among these courses to nurture young talent and raise the standard of the sport in the region.
As a next step, the Chief Secretary said stakeholders will submit a detailed proposal outlining the concept and a roadmap for developing the tea estate golf courses as a tourism and sporting initiative. The Government of Assam will then consult tea garden managements and other stakeholders to explore the proposal further.
If implemented, the initiative could showcase Assam’s distinctive tea landscape while opening new avenues for tourism and sports development in the State, Kota added.