Golf was first played in Nepal during the Rana regime and back then it was known as the ‘sport of royals’.
However, of late, the sport is gaining popularity as people are taking it as a way of life and just as a sport of leisure. The number of professional and amateur golfers has been rising steadily in the country over the years and one man who could be credited for this growth is none other than late Ang Tshiring Sherpa.
The late Managing Director of Yeti Group of Companies and a tourism entrepreneur, Sherpa himself was a very keen golfer.
And he had a big impact on the golfing scenario in Nepal!
Talking to the Golf Coach in Royal Nepal Golf Club, Sachin Prasad Bhattarai, who used to teach and golf with late Sherpa, he had a lot to say about the presence he had on the golf course.
Bhattarai went on to say, “I was a caddie at RNGC in 1989 and only started teaching the game in 2004. And if I have to talk about Tshiring ‘dai’, I would say he was a guy who was really down to earth. And whenever he came here to golf, he would come with his group of 15 to 16 people. Dai had such a big presence and the way he talked, you can never guess that he was the person who started such a well-known company himself from scratch.”
“And as for golfing in Nepal, he supported a lot of professional golfers in the country. Personally, he always pushed me to teach others, and through him I got connected to a lot of people. Surely I was a professional, but I did not connect to others well enough. But he always supported me and sponsored so many people to go out of the valley and play as well,” reminisces Bhattarai. "And it is good to know that Ang Tshiring Sherpa Memorial Golf Tournament is going to be help from March 6-7 at Gokarna Forest Resort."
When asked about Sherpa’s role in the golf course itself, Bhattarai says, “Dai used to come here often. And when RNGC was facing trouble regarding space, he was the one who stepped forward to say ‘No, we have to save the golf course’. And were it not for him I doubt if this club would still exist. He owned a golf course at Gokarna Forest Resort but he loved the sport so much that he felt obliged to not only play but to save one of the oldest golf courses in Nepal.”
Most of the people who have known Sherpa, would say he was a guy with a dominating personality but deep within he had a big heart and always wanted to help people.
Talking to his personal caddie at RNGC, Jaya Ram Shrestha pointed out how he met Sherpa on the golf course.
“When I was a pro, Tshiring Dai was the one who bought me my own first club. If I have to recall my experience as his personal caddie, he was a very friendly person but when it came to the game, he was very competitive. He surely showed his love but when it came to golfing he would not joke about it. And if I made a mistake, he was always keen to point out the mistake and teach me,” Shrestha fondly recollects.
‘He was a very helpful person. Surely he was not obliged to do anything for me, but he went far enough to give me a job at his own office. Not just me, but there were about 8 or 9 people he had given jobs to at Yeti airlines.’
Ang Tshiring Sherpa Memorial Golf Tournament is scheduled to be held on March 6 and 7.
The two-day event will be held at Gokarna Forest Resort, Nepal’s only golf course with 18 holes. Considering the global pandemic, the event has been divided into two days to accommodate a larger number of golf enthusiasts. The tournament will be played in a stableford format with ¾ handicap over 18 holes.
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