SWING IT: A training session for caddie boys at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on Sunday. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Jamshed Ali in the Seventies, Basad Ali in the Eighties, Feroze Ali in the Nineties, and now SSP. Calcutta has thrown up at least one caddie champion in each of the past four decades.

To keep the tradition alive, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) and Tollygunge Club have teed off a training programme that has come as a boon for caddie boys like Tutul Ali and Samaresh Sardar.

“Earlier, the golf clubs were hardly used, there was little restriction and the caddies had a free run. Now, there’s far more pressure on the golf courses and access for caddie boys has been curtailed considerably. That is what puts the scheme in perspective,” says India (juniors) coach Indrajit Bhalotia, anchoring the initiative.

Between the two premier golf clubs in town, the programme has 40 caddie boys undergoing structured training. Some of them have been consistently beating top-10 amateurs in tournament play, smiles Bhalotia, who has coaches from his Protouch Academy working on the programme.

For the likes of Samaresh, Imran and Tutul, the programme has opened up doors that were firmly shut. Earlier, they had only one option — to pick up the bag for a golfer at Rs 100 a round. Now, if they can break into the big league, a secure job and earnings of at least Rs 3-4 lakh a year beckons.

“We can barely make both ends meet with the Rs 5,000-odd me and my brother Narayan bring home every month by caddying. But now that we have the chance to practise and play, we can look forward to better days,” smiles Samaresh, who idolises Arjun Atwal.

The first push at Tolly came from L.N. Bangur of Andhra Paper Mills in 2006, when he pledged financial support for eight caddie boys from the club chosen by Bhalotia. They were subsequently absorbed in the IGU (Indian Golf Union) junior programme. “It would be a wonderful feeling if any one of these boys makes it big,” says Bangur.

Across the road at the Royal, it was Sanjay Agarwal of Century Plywoods who turned benefactor for 30 caddie boys, providing equipment and clothing gear.

The clubs are chipping in as well. Tolly gives 50 golf balls to the caddie brigade to hit on weekdays, while offering a nominal rate of Rs 10 per round of golf. “At the Royal, we are providing them free playing facility, free use of the practice range and free training,” says CEO M.M. Singh.

Bhalotia hopes the programme will throw up four to five champion golfers every decade.

There’s also the question of social skills, which these caddie boys need, to be able to mingle with the elite once the encounter on the greens is through. “Besides giving them a chance to play with the mainstream, we’re teaching them etiquette so that they don’t feel lost at a well-heeled dinner party,” explains Bhalotia.

One lament: the lack of funds doesn’t allow the boys to be sent out to play tournaments yet.