T

he Indonesian Golf Course Owners Association (APLGI) hopes that people in Indonesia can become familiar with golf, more than just its image as an expensive luxury sport.

'€œWe feel that we need to familiarize people more with golf because there are many people who have not gained a proper understanding about this sport,'€ APLGI secretary general Christine Wiradinata said in a meeting with journalists in Pondok Indah Golf Course, South Jakarta, on Wednesday.

'€œMost of them refrain from learning this sport because they consider it an expensive and exclusive sport that is only played by the rich,'€

'€œThey don'€™t realize that golf courses are pretty much like hotels, you can choose between the five-star hotels and hostels. It depends on your financial capacity. It also goes for the equipment, which ranges from tens of thousands of rupiah to millions of rupiah,'€ she said.

A golf fan Komaruddin Hidayat, rector of the State Islamic University lauded Christine, saying that golf as a sport did not have to be luxurious.

He said unfortunately Indonesian people like to treat things as a lifestyle.

'€œBe it golf or simple gadgets. Whereas in countries like Japan or South Korea, golf is treated as a community sport just like badminton in Indonesia where everyone can play no matter what their social class is,'€ he said.

Komaruddin who fell in love with golf in 2007 even wrote a book titled '€œSpiritual side of golf'€, which describes how golf is not merely a sport, but a game where people can develop their spirituality, leading to an improved quality of life.

Komaruddin himself is a regular visitor to a golf course in South Jakarta, which charges its members from Rp 6.5 million (US$566) to Rp 14,850,000 a year, about the same price as a membership to a fitness center in Jakarta.

Despite the image of a luxurious and expensive place, Christine said, not many people realize the role of the golf industry for the country and the difficulties in managing a golf course, which can take up to 20 years for an investment turnover.

'€œMany golf courses are opened in suburban and undeveloped areas due to the need of a large area to develop a golf course. And the existence of the course oftentimes encourages economic activities in the surrounding areas,'€ she said.

She also pointed out the role of the golf courses in developing young golfers by allowing them to train for free on certain days, as well as giving special prices to the junior golfers and especially to those who were seen as promising talents.

National golfer George A. Gandranata revealed that he took advantage of such facilities when he decided to get serious with golf.

'€œWhen I was a junior golfer, my father made me a schedule of which free day in which golf course I should go to train,'€ said the national third-rank golfer.