How did you start the group?

When Krishna and Kabir first moved to Bangalore, they were constantly on the lookout for two other players to make a four ball for the weekend. Then they met Dr Raphael Parambi and Joe Mathews. The credit for putting the group together and building around it should really go to Dr.Raphael.

Initially Raphael, Joe, Kabir and Sunil were the regulars – that was when the group had a slightly older profile; now the player profile has changed completely with many young players. We now have over 40 members on our list – doctors, businessmen, entrepreneurs – all like minded people who are passionate about golf and the good things of life.

How does someone join this group?

This is largely an open-entry group, which means anybody can be a member. But the entry has to be done by invitation / referral – and any member in the group can invite golfers keen on joining. To qualify, potential members have to play five rounds with the group and then interact with other members on a 19 hole game. A collective vote is then taken on a set of parameters – largely in terms of how the new member will really fit in. After that, the joinee plays another 5 rounds as a final qualifier. Once he gets the green signal, he gets inducted and is given his set of t-shirts and caps.

How often does the group meet to play golf?

We have what we call a Saturday Session and this is done either at BGC, or KGA – with 16 to 20 members showing up. A mail goes out early in the week to all members with all the details and members need to confirm by Thursday; the final list is drawn up on Friday evening. If a player from this list backs out at the last minute, there are penalties imposed as a future deterrent. We have certain rules in place to ensure regular participation – for example, if you don’t play golf for a month, without any valid reason serious action can be taken by the committee.

Do you conduct tournaments within the group?

Every six months, we have something called the Ladder, where top 16 ranks are given; every weekend we have a “challenge”. Members are free to “challenge” other members with a slightly higher ranking, and if the opponent who challenges you wins, you hand over your ranking to him. If you lose, you face some penalties.

We also have a “Boys to Men” tournament, which is basically a game between the younger and senior players and acts as a base for a new ladder. For this tournament, 35 years is taken as the cut-off point. If you are 35 and below, you get to play for the juniors – if you’re 36 and above, you play for the senior set. The last tournament was held in November 2010, where the young swingers, beat the seniors. We also organize some fun tournaments on a sustained basis, to keep the adrenaline flowing at a steady high.

Has the group played an external tournament?

Members of Pin High have participated in the Gang Wars tournament, conducted by Touche every year. On a regular basis, we also play against other groups such as Pin Seekers and MGU.