The first Bapu Open golf tournament was held at Sheraton Colonial golf course in Wakefield, MA. On Saturday, June 8 2003 It was organized by the Golfers Organization of Desis(G.O.D). There were forty participants including two group women teams . Despite inclement weather the game continued with full spirit.

Jaspal Singh organized the event with help from Dr. Salil Midha and Prithwi Thakuria. “Golf is my passion, ” says Jaspal Singh “It is this passion that led me to create the company dedicated to developing software for golf, bookandplay.com”. Jaspal has organized several golf tournaments in the New England area but the Bapu Open is a first for the Indian American community.

If you think golf is not quite a Desi game, think again. “Golf is really catching up in the Indian community and they are playing it very well”, says Jaspal Singh “We are so excited that we have quite a few women players as well” Nina Gulhati, director of the Triveni school of dance was a member of a women’s golf team.

Leader Mortgatge/Leader Bank, Alpha Omega, Sounds Of India, Gourmet India, Davidson Chevrolet, Savantis Systems and Egenera sponsored the tournament. Forty people participated in the tournament “Considering this was the first Bapu open, the response was wonderful. We are planning to make this an annual event for all Desi golf aficionados.

Traditionally golf is not just about playing. It is a game that is famous for initiating business partnerships. In line with this tradition of keeping golf as a social event a dinner followed the tournament. Several prizes were awarded to individuals and groups. Winners of longest drive competition and closest to pin competition were recognized. Several prizes including a 25" color TV were raffled out.

For all you golfers out there keep your eyes open for the next tournament and contact jaspal@bookandplay.com for further information.

|