The emergence of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), backed by a landmark $100 million franchise investment from ten ownership groups, represents a significant moment in this transformation.
Indian sport is in the midst of a structural shift. Over the past decade, the franchise-based league model that once remained exclusive to cricket has steadily expanded into disciplines such as football, kabaddi, wrestling and now golf.
The investment the largest private capital commitment in the history of Indian golf — is not simply aimed at launching a professional competition. Instead, it outlines a long-term attempt to reshape the accessibility, infrastructure, and commercial viability of golf in India and neighbouring regions.
A Decade-Long Financial Commitment
Each of the ten franchise partners has pledged approximately $10 million over a ten-year cycle, creating a stable financial base for the league’s operational development.
Unlike short-term sporting ventures that rely on immediate returns, this model is structured around “patient capital,” allowing the IGPL to absorb early-stage developmental costs such as brand building, broadcast expansion, and grassroots engagement.
In addition to the $100 million committed toward league operations, a further $250 million has been earmarked for infrastructure development taking the total planned private capital investment to $350 million over the coming decade.
This infrastructure mandate is designed to address what has historically been the single greatest barrier to the sport’s growth in India: the lack of accessible playing facilities.
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The IGPL’s franchise rights have been distributed across ten Indian cities, ensuring regional representation beyond traditional metropolitan sporting hubs. Ownership groups span a variety of industrial sectors, including real estate, venture capital, infrastructure and automotive manufacturing.
Cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa and Visakhapatnam are part of the proposed network, reflecting a pan-India footprint intended to integrate emerging markets into the sport’s professional ecosystem. The involvement of real estate and infrastructure firms is particularly notable. For these partners, golf facilities function not only as sporting assets but also as lifestyle infrastructure that can influence the commercial valuation of residential and corporate developments.
Compact Facilities and Tier 2/3 Expansion
A core component of the IGPL’s strategy is the development of compact golf facilities in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Traditional 18-hole championship courses typically require between 150 and 200 acres of land, restricting participation to elite urban enclaves. The league’s infrastructure roadmap instead focuses on 8–10 acre modular facilities equipped with driving ranges, short-game zones, and six-hole loops.
These centres are intended to maximise land efficiency while reducing cost barriers for entry-level participation, thereby expanding the sport’s demographic reach and decentralising talent identification.
Grassroots Integration
To populate these new facilities with competitive pathways, the IGPL has launched a Golf Growth Initiative in collaboration with governing bodies including the Indian Golf Union (IGU), the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI), the PGA of India (PGAI), and The Golf Foundation (TGF).
The initiative aims to introduce structured golf programmes within schools and community environments, positioning the sport as a viable athletic pathway rather than a recreational pursuit. Mentorship within the programme includes involvement from established professionals such as Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur, Jyoti Randhawa and Gaganjeet Bhullar.
International Expansion Roadmap
Beyond domestic development, the IGPL has outlined an inaugural-year strategy that includes operations across three continents India, Africa, and the Middle East. The league conducted its Middle Eastern debut event at the Els Club Dubai in December 2025, leveraging the region’s established sporting infrastructure and corporate sponsorship environment.
The roadmap includes expansion into five countries within the next three to four years through collaboration with the Asian Tour, which is expected to jointly sanction certain IGPL events.
Institutional Challenges
The rapid emergence of the IGPL has also generated friction within India’s existing professional golf ecosystem. The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) has expressed concerns regarding player participation in unsanctioned IGPL events, reportedly barring 17 golfers including Gaganjeet Bhullar and Aman Raj from its circuit after their involvement in league competitions without clearance.
In response, the PGTI introduced its own franchise-based format, titled “72 The League,” creating a parallel competitive structure that has prompted players to weigh commercial opportunities against traditional ranking pathways.
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The IGPL’s tournament format differs from traditional professional golf events by adopting a 54-hole, no-cut stroke play system designed to maximise spectator continuity and broadcast reliability.
The integration of women professionals and amateur players within franchise teams is another structural departure aimed at promoting gender parity within domestic competitive golf.
Player compensation includes guaranteed signing amounts and prize money, potentially allowing domestic professionals to earn high-six-figure seasonal incomes in INR a development rarely feasible within conventional tournament circuits.
The IGPL’s financial architecture, infrastructure investment plan, and international ambitions collectively signal an attempt to reposition golf within India’s broader sporting economy. Whether the league can align with existing institutional frameworks such as the PGTI remains an open question.
However, the scale of committed capital and the decentralised development model suggest that professional golf in India is entering a phase of structural expansion that could significantly alter its competitive and commercial landscape over the next decade.
