Senior Gurugram Cop brings home three medals in golf at the World Police & Fire Games organised at Rotterdamsche

Kulvinder Singh IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police Gurugram and Pushpender Singh Rathore DIG BSF, won a gold medal in the World Police and Fire games 2022 held at Rotterdam from July 22 to July 31. These games are held every two years in which police officers and firemen worldwide participate. The event was held over three days at three different golf courses in Rotterdam- Cromstrijen Golfclub, Golfschool de Hooge and Kleiburg Golf club.

More than three hundred golfers participated in the event. Besides this, the team of Kulvinder Singh and Pushpender Singh Rathore won the silver medal, Pushpender Singh won two silver medals in the individual event, and Kulvinder Singh bagged a bronze. The team consisting of K.K. Sindhu IPS (Retd.) and Dr Kashmir Singh IPS (Retd) won a silver medal. This is one of the highest medal tally by the Indian golfer in the world police and fire games. 

SUBURB connected with Kulvinder Singh, Joint Commissioner Police Gurugram, for a candid conversation on his love for golf and other aspects.

IPS officer, Haryana 2005 batch, was made JCP (Joint Commissioner of Police) in 2019. When he was given the charge of a JCP Gurugram, the post had been vacant for over a year until then. Entering his cabin at the Commissioner of Police building, one cannot miss the medals, pictures, his love for the game, and his passion for his work.

For the JCP, sports were an integral part of his growing-up years. He was a national-level hockey player at school and university levels. He has played hockey even as a Haryana Police cop. Once a sportsman, always a sportsman! “Golf has taught me a lot of discipline and focus; it greatly helps my work as a police officer,” said Kulvinder Singh. “It’s been over 14 years that I played golf. I enjoyed every bit of the experience. I play golf only three times a week, sometimes not even that due to work commitments. As a sport, golf has honed me as a person. Golf is rightly compared to life. When as humans, we think life is in total control in the ways we want, one unexpected push from some corner takes us by surprise. Similarly, despite all practice and techniques to take the right shot, there is a chance of a miss. Sometimes things happen that can affect us, especially when we don’t see them coming. No one can guarantee the next perfect shot.”

To participate in the games, the cops were not a part of a government-sponsored contingent. “We bear our expenditure. Every two years the World Police & Fire Games are organised. I won medals in 2011 and 2015 in the World Police & Fire Games, said the JCP with humility. Though there are beautiful golf courses abroad, and I love to experience the nature of different greens, I would still say home turf is best. I always find greater comfort in playing in my own country,” he adds. The JCP has won the All India Police Tournament as well in the recent past.

Golf de-stresses

Talking about golf, JCP Singh said, “It’s a stress buster. Overall I feel every person must play at least one sport. Apart from discipline, sports teach us consistent hard work, patience, fairness, team spirit and much more. The sport of choice can grow as an instant bond to get two people together.”

Gurgaon a golfing destination?

He nods his head in agreement. “Certainly, Gurgaon has many golf courses and practice ranges. The city offers a great opportunity for children and enthusiasts to explore golf as a sport and a way of life. To play golf, one needs to be an earlier riser, and once a person gets into the practice of waking up early, the rest of the day automatically gets smooth. The hectic mornings disappear. The sport has instilled a lot of calmness in me. DLF golf course and ITC Classic are great courses to play. It’s a good feeling to see many children taking on the game. Catch them young, and they will get groomed into being fair, hardworking and disciplined human beings.”

 Advice to amateur golfers

JCP smiles, “They may not like what I have to say. I have seen that the young brigade is very impatient, and they want to start playing on the course sooner than they should. Youngsters taking up the game need to understand that golf can be enjoyed best by keeping a mix of seriousness and fun element balanced. Time must be spent on the range as well as the course. The practice range is beneficial in learning the techniques of the game and working on the right swing. There will be good and bad days on the course but at the end of the day remember it is just a sport. Golf is a game to enjoy, concentrate and stay in harmony with the environment and self. From my experience, the sport greatly affects our mental, physical and emotional well-being.”

Haryana has been awarded the Best State Award for Promotion of Sports, and Haryana Tourism has taken the initiative to promote Golf Tourism in the state. Suppose the government consistently and strategically starts to back the entrepreneurs and locals who want to promote golf in Haryana. In that case, the potential to attract foreign tourists to the state could be huge.