Ravi Garyali – MD, Irrigation Products International (IPI) Pvt Ltd.
Incorporated in 1993 and professionally managed by a team of highly competent engineers and agronomists, Irrigation Products International (IPI) Pvt Ltd. provides technical know-how and state-of-the-art products to support golf, sports grounds, landscaping and beautification of outdoor environment.
Ravi Garyali, Managing Director of IPI, has been instrumental in developing the concept of using the latest technology for Turf Irrigation and Maintenance in India. His tech savviness and management skills have been the driving force and he stands by his resolve to continually enhance the quality and depth of customer service.
As a result, Garyali has successfully built a portfolio of prestigious customers throughout
India. Widely travelled, he has full exposure to the execution of international contracts and the high-quality standards to be achieved. IPI’s diverse clientele comprises golf courses (such as The Royal Calcutta Golf Club, The Bombay Presidency Golf Club, and Delhi Golf Club to name a few), commercial establishments (Ashok Leyland, Infosys, MRF, et al), hotels and resorts (The Leela Palace, Radisson Blue Resorts, Taj Exotica, etc.), and even cricket associations (Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Mumbai Cricket Association, Karnataka State Cricket Association and many more).
Excerpts from Golf Digest’s conversation with Ravi Garyali…
Over the course of your near-three-decade tenure at IPI, how has business changed with golf courses?
With the Indian economy opening up in mid-90’s and exposure to international golf primarily through television, the golf industry in India has completely transformed itself.
The modern technologies in water management and turf maintenance have helped Indian courses to be at par with the world’s best.
Do you think that real estate developers are still interested in using golf as part of new projects or does the market need a boost?
Indeed, golf brings the most alue addition to any premium
real estate project. With the rising pollution levels in
cities, people are drawn to living near
golf courses to enjoy the ambience besides the excellent health and leisure benefits! The
industry does require support from policymakers to ease the regulations for project approval.
The real estate sector is going through a transition due to enforcement of new regulations.
However, we are going to see big growth coming up in Tier-2 cities soon.
Could you share your long-term vision for the golf industry in India?
India is still a young market in terms of golf with good growth potential to catch up with our Asian neighbors.
IPI has been a successful and a reliable service provider for the past 25 years. We will continue to enhance the quality and scope of f our services based on trust & integrity to become the partners of choice for our golf customers.
Ever since Toro and Yamaha were made available in the Indian market, how have you seen these products grow and evolve?
Toro is the most successful brand world over as it works very closely with its distributor partners to deliver highest quality products and reliable after-market services to every customer. Yamaha golf cars were launched much later, and they are receiving excellent response from customers due to their elegant design, comfort, low cost of ownership and excellent after-sales support from IPI.
How – according to you – have the focus areas, with regards to golf course development and maintenance, changed over
the years?
There is growing awareness and sensitivity about the long-term sustainability of golf. Manufacturers like The Toro Company provide the most advanced solutions for saving precious water such as the use of recycled wastewater and using turfgrass varieties that require less water to survive. These are some of the initiatives that are being incorporated in golf development and maintenance.
What would you say is a “must-have” in terms of maintenance equipment for all golf courses?
Golf course turf requires a number of regular cultural practices such as mowing, dethatching, aeration, top dressing and nutrient management to keep the turf healthy and to provide proper playing surface to the golfers. Every golf course must have the right equipment in the right quantity to carry out these essential practices within the stipulated time and at a low cost of ownership.
IPI has been instrumental in advising many new and existing courses. Can you please name a few projects that you enjoyed working on?
Well, over the past 25 years, we have been fortunate to have successfully worked
on many a great project such as Glade One,
Jaypee Greens, Kalahaar Blues & Greens and Prestige Golfshire to name but a few.
Each project has been unique in its own way and has required proper planning, professional execution and commitment to complete the project within the agreed timelines. I can think of Oxford Golf and DLF as some of the most challenging projects.
The rocky terrain and a massive elevation of over 100 meters at Oxford required perfect coordination and execution. Likewise, the Gary Player course at DLF Golf & Country Club was a mega project with highest specifications and quality parameters. It is a great feeling that we played a part in these courses which,
today, are rated as the best in Asia-Pacific.