When I was very young and due to my father’s posting, stayed in the Hills of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, I had heard of the Naldera Golf Course. Once our family went along with friends for a picnic to Naldera. I was not interested in the golf course. So I declined to go.
I did not take any interest in golf as I was playing chess, hockey, table tennis, badminton and Cricket.
With the advent of the cable TV, one day while surfing the channels and unable to find any program of interest I just sat down on the couch and watched an impressive and well built man with a hat playing a very small white ball with long clubs. I was attracted by the beautiful surroundings—green grass, water in lakes, trees, patches with sand, the view of the sky on which the cameramen focused sometimes, the names of the players and the score against them.
I could not understand the game and the scoring in spite of the comments. I could make out that the impressive man was Greg Norman and that he was playing very well. But why he had a minus score and more points minus then others?
How could he be playing better than others who had plus marks and some had scores of 69, 71 against their names?
Hitting a small white ball smaller than a table tennis ball appeared to be quite stupid then and the game appeared to be so easy as to be meant for old people who could not play active games like cricket, hockey or football.
Thereafter I gave a go by to the golf on the sports channels.
Much later I found that many of my colleagues were playing golf and seemed to be very excited about the game.
They had joined a golf clinic in the Golf Club.
I still did not take interest.
One day I saw the photo of my senior colleague in the sports pages with the caption “Hole in one by Sri...”
I went to congratulate him and asked him some questions about golf and what a HOLE IN ONE meant.
My next senior colleague turned out to be a great fanatic of golf as he had been playing the game for eighteen years. He too had his name in the papers for a HOLE IN ONE.
I asked him more about golf and one day decided that I would go along with him and see how Golf was played.
Somehow so far this has not taken place.
But one day I saw the advertisement of the Golf Club in the papers about a Golf Clinic.
I got the forms and by the last date filled up and joined.
The clinic provided us with the basic rules of the game, dress, etiquette, method of playing, type of clubs-Driver, 3 & 5 woods, 3 to9 irons, sand wedge, pitching wedge, putter; golf bag, accessories, tools; practice, drills, proper exercise and warming up and actual play with a competition at the end.
I read a book on how to play golf.
I just wanted to know what is golf and how it is played.
I decided to enter the competition of the clinic participants.
I did not do well in the pitch and putt.
The reason—I used the club available (to save time) as the proper club had been taken away by another competitor who was practicing when he should not have been. This made my strokes improper.
Then came the longest drive competition. After a few players had hit the ball with one or two flags planted for longest distance, my ball went on and on magically and then there was a flag for my ball too. At the end of 80 competitors there were just four flags on the fairway. There had to be just two. Would my flag be removed?
I rushed towards the flag and as I walked, I went past the other three flags. So mine had gone the longest distance.
And in front of the ball appeared my coach asking who hit the ball so far. I said, “It is mine”. His eyes glowed with pride and he hugged me and patted me as he congratulated me. The distance of the massive drive-- 246 yards with a 4 iron.
And from that day I was hooked to golf as I thought I could improve my game and be there amongst the champions.
What I liked about golf?
The surroundings—green grass, trees, birds and of course animals amidst nature.
The walk and exercise in fresh air. A round of nine holes is about 4-5 km
The calm and serene courses.
The effort to learn the techniques of a complicated game, which appeared very simple.
A game in which one can play against oneself as against others too.
It is also a mental game.
During the one year since I first picked up a golf club in the clinic I haven’t played regularly. But still my handicap has come down from 27 to 24. Sometimes I am near one over i.e. 18 for 18 holes, making a few pars and one or two birdies some bogeys, double bogeys and also triple bogeys. I feel I have the potential for vast improvement but because of office and family problems on mind sometimes I lose focus. I know one should forget other things when out there on the course and play for fun and improvement.
If I play well and use the tips and techniques I can be a better player and feel more satisfied.
These days I watch golf on sports channels. I also go to the free golf course on the barnesandnoblesuniversity .com
I read the mental tips on Michael Anthony’s site, Zengolf, Pelzgolf.com and Golfserv
I occasionally play at a local golf club and participate in tournaments.
Golf has really hooked me at the cost of cricket.