How I play golf
(This piece is inspired by Neil who made a birdie on a par three! He said he drove the ball near the green and chipped in. The ball kept going and going and finally went in, all of 25 yards!)
When Vijay made this observation last year while golfing with him, I found it highly significant. He said “I have been watching your swing, not that it is wrong, but you seem to have seven different swings!" We have heard of sapta rishis, sapta padi- the seven important steps we take during our marriage! Management gurus talk of seven qualities of effective executives. Deepak Chopra has also written a book on golf- Golf for Enlightenment, the seven lessons in the game of life. So I had seven different swings! The new seven wonders of the golfing world. (Honestly he was being considerate! I am afraid that each of my swing is as unique as a finger print, I believe I will have a million different swings eventually!)
I think one more observation from Mukund as equally important. He said that I made one reasonably good shot in three! This again is an observation as deep in value as Vijay’s. While seven seemed connote spirituality, three reflects a realistic approach to life. Who has not heard stories of parents with three offspring out of which only the youngest (usually written off) will come to the rescue of the family! So here I am blessed with seven swings and one in three good shots! I was quite content with the situation.
But it was not to be. It is not enough that we hit a ball and take a walk and again hit the ball and take a walk and continue this routine till we put it into a hole. We need to keep a score and after you come home after having gone missing the whole morning, you are asked ‘how was your golf’? Your reply ‘as usual’ is received with a query ‘so you had a high score AGAIN’! (I assume the voice goes higher unintentionally but it does grate!). This is one game I know where a high score is just not a good thing, it is a disaster!
Most people say that golf is like life itself and some others say it is even tougher! I agree with the others! In real life if you are smart you can always find someone else to do the dirty job for you! Look at all the old kings and the new politicians sending people to war on their behalf. You have no such recourse in golf, you have to make the swing yourself and take the consequence. There are no scapegoats available for us and we face the various hazards which are designed to make the game more challenging and enjoyable(!).
The hazards are many, like water, sand and forest of tress wherein you are likely to loose golf balls and have a high score in addition. You also have the first tee jitters while people (may be just the caddy) are watching. There are also some unique ones. Augie says he does not hit well when people are not watching! In my case I do not have a water phobia, but water loves me and my golf ball! I have hit balls into water that I never knew existed. I have gone sideways and even backwards finding water! Some love hazards, my grand son loves sand as enjoys hitting the ball out of it with as much sand as possible, threatening me that ‘sand will go to your eyes’! That may be because he is just five years old! One of the biggest hazards are the Bangalore caddies, who take over your game and start advising, criticizing and even scolding you! I find it as one of the biggest hazards to overcome. However, I have not heard anyone complaining about the Bangkok caddies, even though some of them are as pretty as any apsara and could be distracting!
It is true that once we start playing we get addicted! We continue because, people like Sethu (Who gets major credit along with Neil for my taking up golf) who encourage you to just hang in there. Our own experts like Bobby who gives advice reminiscent of the sages of the old! (We go with Bobby once in so many months for a much awaited critique!) You go and tell him ‘I am not able to drive properly’. He would say “all you have to do is to find your ‘grip’, the rest will follow”. You cannot get deeper than that I suppose. It is as mystical as the admonition of the gurus who said that the way to salvation is to find your ‘true self’! Sometimes I do think that I may be able to find my true self but never the ‘grip’.
Why do we play golf or why do we persist? This is not an easy question to answer. But I do know that one long putt that some how finds its way into the hole or that beautiful approach shot which lands within a foot of the hole keeps us all addicted. We also take consolation in the fact that we do get some exercise and the efforts to play better keeps us, especially us who have retired, in better shape!
When Vijay made this observation last year while golfing with him, I found it highly significant. He said “I have been watching your swing, not that it is wrong, but you seem to have seven different swings!" We have heard of sapta rishis, sapta padi- the seven important steps we take during our marriage! Management gurus talk of seven qualities of effective executives. Deepak Chopra has also written a book on golf- Golf for Enlightenment, the seven lessons in the game of life. So I had seven different swings! The new seven wonders of the golfing world. (Honestly he was being considerate! I am afraid that each of my swing is as unique as a finger print, I believe I will have a million different swings eventually!)
I think one more observation from Mukund as equally important. He said that I made one reasonably good shot in three! This again is an observation as deep in value as Vijay’s. While seven seemed connote spirituality, three reflects a realistic approach to life. Who has not heard stories of parents with three offspring out of which only the youngest (usually written off) will come to the rescue of the family! So here I am blessed with seven swings and one in three good shots! I was quite content with the situation.
But it was not to be. It is not enough that we hit a ball and take a walk and again hit the ball and take a walk and continue this routine till we put it into a hole. We need to keep a score and after you come home after having gone missing the whole morning, you are asked ‘how was your golf’? Your reply ‘as usual’ is received with a query ‘so you had a high score AGAIN’! (I assume the voice goes higher unintentionally but it does grate!). This is one game I know where a high score is just not a good thing, it is a disaster!
Most people say that golf is like life itself and some others say it is even tougher! I agree with the others! In real life if you are smart you can always find someone else to do the dirty job for you! Look at all the old kings and the new politicians sending people to war on their behalf. You have no such recourse in golf, you have to make the swing yourself and take the consequence. There are no scapegoats available for us and we face the various hazards which are designed to make the game more challenging and enjoyable(!).
The hazards are many, like water, sand and forest of tress wherein you are likely to loose golf balls and have a high score in addition. You also have the first tee jitters while people (may be just the caddy) are watching. There are also some unique ones. Augie says he does not hit well when people are not watching! In my case I do not have a water phobia, but water loves me and my golf ball! I have hit balls into water that I never knew existed. I have gone sideways and even backwards finding water! Some love hazards, my grand son loves sand as enjoys hitting the ball out of it with as much sand as possible, threatening me that ‘sand will go to your eyes’! That may be because he is just five years old! One of the biggest hazards are the Bangalore caddies, who take over your game and start advising, criticizing and even scolding you! I find it as one of the biggest hazards to overcome. However, I have not heard anyone complaining about the Bangkok caddies, even though some of them are as pretty as any apsara and could be distracting!
It is true that once we start playing we get addicted! We continue because, people like Sethu (Who gets major credit along with Neil for my taking up golf) who encourage you to just hang in there. Our own experts like Bobby who gives advice reminiscent of the sages of the old! (We go with Bobby once in so many months for a much awaited critique!) You go and tell him ‘I am not able to drive properly’. He would say “all you have to do is to find your ‘grip’, the rest will follow”. You cannot get deeper than that I suppose. It is as mystical as the admonition of the gurus who said that the way to salvation is to find your ‘true self’! Sometimes I do think that I may be able to find my true self but never the ‘grip’.
Why do we play golf or why do we persist? This is not an easy question to answer. But I do know that one long putt that some how finds its way into the hole or that beautiful approach shot which lands within a foot of the hole keeps us all addicted. We also take consolation in the fact that we do get some exercise and the efforts to play better keeps us, especially us who have retired, in better shape!
Labels: Golf 'Oriental'
posted by Doreswamy Srinidhi at
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