Learning golf through Books!

“Hi Nidhi Uncle, Dil ki baath kehe diya aapne.
This should be made a compulsory
reading for those who want to start Golfing
and who have just started to (like me).
Let this be the Bagavathgita for Golfers
and run into ashtaadhyaya.
Expect many more Arjunas kneeling down to hear (read)
the Nidhiupanishadh. I look forward to the next adhyaaya.
Regards- Mohan Nagamanagala”

Such nice reactions from Golf Bhakta’s gives me
the incentive to continue rambling! 

As time flew, I went occasionally to the driving range to practice and played with friends whenever the opportunity arose. I can also claim to be a Global player as I managed to play in different countries! In spite of all this, I still insisted that ‘I am there for the walk’ or ‘Keeps me occupied’. I am reminded of the conversation I heard in Kannada between two newly married women. To the question ‘does you husband take a drink’ the reply was ‘yes, but he takes it for company’. The difference between drinking and taking a drink is very subtle. The fear that you may start as a social drinker and turn into an addict may not hold nowadays, but was a real fear of our parent’s generation! However, a social golfer is certainly a myth, we do get addicted in no time.

My children supported and encouraged me by gifting a set of golf clubs and especially books.There must be hundreds of books written on golf. Most of the books cover the serious physical and mechanical aspects of the game. There are also books which dwell upon the psychological aspects of playing golf. Some try to write about humor in golf, I recall a number of golf stories written by P.G. Woodhouse. Others go on the band wagon to venture into spirituality in golf. There is even a book which treats us as dummies which surely is closer to home than we would like to admit.

The first book I read was totally technical and after scanning through I decided to concentrate on all those special shots designed to get us out of trouble. Not that I expected to get into all those situations, but just in case I did. Also learnt that one duffed shots, sliced, hooked and had Yips while putting. I was shocked to discover that I was very suggestible and got into all these problems I read about and more. I gave up reading soon and the book went into circulation.

I remember that the book also suggested practice in front of a mirror. I did not have a large mirror at home and I felt awkward getting into postures in the Gym. There was also a deep rooted psychological reason as well. My generation would remember being shouted at by elders for spending too much time in front of mirrors. We were not practicing golf then, but were trying to emulate Dev Anand, Clark Gable or James Dean. But the inhibition persists and I feel both ridiculous and nervous in front of the mirror.

There was this wonderful book which Mukund found for just 20 Bahts. I have not read it in full but recall that it analyzed the role of our brain, analytical and intuitive hemispheres, and the need to switch from one to other while making the swing. I suppose it tells us how to do the switching and I am waiting to get my hands on the book again so that I could locate the switch in my brain and learn to operate it.

Books are definitely useful and necessary to learn about golf. In addition to golf fundamentals, we also learn the golf vocabulary and the use of right golfing jargon while making excuses. One common theme of all these books is that we should take lessons from a Pro! There we go again!