Nidhi's Blog

Memories of a budding and an accomplished golfer, but with a heavy heart.

2011-02-19T00:04:00.000-08:00

Adarsh is no more. A terrible car accident took him away from us. He was barely 21 years old.

I remember him as Neil and from a very young age. His parents, Prabir and Mondira were our neighbors at Rishi Court in Bangkok. I would invariably see Neil at evenings on holidays playing all the sports which Kids play; cricket, soccer and so on depending on the season. He was a natural, his stance in cricket was very correct even at that young age and so it was with any game he played.

He was a friendly kid and quick to smile. I would get reports about him even after the family moved from Rishi Court. Mondira and Tara were colleagues at NIST from its inception in 1992. I would often hear from Tara that Neil excelled in any sport he took up and was very popular in school.

Later he started playing golf, probably because Prabir played golf. I clearly remember the time when Mondira told me with pride that Neil's handicap was a low single digit and that he was participating and doing well in junior amateur tournaments both in Thailand and in India.

I recall the first time I played with Col. Ramesh in Bangalore, as soon as he heard that I lived in Bangkok, he asked me if I knew one Mukherjee and added 'His son plays very good golf'! I said yes! It was indeed a small world. More important, both Mondira and Prabir were remembered as parents of a budding golfer!

Once after I started playing golf, I met Neil at his school NIST and I expressed my wish: 'Hope we can play a round of golf together.' He said 'Sure uncle.' and wanted to know whether I used a driver and how far I hit. Those were the days when I would just manage to cross hundred yards with my seven iron and embarrassingly the same with longer clubs and was very wayward with my woods. So I told him 'May be we could play later when I am a bit better!'

I feel terrible that this will never happen now. I am sure it would have been a great outing and a wonderful experience!

I am at a loss of words to express our anguish. We all have seen how strong and humane both Mondira and Prabir were as people and active as members of the community, school and elsewhere. We can only pray that God gives them and his sister Amrita and the family the strength to bear this indescribable loss.

These pictures are courtesy Webster University, Hua Hin, Thailand

Probably the last mention of Neil as a golfer.
http://www.phtnews.com/sport/golf/298-rotary-club-of-royal-hua-hin-charity-golf-tournament-a-success

Tributes from his close friends, borrowed from Face Book.
Akashay Agarwal God, I don't know why you do what you do. But when you do, you prove how small and powerless we humans are...Rest In Peace Adarsh, a friend, a fellow cricket player and a good human being!

My Indian brother

by Maximiliano Velasco Baratawidjaja on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 8:13am

Adarsh, my Indian brother, my friend, my companion, my family. I still find it hard to swallow the idea that you've gone from this world. I still wish to believe that you're there somewhere ready to pop up with that cheerful smile of yours and that joyful laugh.

But I know that is not the case. And I hate myself for knowing that.

You were our first friend my brother and I had there in Thailand, the first one to take us in, laugh with us, fight with us, and cry with us. You were truly a remarkable guy who simply loved life, you just loved it. Each day was a new adventure for you, each day a new challenge, each day an exploration. To you, there was no tomorrow or yesterday, it was now, how we were living now and sharing now.

Our lives, Diehan, Gerardo Alonso, you and me, were intertwined not just by city, not just by school, but by the bonds we chose to develop. By the trust we each put in each other, by the memories we created together, by the experiences we shared together, and by the way we chose to see the world together.

The days seem blank to me now, water is like sand. Just a month ago you took me in your house after 5 long years that we haven't met. What 5 years? To you it was just a mere 5 day interruption in our lives. You were that lively person that I knew back then, generous as we all can know, and caring beyond what many of us would be able to aspire to be. And now you have gone, to a better place I know, but those words are easier said than swallowed.

Adarsh, Neil, my Indian brother, I wish I could really express what I feel, but words fail me now. My mind is both blank and chaotic whenever I try to remember all that we've been through. I don't know whether to laugh and smile at all our memories or slump and cry knowing that none more can be made. I do know however, that you are a person who touched our lives, who touched my life. And I hope that one day I'll understand why you had to leave, because right now, I can't.

We love you man, and we will never forget you.

Your brother,

Maximiliano V.

Anuraag Agarwal Man this hurts me a lot!

Yesterday at 5:52pm

15 march 2011

I saw these two memorable clips on FB about Neil.
and have borrowed it for my blog. They are just wonderful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVOn4uRyHx8

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=10150098170568683&comments

Back to Golf blogging.

2008-06-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it has been more than a year since I have blogged on golf. I was recently reminded, why admonished, by Mohan (Nagamangala) for not keeping up with my golf blog. I suppose I should take his request seriously, it is not many who read my blog and offer a comment! Also, we belong to the same '111' club. South Indians will understand what this means, we belong to the same vaishnavite iyengar clan and our trade mark, given jokingly I hope, is 111.

Probably why, I am sure Mohan does much better, I am stuck around a score of 111 per round. It is not that I am a devout iyengar but the score seems to ensure it. I have broken the magical 100 a couple of times, mostly playing alone in Eagleton. I even had an Eagle once. The caddy showed me a plaque for someone who had made the first eagle on that hole. I do not know if I am the oldest at 68+ to make an eagle on that hole.

Anyway my score hovers around 111. Considering that I am a veteran of more than five years, it is disappointing to say the least. I am surprised that my friends still tolerate me and my game! It is nice of them to encourage me to play and still make me feel that I am one of them. In addition, I suppose it is the way the game is designed that allows me to play the game at my level along with better players and still come home reasonably happy. It is also a game which I can play with my eight year old grandson. We compete and it is all serious business while we play. We cannot say this about other games.

As I thought about writing my blog again, I wondered about some of the blogs I had enjoyed reading. Two of them are shown as a link in my blog. New2golf has made great progress as I see his statistics, which he meticulously manages to keep. The other with an interesting title 'Golfchick' has converted her blog to a website and the scope of the website is quite impressive. Clear proof of what dedication can do.

As I read these golf blogs again, I realise that I have not really written to a plan, a target audience! I know that serious golfers would not be pleased with my tone, it does seem light hearted at times. If it is meant to be a blog on the 'spiritual path to golf' or should I say 'spirituality through golf', it has been wayward. I know it is my 'rambling' nature that does it!

I am reminded about the recent unscripted drama in the US Open. While we are rightly in awe with Tiger Wood and his performance, I suppose we admire Rocco Mediate for what he is. I salute him for his noble role in this epic battle. I can never forget the way he offered a hug to the victor. I suppose he proved it to us that it is best that we try to be ourselves at all times.

Golf Masters in Future

2007-04-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

(We are constantly reminded about how Technology has overtaken Golf. Golf products seem to get obsolete as fast as the computers, mobile phones and all other gizmos. In answer to this onslaught of Technology, the golf course designers are constantly redoing the golf courses to make it as techno-proof as they can. Golf administrators are also constantly making rules and writing specifications to counter this threat of Technology to Golf.

Added to this are the many aids to golf training that get more and more sophisticated! I saw recently on TV, a Robot of German design which takes hold of you and guides you through the perfect swing path. A work out with this Robot would obviously give you a very consistent swing. It is like a dance teacher taking you through the steps.

I am sure it will be quite a while before we can hope that the driving range near your home would install one and that you can afford to pay for this work out. It is bound to be expensive and the poor us who cannot afford all this Technology can only pray!

We all know that prayer plays a big part in major sports for many. They invoke god to be with them when they play. The reason surely is the desire to win as well as the prize money that comes with winning. For others not playing, it is the pride for the team or the nation. Also, it could be that they have placed heavy bets on the outcome!

I know that in our cricketing world, priests are employed to offer prayers and many rituals are performed. I saw this news item Dec last year…‘led the rituals of rahuvu, ketuvu nagasarpadosa nivarana (a puja to ward off evil and seek divine blessings)’ … and thought it was a pity that God was not free to enjoy a game impartially! Possibly God does stay impartial and bless ‘may the better man/team on that day win’?
I had thought about writing a blog about god in sports, neither to propagate faith nor to criticize it, just to examine this human attribute. Zach Johnson after winning the Master said ‘I felt Jesus Christ with me on the golf course every step of the way’. So I suppose it is time for my blog! Enjoy!)

Golf Masters in Future
Srinivas Madhav Shankar woke up at sunrise as he always did and felt that he was ready for the challenge. He had offered to take on the Golf ‘world number one’ to establish, forever, that the spiritual power is superior to technology. He was a staunch believer of the 'dharma' he had discovered from a deep study of nature. It went back to days even prior to every known religion of the world! It was the time when humans recognized the spirit in the mountains, knew trees had immense wisdom as they stood firm against all odds and every being animate and inanimate had a soul!

He offered prayers to the spirit of the earth, especially the area (Khsetra) on which the golf course was built. He had invoked and had installed the idols representing the spirit of the trees around the fairway, every single blade of grass that grew on the greens. The water and the sand that surrounded the greens, the wind that blew around the course. He prostrated before the idols and started a very austere penance. Pleased with his sincerity the gods appeared and asked him ‘why this penance and what is it you desire’?

SMS very thrilled with the appearance of the gods, explained in detail the game and requested them to help him win. The gods were amused at the request of interceding in a game that was just putting a ball in a hole! However, they agreed to help: The wind god promised to carry the ball towards the hole and drop it into it, the water spirit promised to throw the ball out of the pond in case it fell into it. The trees offered to knock the ball back to the fairway in case the ball strayed. The blades of the green would convey the ball towards the hole and would also the change color ever so slightly that the putting line would be seen. Mother earth assured that it would change direction and bounce as required by him. There was one condition though, SMS had to invoke the right god and they would be there. This was required, they said, to avoid too many gods working for him at the same time. It could lead to confusion amongst them!

Simultaneously at the other end, the super technologist of the conglomerate Ti-ke-away was looking forward to this contest with enthusiasm and amusement. He felt that it was a waste of time as it was ‘given’ that there would be a no-contest! He was positive that with the new equipment, he could pick any amateur and train him with his robots to be equal to the top Professionals within a fortnight. Soon, a birdie was the highest score one would make on any hole. Eagles would be in plenty, the rare albatross would be seen more often and the hole-in-one would become a bore to watch!

He was very keen to test in secrecy the new irons that were revolutionary. They were designed to take over when the distance to the hole fell between clubs. The club had devices that could not be detected but were effective. They would sense the swing speed and adjust so that the ball would stop nearest to the hole. The putters were so designed with new unnamed gadgets that as soon as the putting stroke was made, the putter would correct the line and the speed after reading the break and the speed of the greens. He almost thought that he would also put the new homing device in the ball to test, but felt was not really necessary.

However the contest of the century ran into a snag on the day of the contest and was called off.

SMS being a true follower of the ancient ways strode into the most exclusive club in the world and was not allowed to enter as he was dressed in a loincloth!

More on Golf Accidents!

2007-04-04T01:17:00.003-07:00

I should first mention in passing that it has been a year since I was initiated to Blogging, thanks to Rohini. It has been a rewarding experience for 'Me'! I do hope that I shall be able to continue, probably more in my 'NidhiRamblers'.

It occurred to me that I had forgotten to include 'golf cart' as a source of accidents! I recall how I had inadvertently started the cart which was parked in a line and the caddy who was in front and between two carts was literally sandwiched between them. Luckily for me the golf cart had not picked up speed before I took my leg off the pedal, and more importantly she was a strong person and a good humored one! The Thai 'Mai pen rai' (Never mind) culture also helped.

The golf cart looks innocuous and one may be tempted to take it too easy while on it. Golf cart accidents can get very serious. As there are no seat belts, you could loose balance and fall off on a sharp turn. When we were at Melaka visiting Rama and Prasad, we learnt that Rama had a fall from a golf cart. She was hurt badly and needed stitches. I hope this has not stopped her from playing golf as they live on a golf course. I suppose one could be embarrassed talking about falling off a slow moving 'golf cart'! Not always true, as the terrain at Melaka golf club was steep and the path winding. I know I was worried while going down the path.

I thought I would research a bit more on the 'golf cart' accidents and it is much more than I imagined and it is a shocker!

Golf Cart Safety
Because golf carts operate at relatively slow speeds, it's easy to overlook safety procedures. But golf cart accidents can cause serious injury and death.
Between 1992 and 2001, golf cart accidents caused an average of 739 nonfatal injuries annually that led to lost workdays, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From 1994 to 2000, the Bureau reported an average of five deaths per year associated with golf carts.
http://www.thezenith.com/zenith_web/webui/employers/emp_ind_golfcourse.jsp

As more and more kids are taking up golf, cases of kids getting hurt as they were allowed to drive golf carts and also being hit by a club, as well as golf balls, are reported. I am sure a good discipline and better supervision is really required if kids are on the golf course.

I came across some sad but bizzare news as well. I had read a while ago about a Thai professor being acquitted of a murder charge! The murder weapon was a 'golf umbrella'. I just wondered about it and surfed the web and saw this piece!

'Tragically there have been occurrences of Australian drivers killed by their golf umbrella as it stabbed them through the seat from behind.' http://www.sdt.com.au/CRASHSAFETY.htm'

Please Drive carefully!

Golfing Accidents

2007-03-31T04:45:00.000-07:00

After my return to Bangkok we were talking about my golfing accident. See my 'Fitness thoughts' regarding this accident. I still shudder thinking about how serious it could have been. At that time my caddy had told me that the Golf Club had an insurance cover. I did try to, but did not manage to collect! One reason was that the driver never came back with the receipt for the repairs made!

But it is surprising that the club did not think of raising the height of the fence instead. I suppose the premiums were cheaper than the cost of a fence. On my recent visit to the club, I saw that the fence height had gone up considerably. The club was forced to raise it as one of the balls had hit the Chief Minister's car parked across the road! I wish that the Minster's car were hit earlier to my accident. Surely then, the fence would have been up and I would have been saved the tension and the cost of repairs.

I recall that a golf club in Chennai has a busy lane passing thru the fairway. While it is fenced, it was still unnerving to hit a ball with people crossing unconcerned on foot, bicycles and scooters. I am sure most of them are so used to it that they do not even realize they are in the path of a hard ball moving at a speed!

Naturally, our talk turned towards other accidents in a golf course. I remember I ducked in time from a fast approaching ball thanks to the caddie in Bangkok. Couple of years ago they say a caddie died in Bangalore after being hit by a ball. The club then started providing helmets to the caddies. As it is a narrow crisscrossing kind of golf course, it would make sense to provide it to players as well. In any case most of the caddies did not wear the helmet!

Being hit or hitting some one is not always serious. I have seen this happen in a major tournament! Tiger Wood's drive strayed and the ball hit a spectator and fell back on the fairway. Probably saved a stroke or two for Tiger! It is one of those benign incidents and Tiger’s caddy, known for his truculence, might have even thanked the chap for a change.

But unfortunately there are many instances of lightening striking golfers, often fatally at the golf course. Our golfing partner Bobby was very fortunate to come out more or less unhurt by a lightening strike. He said it went thru his umbrella held invitingly up and thru the putter that he had luckily grounded.

Most golf courses at Bangkok have warning systems for lightening. Surprisingly I have yet to see anyone stop playing in spite of the sirens going off. The caddies, mostly girls, keep walking and so do we! We trust them as usual, whether it is the ever important putting line or our life itself!

May be it is our asian "Fatalism" in action!

Back in Bangkok

2007-01-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

Back in Bangkok
It has been almost two months since I even thought about blogs! I have been busy with my daughter's family visiting us in Bangkok and all of us visiting family in Bangalore! We did play golf, even though Neil was equally happy playing soccer and other games with kids in the apartment complex in Bangkok.

He played golf well and had fun as he had the privilege of a golf cart and a personal caddy. He is used to his mother or father being a caddy but I believe he enjoyed being fussed over by the Bangkok lady caddies! They took very good care of him, constantly giving him liquids and making sure that he was always protected on the course. The only time he felt awkward was when a caddy hugged and kissed him on the cheek. This was when his approach shot from sixty yards dropped in for a par.

He almost parred the next par 3 hole, but his aggressive putt took it farther away and he three putted for a double bogey. He was in control most of the time and could have scored much better if he was more conservative with his putting. The heat also took its toll during the later half of the round.

The Bangalore weather was kinder and he managed to walk at the Bangalore golf club. Due to some reason the club was full on that day and the starter at the club was hesitant when he saw Neil and wanted us to start from the 10th hole as the lady playing after us thought we would hold up play. I knew the starter well and told him to just watch Neil drive and promised that we would let the other group go ahead if we held up play. One look at Neil’s drive the starter walked away. If any one did really slow down play it was not Neil and the group was never really close to us at any time!

He did have problems with the caddies in Bangalore. They are mostly young boys who dream of making it big in the pro golf in India or at least become what we call as caddy coaches. These caddies do get involved in the game and are prone to select clubs for you and give a lot of unsought advice. This is not Neil's style and he became quite upset once and literally shouted at the caddy. Raxit cooled him down and Neil apologized later to the caddy for loosing his temper! We consider caddies as one of the hazards to be faced in any Bangalore golf course!

The high light was at the Eagleton golf resort; the head coach had heard about Neil and specially came to see him drive. He was duly impressed and wanted to know who Neil's coach was. Difficult to answer as Neil used to intently watch Tiger, Els and Goosen with me on the TV when he was just three! But Neil is sure on one thing though, that he taught me how to play golf! When I had an especially good putt, he would come and give me a High Five and tell my caddy that he taught me to play golf! I suppose he did!

There are many memories of Neil playing but unfortunately not recorded, as we did not take the camera along. There is one where he is sitting with his caddy and our caddies and is full of mirth as he waited for us to get on the green. He was already on the green and we were stuck in bunkers and roughs and struggling. I told him later it was not polite, but he is just a seven year old and it was funny!

Raxit and I relaxed and had enjoyable games of golf. There were not many at the course and hence there was no pressure on us! I also had some valuable lessons in golf from Sesh.
I enjoy playing in Bangalore, as my game with Vijay, Murali and their group is fun and also it is in all seriousness. Which in itself is a lesson on focus and concentration.
I also had a great game with Nandini one evening and she did remarkably well, considering that it was her second outing on a golf course.
The sweetest memory, however, was to walk with Neil hand in hand on the fairway. Many times he would walk straight on and I would be on the sides looking for my ball!

I have been rather quiet!

2006-11-13T04:06:00.000-08:00

There has been a lull in my golf blogging! We have been busy after our return from India. Mainly my thought process was off course, similar to my drive! Great news is, Neil, my grand son is visiting Bangkok next week. I am looking forward to golfing with him once he settles down and gets used to the heat!

While at Bangalore, I heard this comment about my blog being too serious! Too much philosophy! I suppose we all get type cast into roles by intent or by accident! I am sure the intial comments of friends on my blog had some effect. They spoke of Bhakthi thru golf and I get back to this 'pilgrimage' theme often. I do try to keep an Indian bias in my writings! May be I should try to get humourous. It may turn out be as hilarious as Peter Sellers imitating Indians in his movie!

You might have noticed that I have links to 'golfchick' and 'New2golf'. I enjoy reading these blogs as they are also new to golf and have put in a lot of hard work at the same time are enjoying themselves! Try the links out if you have not already done. You will also get some well tried out tips and most important will help you to keep up your enthusiasm!

I saw this on the web. Especially good for us Seniors if your partners agree!

"GOLF RULE BOOK CHANGES
(only applies to Seniors) RULE 1.a. A ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted and placed on the fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled into the rough with no penalty. The senior should not be penalized for uncontrollable mechanical phenomena.

RULE 2.d.6(b) A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed not to have hit the tree. This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in a scientific game.The player must estimate the distance the ball would have traveled if it had not hit the tree and play the ball from there.

RULE 3.b.3(g) There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course and will eventually be found and pocketed by someone else, making it a stolen ball. The player is not to compound the felony by charging him or herself with a penalty.

RULE 4 (7a) If a putt passes over a hole without dropping, it is deemed to have dropped. The law of gravity supersedes the law of golf.

RULE 5. Putts that stop close enough to the cup that they could be blown in, may be blown in. This does not apply to balls more than three inches from the hole. No one wants to make a travesty of the game.

RULE 6.a.9(k) There is no penalty for so-called "out of bounds." If penny-pinching golf club owners bought sufficient land, this would not occur. The golfer deserves an apology, not a penalty.

RULE 7.g.15(z) There is no penalty for a ball in a water hazard, as golf balls should float. That they do not is a technical problem that manufacturers have to correct. Senior Golfers should not be punished for manufacturer's shortcomings.

RULE 8.d.19(q) There is no penalty for a ball going into a canyon on desert courses. This is a technical problem and when the golf manufactures retire they will correct this manufacturing defect.

RULE 9.k.9(s) Advertisements claim that golf scores can be improved by purchasing new clubs, balls, shoes etc. Since this is financially impractical for the average Senior Golfer, a stroke per hole may be subtracted for using old equipment."

Link to the site for more golf humor:

www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/golf/2006/golf_humor.htm

and here is another for more jokes about us!

http://www.otgmag.com/features/Humor/humor.html.

Fitness Thoughts

2006-10-10T04:13:00.000-07:00

While reading more and more about muscles and its ability to retain memories, this disturbing thought appeared from nowhere. 'What if I do not have some of these muscles special to golf?’ I am sure we all know a few who are blissfully ignorant that they have no sense of taal (rhythm) and go be-sur (off pitch) but insist on singing! It is a source of amusement for some but a terrible embarrassment to their near ones. There are days when this feeling of being clueless in golf and becoming a source of embarrassment to my golf group does surface! Luckily these moments are fleeting!

We hope that nature did not indeed deny us these muscles and we look for ways to enhance its performance. Fortunately for us, there are a bunch of fitness gurus who advise you on how to improve your posture, flexibility and most important of all, the core strength. I understand that there was a time before 'tiger' when fitness was not so essential for playing golf! What a pity that times have changed! Drinking beer after a game is no more the unmixed fun it used to be!

While looking at the many types of excercises available, I was thrilled to see India also contributing to the golf scene. There are teachers who teach 'golf yoga'. That was reassuring to me as I used to do yoga in India and all I have to do now is to restart! The other day I watched young Villegas lay practically flat, like he was prostrating in front of the hole before putting, praying that the ball went in. This is what we do to propiate our gods and to seek their blessing.

It was also like a yogic posture as he was keeping a gap between his chest and the greens. I believe the gap is required to comply with the rules of golf that forbade a player from lying flat on the green to read it. After watching his performance, I even wondered whether doing a yogic head stand (Shirasasana) would help as the eyes would be the closest to the green and we could get a totally different and close up view of the greens. I suppose we would be allowed to do it on the first cut!

Joking apart, I feel I should give a note of caution for those taking up Yoga. There is a method known as the Kundalini yoga. It is rather complex and esoteric. In case you are able to raise the Kundalini through various levels you may experience a sudden release of energy and those not properly trained may not be able to handle it!

I know this from experience! I was reading about it the previous night to my game and must have been subconsciously practicing it out on the course the next day. While on a par 5, I guessed that I was at a distance right for a 5 iron approach shot to the green and took a swing. I was amazed to see my ball practically shooting off my club and go zooming very much beyond the greens and through a small gap in the fence. It hit the windshield of a moving 3 wheeler. I was lucky that I did not hit the driver and was happy to pay for the broken wind shield. This happened in my home town Bangalore! I remember that while young we were always reminded by our grandmother to offer our prayers before venturing out. I am sure some one at the driver's home must have reminded him as well on that day.

Gifted Child: Grandparents pride - Parents dilemma!

2006-09-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

Nandini called me to tell me that Neil had done well in the latest Jr. golf tournament. He came first along with another kid but lost in the play off! Neil was upset and parents were disappointed. In fact, she had told me just the day before that Neil was not interested in practice anymore but they would take him to play anyway as it was his last tournament for the season!

Neil took part in the Callaway World Junior Golf Tournament at San Diego in July and did well. He was the youngest from his state of Washington and was given the honor of carrying the state flag! He was placed 18th and could have finished higher, if he had not become uncomfortable on the second day.The reason was that he had too much Gatorade to drink but refused to take a toilet break! He did have lots of fun and played with kids from different parts of the world. He and a boy from Peru became good friends!

He has a natural swing and a feel for the game, in fact any game! He drives well and without holding back. Predictably the short game has not interested him as much as driving. He is in a hurry to get it over with and go on to the next tee to drive! I know that he can take pressure when challenged. He has made long putts to beat me!

He had shown this aptitude for sports as a three year old! Nandini's friends had given him a set of plastic golf clubs and he could connect and hit well with them. I used to take him out to play and tell him to play like Tiger Woods. His reply was very sure! He was Tiger Woods! He was always ready to demonstrate his swing and was thrilled with all the wow's he got from people! Similarly he was Andre Agassi when playing tennis and Tendulkar when playing cricket!

The reason I am writing this is no surprise! As his Granddad and fellow golf player I am very proud of him and thrilled that he has the talent to play well and the temperament to compete!

Another reason is that I came across this review of a book, Hothouse Kids: The dilemma of the gifted child. I know it is a hard job to handle talent, especially in the US. Neil is in the age where he wants to be with his friends. Many of them are not into golf. Raxit and Nandini will be hard pressed to find a balance between his needs as a kid and nurturing his talent.

To compound this problem, Nikhil is also showing a lot of interest in golf and wants to play as well!

I hope they do find the balance. Being a kid is still a priroity and an all round development and growth is more important! I am sure that they will find a way to do all this and more!

Science in golf!

2006-09-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

I never imagined the seriousness with which the academy has taken to golf. It is really something! Consider this:
Science and Golf III - Proceedings of the World Scientific Congress of Golf
Martin R. Farrally, Alastair J. Cochran
Copyright 1999 ISBN: 0736000208 768pp Hardback

Science and Golf III is the ultimate one-volume source on current research about the game-from how to play better, to selecting the best equipment, to the latest advances in golf course design, and more!

The book includes 92 articles that were presented at the 1998 World Scientific Congress of Golf held at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. The conference was approved and grant-aided by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the United States Golf Association.

Regular Price: $75.00 (U.S. dollars)
(In case you decide to buy, I would appeciate it if you mentioned this blog! I have listed a few chapters to give you an idea of the sweep or should I say the swing plane of this book)

Chapter 1. A Three-Link Mathematical Model of the Golf Swing
A.B. Turner & N.J. Hills

Chapter 2. A Mathematical Swing Model for a Long-Driving Champion
M.G. Reyes & A. Mittendorf

Chapter 3. A Kinetic Analysis of the Knees During a Golf Swing
C.J. Gatt, Jr; M.J. Pavol; R.D. Parker, & M.D. Grabiner

Chapter 5. A Kinematic Analysis of Foot Force Exerted on Soles During the Golf Swing Among Skilled and Unskilled Golfers
K. Kawashima; T. Meshizuka, & S. Takeshita

Chapter 6. The Effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Flexibility on the Clubhead Speed of Recreational Golfers
D. Jones

Chapter 27. Who Chokes and When? Situational and Dispositional Factors in Failure Under Pressure
D.E. Linder, R. Lutz, D. Crews, & M. Lochbaum

Chapter 28. Superstitious and Routine Behaviours in Male and Female Golfers of Varying Levels of Ability
V.C. Melvin & M.A. Grealy

Chapter 40. Skirting the Issue: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Golfing World
M. Haig-Muir

Chapter 44. Golf and Italian FascismR.J.B. Bosworth

Chapter 46. Hole Size, Luck, and the Cruelty of Putting: A Thought Experiment on the Impact of Quantization in Golf
L.M. Landsberger

Chapter 58. Golf Ball Spin Decay Model Based on Radar Measurements
G. Tavares, K. Shannon, & T. Melvin

Chapter 63. Optimum Design of Golf Club Considering the Mechanical Impedance Matching
T. Yamaguchi & T. Iwatsubo

Chapter 70. A Study of Clubhead Speed as a Function of Grip Speed for a Variety of Shaft Flexibility
T. Miao, M. Watari, M. Kawaguchi, & M. Ikeda

Chapter 71. Does It Matter What Driver You Use?
T. Hale, P. Bunyan, & S. Squires

Chapter 91. The Passion for Green: Experimental Insights Into the Power of Golf's Primary Color Over the Mind of the American Golfer
J.R. Hansen

Why do 'bad shots' remain and the good ones seem to vanish?

2006-09-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

(Quote: The simple explanation is that our brains memorize passageways from stimulus to response at nearly imperceivable speeds. What is also obvious is that once the electro-chemical coding takes place and becomes entrenched, it is very hard to dislodge.)

(Quote: Unfortunately, the golf swings of most amateurs are not repetitive enough to make this happen. You're better off controlling your mind, where golf really takes place. - Golf Chick)

These two observations, one scientific and the other very practical, explain why we face such an uphill task while trying to perfect our swings and play a decent game of golf!

We are constantly cautioned by our spiritual gurus about being under a delusion, they use the term 'Brameh!' and we hear it often as they try to guide us through life and its tribulations!

I am sure all us have our own pet delusions! One of the first mantras I heard was to remember only the good swings I made. With this in my mind, I used to stop practicing with a club, as soon as I got one good result! I hoped that my brain would store it for me permanently. Invariably, a good swing was a rare occurrence and after hacking away at many balls on the range! The net result as you can guess, was that the brain did not recall this particular one on the golf course, where it was needed most! (I assume the brain had to work through a whole bunch of electro-chemical codes and could not locate it soon enough!)

I had also been advised not to use the driver as it was tough club to master for a beginner. While on the golf course I once accidentally picked up the driver, I thought what the heck, and just drove. Amazingly my first drive sans any practice is still my best! Obviously, I did not practice with my driver for a while and swung it only on the course, with very predictable results. I know it is better to use a 3 wood on the Tee, but it is not easy to give up trying the driver again(and again)!

I also remember the day when I had a great golf shot on a par 3 hole. Later, when the caddie gave me a 3-iron, I declined and asked for a 4 iron. Told him that I had never used a 3 iron so far! He acted surprised and said I had just used it on the last par 3! Well I did try it again and as you can guess the ball went nowhere! Ignorance is bliss sometimes!

Muscle Memory Emotional and Otherwise!

2006-08-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

I found the web address of the article on Emotional Muscle memory.
http://www.grief.net/Media/Emotional_Muscle_Memory.htm. While 'grief' as dealt by this web site is of a very serious kind, it should not surprise us to see that grief and golf are interrelated.

(Quote: At the Grief Recovery Institute we coined a phrase that relates to the emotional muscle memories we all acquire in childhood: "In a crisis we return to old beliefs and the behaviors that accompany them.")

This statement is so true! While we want Golf to be fun, we do manage to turn it into an obsession and a game of golf becomes a perpetual crisis sooner or later! Once in this frame of mind, we go back in time and all those hidden and forgotten fears take hold! Some of us Indians, I am sure, would not fix our Tee time during Rahukalam (Time slot fixed in an almanac for each day, when it is inauspicious to start anything important!).

While we may not touch the ground on the first tee to propitiate as some of the soccer players and our own musicians do as they step in, it is possible we would say silent prayers to our own 'personal' deity! I plan to check with our golfing friends whether it is necessary to perform ‘ayudapooja’ during the Navarathri festival! It is common practice on that day to perform a pooja of our vehicles and the machines in our factories, so why not our golf clubs! We know our epic heroes performed a pooja of their weapons every time they went into war.

We all know how some phobias we had managed to submerge in our consciousness resurface again. My fear of water is a good example! I think my inability to chip from the fairway goes back to days when as kids we were forbidden to play on the lawns. I still remember the first time I played on a good course with a well-manicured fairway. Regretfully, I topped every chip I made from this fairway!

(Quote: The simple explanation is that our brains memorize passageways from stimulus to response at nearly imperceivable speeds. What is also obvious is that once the electro-chemical coding takes place and becomes entrenched, it is very hard to dislodge.)

This ‘simple’ explanation I believe needs a deeper study and analysis. I think it will also throw light on how we fail to improve in spite of all the hours we put in the driving range. More of this later!

External pressures you face on the course!

2006-08-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

If I had worn this T shirt, I am sure the Marshall at a public golf course would have been little more considerate. He was literally shouting at me 'your group is holding up game and it is backed up all the way'! It was the first time for me and as I did not understand him, it made him shout harder and me totally uspet! This is how I learnt about other pressures in golf in additon to your own self-created ones!

In Bangkok I usually play with a group who are younger and are long hitters!
They wait for me to catch up and I am sure, on my bad days, it is testing them a lot. But not all are that patient. Recently in Bangkok, we were playing in a golf course which belonged to the Airforce. A gentleman, possibly a retired general, strode up to us as we were putting and gave us a dressing down and told us to speed up. It is not very usual in Thailand as people are very polite and circumspect. Normally a marshall would go talk to the caddies and we would get the message!

I also learnt rather quickly that we do not have all the time to line up putts and study the green the way pro's do. You are expected to putt fast and pick up the ball and move on if you have not two putted! If you want to practice putting, go home and putt on your carpet!

One experience was almost like a nightmare! I was on one of those rare par putts and must have taken more time than usual. As I lifted my head to line up one last time, I saw four young men in my line of sight. All were standing erect, with a club in hand, staring at me passively. It was reminiscent of movies where the hero wakes up from sleep in a strange country and confronts the menacing and impassive stares of the local warriors! Sure enough, I missed my rare Par opportunity and picked up my ball and walked towards the next Tee!

Some thoughts on Muscle Memory!

2006-08-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

He who utters the Name of God while walking
gets the merit of a sacrifice at every step. His body becomes a place of pilgrimage. – Sant Tukaram

I am sure that Sant Tukaram had never heard of Golf, but he could have been a patron saint of golf, if he were around St. Andrews when it all began!
It is heartening that while salvation to our game seems to depend on muscle memory, it is amazing that salvation to our souls could be through a game of golf. In fact, it is pretty easy to think of God as you walk through an aesthetically well-designed golf course. But it may be tough to take his name while you slice your drive and the ball rises gracefully high and splashes into water just one yard short of land. There will be many such testing moments when you let yourself go and regret later.

I have been wondering how muscles could have memory; I thought brains (not all!) had a claim for this. I suppose so many experts cannot be wrong. Then if muscles have memory, could they have bad memories? Could there be jealousies between muscles? Understand there are at least 200 muscles that are involved in physical activity. Imagine our state if these muscles only remembered our bad shots or if our Tennis and in my case the Basket Ball muscles, became jealous of our Golf muscles. I am certain that some of these muscles, which are common for all sports, surely play a game other than golf on their own while we are on the course!

If you think I am kidding this is what I saw on the net!
“Oh yeah, we're sure Tiger would endorse this idea; practice, practice, practice, so you can develop a new emotional muscle memory that will hold up in a crisis.” (I know it is somewhere in the WWW)

Anyway, Glad to be back and to Blogging!

More facts about golf

2006-05-26T02:29:00.000-07:00

While 'Birdie' is something we want to show in our scorecards, my friend Augie was not happy with this birdie, a crow which took off with the ball at the Bangalore Golf club. He looked upset as he spoke about it much later in Bangkok. He said he had missed a birdie opportunnity. Mohan who had joined us on that day came up with a nice comment, ' You could have still called it a Birdie in your score card'! There was some fun speculation about what the rules would say if the crow had actually dropped it into the hole.

Here is a tale from my much younger pre-golfing days. Being an avid reader of P.G.Wodehouse I knew clubs had funny names like Niblick, Mashie and so on. I found out that these are not current in an embarrassing way. I was visiting with my mother the family of a very senior person in the administrative services and a nice one. He had just returned from a game of golf and thinking that I would impress him, hoped his Mashie behaved that day. He looked at me strangely and said that those were ancient names as clubs have numbers now.

They sure do, bigger numbers are shorter and are in different types like Irons, Woods, Wedges and of course the Putter.There are recent additions like Rescue or Utility clubs! As we are allowed to carry only 14 clubs, we take a combination of these. The club shafts can be of steel, graphite with many flexes. Golf club technology seems to have run riot and choices are mind boggling. The criteria for the choice of clubs are many and the subject huge. Actually it makes sense to get your first set from a garage sale as it does not really matter initially.

There are stories of Pros who were disqualified in a tournament as they had more than 14 clubs in their bags. It is strange as even 14 appears too many, could be an honest counting error. While we amateurs can manage with half a set most of us carry the full set. It is known as ‘vana Jambha’ in Kannada, the need to show off while being without real substance!

The bag with the clubs, umbrella, balls and water is heavy and it is tough carrying them around the golf course for 4 to 5 hours at my age. While in the US, I managed with a struggle or took a ride in the buggy. Luckily it is different in Asia as caddies are usually compulsory.

I heard this story from one who came as a VIP delegate from a neighboring country and played in one of Bangkok’s exclusive courses. He said that each player had four ‘lady’ caddies. One for the clubs, another for the umbrella, the third to write the score and the role of the fourth he forgot to specify. We can imagine and marvel at the crowd at the Tee and on the Green. I forgot to ask him if they had golf carts as well. The convoy would have been indeed impressive! We poor amateurs make do with one caddy . The caddies are normally women and very pleasant and I think they have a sense of humor as I hear giggles occasionally; unfortunately my Thai is not good enough to understand why.

Some facts about Golf

2006-05-25T01:51:00.000-07:00

You will be pleased to know that I have qualified for this award even though no one has actually given it to me!

I think it is time to educate the non-golfers who I hope are still hitting my blog with some facts and figures about golf.

Dictionary definition (source to be checked!)

golf (gŏlf, gôlf) n.
A game played on a large outdoor course with a series of 9 or 18 holes spaced far apart, the object being to propel a small, hard ball with the use of various clubs into each hole with as few strokes as possible.

I came across this (thanks to Kyle Hallberg of the PurePoint Golf System) and it should gladden the hearts of most of us Amateurs.

There are roughly 27 million golfers in the world.
Their average gross score: 107 shots. (Normal par score is 72 shots.)
Eighty percent of the golfers do not achieve a handicap of less than 18.(Source: Revista golf international. November 2000)

I notice that the Bench marking was done before I started golf, but I am certain my contribution would not have pushed the average any higher!

The aim is to play as few shots per round as possible. Scores for each hole is described below:

-3 Three strokes under par is called an albatross (double-eagle): an impossibility for me.

-2 Two strokes under par is known as an eagle: a miracle if it happens.

-1 One stroke under par is a Birdie: which does happen once in a blue moon.

0 Equal to par is called a par or even: I hope to make at least once in a round of golf.

+1 One stroke more than par is a bogey: will be quite happy with this.

+2 Two strokes over par is a double bogey: happens more often than I care to admit.

+3 Three strokes over par is a triple bogey: we come home totally upset if there are too many.

I have one more which is not offcially recognised: 'double' which to me is double the par score.

Origin of Bogey appears to be Sanskrit. One who reaps a due reward?

Experts speak of the front nine and the back nine scores. Apparently they have found that some of us are better in the first nine and the others do well in the back nine. I suppose it feels good to say that 'I had a better back nine' instead of ' I had a miserable day!'. At our level we even talk of 3 good holes in a row and feel excited about it. We say 'If only I had continued with the fantastic run I had in the begining, I had two bogeys and a par'. Basically we have found ways to console ourselves.

The distances are not equal for all the eighteen holes, some are shorter and you are given 3 strokes to have a par score. A few are par 5 holes and the rest are par4. It adds variety to the game and also enables us to say I do better in par 5's, I can always count on par 3's and so on.

Those of you who are looking for more 'gyan' or knowledge can check it out on 'wikipedia'

Back to Golf!

2006-05-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

If you watch religious discourses on cable tv in Hindi, you invariably hear this word ‘bhatakna’. I think it means wandering aimlessly in search of God, truth or whatever after being misled. It aptly describes our state as we keep going back and forth between the driving range and the golf course in search of the right swing. While at the range you feel you will get it right at the golf course under real-time conditions and while at the course you console yourself that all you need to do is to tweak your swing a little at the range!

In short, you are totally confused and are not sure of the right path to a respectable game of golf. You also learn that there is more to golf than just driving long, that you lay up shots and a good short game of pitching, chipping and putting is a must. There is no doubt about your need to develop correct techniques and to master the right technique you discover that golf muscles need to be specifically strengthened.

Anyway, you are constantly reminded about your lack of fitness as you suffer many aches and pains. You make a resolve to start a regular regimen of Gym and Yoga as soon as the pains subside. But you are not totally convinced as you notice all types and shapes of people at the driving range not doing too badly. You also wonder whether the new equipment you had read about would make a difference, but deep inside you know that equipment comes last.

As you struggle, to add to your confusion you find that:

The maximum distance you manage is about 100 yards irrespective of the club you use.
Your game is one-dimensional; you get either the direction or the distance, never both.
The harder you hit the lesser distance the ball goes.
Align yourself away from a hazard the deeper you go into it.
Practice swing is not the same as the one you hit the ball with.

In your weak moments you may even start thinking that possibly the same number of hours at the feet of a spiritual guru would enhance your chances for a better after-life.

Finally, in your quest you find a ray of hope as you read that all you need is to develop your muscle memory and commit your good shots to it.

Golf takes a break!

2006-05-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer:

I think it is time to make a disclaimer after Kavya at Harvard faced an embarrassment of being accused of plagiarism. While I admit to thinking myself as an ‘original’ I am sure I have internalized many books, columns, jokes during my extensive web searches and specially the funny comments made by my fellow players!

I also discovered that I am not the first to think golf as a pilgrimage.

God's Handicap: Golf as Spiritual Ordeal [This essay, written by Ian Johnston, is in the public domain and may be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without permission and without charge, provided the source is acknowledged; released August 2005]

“It came to me in the same way divine illumination came to John Bunyan, in a dream, for, as I looked, lo, I gazed and saw that golf is the secular embodiment of the most basic living metaphor of radical Protestantism....It is, in other words, the recreational equivalent of the Pilgrim's Progress. ”

Raghu with whom I have many dialogues while visiting Bangalore surfaced with this comment:
“Also following your blog. Interesting to see the transition from the philosophical side to the technical.” Raghu.

I seem to be swinging between the two. I often wonder why we go on a pilgrimage.

While in Jordan we were close to the place where Moses was shown the Promised Land by God and saw the place where Jesus was baptized. A sight seeing trip was also a pilgrimage. I wondered about God only speaking to Moses, and of the wise men who recognized Jesus as the son of God. Also of the firm belief held by Islam that Prophet Mohamed was the final one and his way was the only way for salvation. As we all agree Religion is matter of faith and if half of humanity have accepted these beliefs, it is very clear that it is a human need. It is also very intriguing that these religions have much common and interlinking history. You can only wonder about the rest of the world population holding many more different views and adapting different practices. It seems we all want to hold an exclusive right to God and his words and actions. While it is very sad that people take a recourse to killing in the name of religion, I can only concur with many who hold that religion has been hijacked or is it that killing is inherent in human nature, spread if not equally, amongst all of us.

While we can argue about it, humans have not done badly by adapting to religion. Human race has grown significantly in numbers in the last 3000 years or so and at an alarming rate in the recent past. This is in spite of all the wars that have been waged for many reasons including religion.

Learning golf through Books!

2006-05-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

“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!

First things First:

2006-04-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

After my historic game the consensus among friends was anonymous that I should go to the driving range and work on my swing with a Pro! I had already realized that I needed to work on my fitness to be able to walk at least 3 hours at a stretch without panting. As I love walking it presented no problems. Going to the driving range was another matter! There was this ego which prevented me from seeking a Pro. I reasoned that once I improved my fitness other things would follow.

Frankly it is not just about a Pro. It is a combination of your Purva Karma, namely the nature you are born with and your present Karma, the habits you accumulate by playing other games. It is complicated to overcome your karma to play good golf and tough to accomplish it in one Janma or life! It may be better to pray, if you have been pious and righteous, to be reborn in your next Janma as a golfer and start playing as soon as you learn to walk.

Anyway it is more sensible to go to the driving range and to the Pro. Being obstinate thanks to my advancing age, I looked at other options. I reasoned that humans being close relatives genetically to chimps are natural imitators. I looked around and saw a slim and reasonably tall Japanese girl had a vacant spot next to her. As I was taller than her and was slim when I was thirty I thought it was the right model to imitate and learn. She was dressed fashionably in the latest golf clothes and as all of them do, wore gloves on both her hands. Women generally are very sincere and go through all the practice routines the coaches teach them. While I could not do all of them I did try my best. I was of course being very discreet in my copying. I am sure no invigilator would have caught me! Finally, she took a languid swing and hit the ball and it soared to more than hundred yards. I followed taking an equally languid swing, but the ball went right and spluttered to about fifty yards. I am sure she did not know how I fared as she was really focused in her own practice! Anyway I stopped for a while as I did not relish looking like a chump instead of a champ. I learnt also that being a chimp is not my way and that I had to find other solutions to my swing problems.

My First Outing

2006-04-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

“Hi nidhi uncle. I’m happy for you that you’ve found your post retirement calling. While to you golf might seem like a harmless self actualizing pursuit, to me its a high powered top management game that I shall have to learn eventually if I wanna climb the corporate ladder (maybe when I join an American company). So I am happy to see that by the time that happens I shall have a high priest of golf right here in the family to give me tips (shlokas and astras) to get me started- hahaha! Am happy to receive as many installments of rambling as you can send so keep writing- best regards. Shrikanth"

The first outing:

Anyway to continue my saga, the first time we actually play on a course is an experience we can never forget. We call it the ‘Arangetram’ here in Bangkok. Normally it is the Guru who decides that you are ready and accompanies you on the course. As I had already returned to Bangkok, my friends took the decision on his behalf. Arangetram of cultural activities means a presiding chief guest and lighting of the traditional lamp placed on either side of the stage! Thankfully our Indian tradition was ignored. Luckily so were the hollowed Ivy League traditions. “After a night at Mory's, upperclassman golfers tied five of the six freshman members of the team together, binding their hands and feet with duct tape. The group then walked around New Haven in the snow, participating in additional initiation rituals.”

I was asked to be ready for an afternoon Tee off. As you can guess I hardly slept the night before and was ready very early in the morning. I was a total novice and had no clue about what to expect. Watching a golf game on TV does not prepare you either! I thought about the clubs I would need and took them all. In actuality I had practiced with just three Irons and only held the putter! Luckily I had gloves, but no golf shoes. I decided to take three balls along as you do in Tennis. I was told about the dress code, no jeans and collared T shirt, so I suppose I was dressed for the occasion.

As kids our first test after learning to ride the bicycle was to enter Avenue Road, always teeming with bicycles, and exit at the City Market! It is a nightmarish experience which we endure and the memory still gives me goose pimples! In comparison standing on the first tee was very calm. As my friends were warming up I looked around and was very happy to see a well maintained garden with trees, ponds and a beautiful lawn.

As I am basically an instinctive player, I decided not to take any pratice swings. Soon it was my turn to tee off. The caddie offered me the driver which I politely declined and chose a 7 iron. I put the ball on the tee. It was the defining moment of my first outing! As I looked up I was shocked to see that the scene had changed, there were only trees and water in front and the well manicured lawn (the fairway!) was missing. All those steps the guru had taught me, the grip, the take away, keeping the head still and feet steady all were forgotten. My first instinct was to take a whack at the ball which was sitting there and I missed it!

I think I looked devastated but my friends seemed to expect it and took it very calmly and asked me to try again! As Amateur golfers usually mess up their first drive, they are given an extra opportunity, it is called the Mulligan. I think I needed one more chance, a Murugan(?) and also wanted his brother Vinayaka to remove all obstacles from my way!

I really do not remember rest of this first outing except my friends were very patient and had only kind comments. I do not remember the number of balls I owe my friends, as I hit many of them into the water and a few were lost in the woods. I am sure that the score card (why the caddie bothered to keep score is beyond me!) would have been a record as the highest for the club if I had carded it in!

What I do remember is that I was totally tired and would have gone home if I could after nine holes. Every muscle I had, some of them I did not even know existed, was throbbing with pain. The cold beer we had after the game was really a life saver and was necessary to dull the pain I had in my body and in my soul!

Pilgrimage Begins!

2006-03-30T01:01:00.000-08:00

It was fun to get a few reactions to 'Why do we play golf!':

“I wonder if anyone in India has a golf magazine published. Will make an excellent article. I was not too sure if the author was Nidhi. It must be! Keep up the golf yoga and your ruminations about this wonderful sport. I hope Tara is ready to join you in a couple of years to do Dampati puja at various golf courses (I mean temples.). Fondly, Rama”

“Thanks for sharing an interesting thought. Rangaraj”

“Nidhi: Very interesting point of view. This is good material for your book: 'Practical lessons in Bhakti thru Golf' or ' Golf your way to Moksha' and other relevant essays. Ram”

“Read through your train of thoughts on the choice of golf as the obsession for the mature years. The major aim for the twilight years is to keep the 'little neurones' (a la Hercule Poirot) active. There are a number of ways this can be achieved, each one to his own poison! So long as one likes the chosen activity there would be peace. Raghu”

Younger generation was represented by Nanda 'who enjoyed it' and Priya 'who loved it' and as I was going to press there was one from Aditi!

"Hi! Nidhi uncle, I just had to tell you that was such a well written piece! I was discussing with aparna what a good time we had reading it! I really think you should consider writing more, maybe a whole book even! It was so nice to read it-perfect mix of humor and philosophy, and written from a point of view that I think lots of people can relate to. I'm looking forward to meeting you all here in Bangalore soon. Take care, and keep writing!-aditi rao-"

It was encouraging to get such positive responses from friends and relatives who are golfers or potential ones!

I view golf as a pilgrimage and hope those who choose to go with me will have some fun! It definitely is not a ‘one more path to salvation’! I am more comfortable trying some dry and deadpan humour. I write mostly to keep busy and started as my way of communicating with children! Now that Rohini has made it into a ‘blog’, I suppose I can dream of a wider audience!

The first lesson:
Initial reaction by newcomers to golf is similar to all those pulp romances where the hero (could be the heroine!) starts with disdain and later falls in love irrevocably! We do hear typical comments: Golf is like playing marbles, gilli danda or to quote Mark Twain ‘an expensive walk’. I am sure we can unearth many more negative descriptions of golf if we tried. With such a frame of mind, the first lesson usually turns out to be a disaster!

When Neil, my golfing grandson visited Bangkok, I arranged a few lessons for him with a golf coach! He did not look too happy and being a 5 year old boy, he was frank and blunt. He told me in front of the coach ‘Tata, I don’t have to learn from HIM, I know golf!’ He just wanted to hit balls and at a breakneck speed! While you cannot be so blunt, a similar thought would be lurking in your mind about taking lessons. You have seen golf on TV and have concluded it is quite an easy game! The situation is similar to Cricket where every armchair expert is better than the chosen eleven!

The driving range in Bangalore is part of the palace grounds,which is actually a maidan (poorly maintained grounds!). You are in a portion where there is no grass. Anyway, after dreaming the whole night about your smooth style and the soaring balls, you are impatient to get going! Your Guru begins with a warm up exercise lesson. Fair enough! He marks the sand with lines similar to the way a pujari marks a Mandala. You are then twisted in various unnatural angles! You are being taught how to hold the clubs, getting the right grip, posture and so on. You soon learn that you have to go through this practice ritual for the first two days before the coach even lets you hit the ball! As you pay by the hour, you feel it is just a waste of time and suspect that he is slowing you down on purpose. Not the best way to start learning!

In much less than the alloted hour you are aching all over and are also fuming! You want to tell him, come on man; 'I have been playing sports since donkey’s years and play a reasonable game of tennis!' I suppose the coach is used to oldies like me, he did tell me not to get angry and try to relax. Finally, he relents and lets you hit a few balls and you come home totally disillusioned as you have hacked the ball around or totally missed connecting. You and your ego are both bruised! You would have probably given up if you had not advertised the news about your golf lessons and could find an honorable way out!

Actually the guru you choose is very important! If you begin in Bangalore like I did, you can get lessons from senior caddies who play golf. They are not expensive to start with. My first one was good in teaching fundamentals, but he was always in need of money! Soon it becomes a game and you are occupied more with resisting paying the extras he perpetually tries to collect. It starts with paying his helper boy who joins him the next day, buying old golf balls, second hand clubs and gloves. He will also want sponsorships to play in tournaments!

I am certain that others would have a more benign experience! As you get more into golf you discover that you need a lot of excuses in your repertoire as to why you are not able to achieve lower scores. My traumatic initiation to golf seems to be a good one to use! Deepak Chopra in his book advises us to love the ball we hit. Finding a guru whom you can Respect is equally valid!

Why do we play Golf?

2006-03-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

I suppose this is a sequel to my: How I play Golf!

The obvious question ‘Why do we play Golf?’ is easily answered if we look at the broader picture. The professionals make a living and some do fabulously well. It generates billions of dollars in business all across the world. It is a game that can be played by people of all ages, sizes, shape and orientation!

Some serious golfers make a claim that golf is like life itself, sometimes even larger than life. While the first claim is probably true, I thought a web search (presently as important as a Vedic sanction of the old!) would be more informative! Results of the search gave about 553,000,000 sites for golf in 0.35 seconds, about 1,350,000,000 for love in 0.16 seconds and about 2,660,000,000 for life in 0.18 seconds. While Golf taking the third place would be disappointing for many of us, the young at heart would be relieved that love still prevails over golf!

I have been asking myself “Why do I play Golf?” especially after a rough day on the course! I suppose it starts as a way of killing time for a retiree like me! For us South Indian Brahmins the earlier ploy after retirement was to latch on to religion, get busy with an elaborate morning pooja! No one dared to tell them to go out and buy vegetables, collect people from rail stations! I fail to understand why spending time on golf, especially watching it on TV, is unfairly viewed with derision and as a waste of time while 3 hours in the pooja room is venerated! It is strange that while muttering the same mantra for hours every day is ennobling, the same time spent on golf is not! I am not the one to be easily discouraged and view Golf as a pilgrimage, a Badriyatra! In the past it was a journey with a possibility of being the final one. Golfers who are hooked will understand this.

(Those lucky ones, who do not retire and take up consultancy, join politics, own business and so on, can stop reading now!)

Living in Bangkok limited my options of keeping busy. You try to read books on religion, philosophy and after a while get totally confused. If you are scientifically inclined you can marvel at the Hubble pictures and get confused even more. It was impossible for me to grasp the enormity and complexity of the visible universe, let alone the spiritual world and gave up. I did try to get involved in the world’s problem by watching BBC and CNN, but how much can one see the perennial stories of conflict. Considered various activities TM, AOL, Aura, Reiki, Sahaj Yoga and did try a few of them, with various degrees of involvement!
Then it was almost like an ashariravani guided me to walk to the palace grounds in Bangalore and the driving range! In no time I was talking to a coach and fixing up lessons! It looked pretty easy for a guy who played sports!

I now realize that playing golf is the closest to what most of our elders did after retirement! Golfers also get up early in the morning, do surya namaskara, take a bath (shower!) before going to the course (temple)! As we near the course one can see many carts displaying golf balls reminiscent of the shops near a temple! We do buy used (‘experienced’ for the Americans!) balls and offer it to the golf gods. Depending on the course we give up half of them and bring back the rest as Prasad. Tiger Woods thinks it is Nirvana when he hits a pure golfing shot, we think it is swarga( Heaven!) especially in Bangalore when we stop after nine holes for a breakfast of Masala dosa and Coffee!

Golfers have their own rituals as deep in meaning as any pooja, they also have strict dress codes. They also practice a specially designed caste system (Handicaps!). It is possible that you may discover, if you dig deep enough, some mention of golf in the Vedas! May be not, our rishis would not have devised a game with so many clubs for putting one ball into the hole. I am sure they would have one Astra (Club) and many mantras for Driving, laying up, pitching, chipping and putting! Imagine getting a boon from one of the gods to have hole-in-one in all the 18 holes.

How I play golf

2006-03-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

(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!