GOLF – ANYONE?? : Neena Gupta

“Hole-in-one”! There were cries of excitement everywhere – the golfers, the caddies and the people around. Someone had scored a hole-in-one – a near impossible feat in golfing – (statistics say it’s a 0.01% chance for amateurs) - and that someone was ME. no one could believe it, least of all myself. We rushed to the green, peeped into the hole, and there it was – my yellow golf ball. The starter came, gave the score-card to be filled up and signed and said I would get a certificate and a trophy! To tell you the truth, it was my first trophy in sports and probably the last one too! Whew! 14th of July 2024 will remain etched in my memory.

When did I begin this sport? About a couple of years ago, we used to walk around the Siri Fort Sports complex, which had all kinds of sports – we tried a bit of table tennis, some yoga, some badminton and then some gym. One day my husband spotted the golf practice range and out of curiosity, went inside and tried his hand at hitting a few balls. Very soon, this became an obsession and a passion with him and subtly and surely, I got roped in. He became my coach and I the casual player. He was the regular 18-hole player and I was the once-in-a-week 9-hole one. Slowly I graduated to 5 times a week.

I must say that looking back, we used to believe golf is for old people only – they walk, hit the ball with a stick, walk again, hit it again and repeat the process until it somehow gets into the hole. Since playing this game, I discovered that it’s a totally different ‘ballgame’ altogether. Golf is a very popular sport worldwide. It is a game played on a large outdoor course, the object being to propel a small hard ball into a series of ‘holes’ with as few strokes as possible, using a variety of wood or iron-tipped sticks or golf clubs. Golf provides a stimulating mental challenge combined with a healthy walk amongst verdant surroundings and can be played by people of all abilities and ages. The best part is it can be played on your own or in a team.

Golf is definitely good for your health and your heart. Walking an average course for a round of golf can be between five to seven kilometres.

An added advantage is that it can be a very social and enjoyable sport. While you compete against others, you can also compete with yourself to better your previous best score.

So for all those looking for a good hobby, I would say, take up GOLF!!

Neena Gupta
20 July 2024