My 6 year old son Siddharth has been learning golf for about a year. He has been on the course a few times with his coach, but most of his golf sessions are lessons at the Poona Club practice facility. I went out to play a few holes with Siddharth a few days ago. This was my first golf round with him.
Siddharth is big for his age - a tall child with a big face and large chubby cheeks. He plays the violin, plays tennis, and golfs (among other things). However, his defining characteristic is that he suffers from extreme curiosity - I make it sound like a medical condition for a good reason. In my lifetime I have not seen another person with the level of curiousity Siddharth has. He notices things no one else around him does, and he drops everthing else to go check out anything that seems interesting. We have many funny stories around this, but that will probably be a different blog post.
During our 1.5 hour, 4 hole-round, Siddharth took several detours to check out butterflies, poke his 6-iron at tree trunks, retrieve a ball from a pond, and so on. He would hit a shot, and then just take off across the fairway to check out the next interesting thing on the golf course. At first I was at my wits' end to get him to play faster since we were holding up the groups behind us. After a while, I just asked those groups to go ahead of us, and started enjoying what Siddharth was doing. Retrieving Siddharth's ball from the water body on hole#6 was so much fun!
At the end of our adventure, I asked him what he enjoyed the most during the round? Retrieving the ball from the pond - pat came the reply.
At some stage of our lives, many of us have been told by others to stop obsessing about our goals and enjoy the journey. The 4-hole golf round with Siddharth was an incredibly forceful demonstration of just that. Thanks Siddharth!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hurray! I am a bogey golfer now!
The USGA handicapping system defines a male bogey golfer as "a player who has a Course Handicap of approximately 20 on a course of standard difficulty.". After playing golf regularly for two years, I am now a bogey golfer!
Taking the word "approximately" in the definition to mean plus/minus 2, a handicap range of 18-22 makes up the world of bogey golfers. This is an interesting world, from where a golfer can look at beginners patronizingly, and secret dreams of becoming a single digit handicapper are no longer of the pipe variety. However this is also a brutal place. Progress is a lot harder and slower. There is the potential to play a very good round, but it is not uncommon to play a really bad one, and embarass yourself! A few weeks ago, at the Poona Club Golf course, I played the front-nine 6-over followed by 23-over on the back nine!
Taking the word "approximately" in the definition to mean plus/minus 2, a handicap range of 18-22 makes up the world of bogey golfers. This is an interesting world, from where a golfer can look at beginners patronizingly, and secret dreams of becoming a single digit handicapper are no longer of the pipe variety. However this is also a brutal place. Progress is a lot harder and slower. There is the potential to play a very good round, but it is not uncommon to play a really bad one, and embarass yourself! A few weeks ago, at the Poona Club Golf course, I played the front-nine 6-over followed by 23-over on the back nine!
Hopefully the world of the single digit handicapper is a much better place, because that is where I want to go. However I have a sneaking suspicion that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Ouch!
Today was not a good day for me at the golf course. The weather was marvelous, the company was good, and I wasn’t playing that badly. However the round left me feeling very disappointed with myself because I abandoned my friend and playing partner Parag just when he needed me the most during the round.
I started playing golf about 2 years ago. As my game has evolved, so has my appreciation for the game as a great teacher. One huge difference between golf and the other sports I have played is that Golf Etiquette embodies one of my biggest core values – “Respect for the individual”. Respecting another’s right or Honor to tee-off first, waiting for your turn to play, staying close to the green until the last person in your group finishes, and other such principles are a necessary part of the game. Adhering to this etiquette is in no way meant to diminish one’s competitive instinct, but is a way to establish the ground rules to treat your competitors and playing partners in a way that you would want to be treated yourself. Isn’t this just the way one would want to live life? Play hard, do your best, but be humble and respect those around you.
Well, this morning Parag and I were playing in a four-ball that included another friend who I will refer to as Speedy Joe. Speedy Joe loves to play like he is the only person in the group. He always tees off first even if he made the worst score on the previous hole. Often he tees off even before the others have arrived at the tee. He loves to hit a practice ball when he doesn’t like how he hit the first one – off the tee, in the fairway, or on the green. He doesn’t usually wait for his turn to play. He often walks off to the next tee after having finished his putt, while others are still lining up their putts. It is not unusual for him to hit a practice chip or putt while another person in the group is about to hit his/her chip or putt. Speedy Joe plays in this fashion because “playing slower or waiting upsets his rhythm”.
After two holes, I got carried away and started sub-consciously imitating Speedy Joe’s behavior. On the par-5 12th hole, Parag lost his second shot in the thick rough on the left. As we were looking for the ball, the group behind us had teed off. Speedy Joe was by now within chipping distance, oblivious of what was going on behind him. Meanwhile Parag took a lost ball penalty and hit another ball into the rough on the right! While Parag was looking for his ball, the rest of us, including me, had given up on him and finished the hole. Parag joined us on the 13th tee, fuming and disappointed. Obviously we should have waited for him, and let the group behind us go through if required.
We did not treat Parag with respect. I should have known better.
I started playing golf about 2 years ago. As my game has evolved, so has my appreciation for the game as a great teacher. One huge difference between golf and the other sports I have played is that Golf Etiquette embodies one of my biggest core values – “Respect for the individual”. Respecting another’s right or Honor to tee-off first, waiting for your turn to play, staying close to the green until the last person in your group finishes, and other such principles are a necessary part of the game. Adhering to this etiquette is in no way meant to diminish one’s competitive instinct, but is a way to establish the ground rules to treat your competitors and playing partners in a way that you would want to be treated yourself. Isn’t this just the way one would want to live life? Play hard, do your best, but be humble and respect those around you.
Well, this morning Parag and I were playing in a four-ball that included another friend who I will refer to as Speedy Joe. Speedy Joe loves to play like he is the only person in the group. He always tees off first even if he made the worst score on the previous hole. Often he tees off even before the others have arrived at the tee. He loves to hit a practice ball when he doesn’t like how he hit the first one – off the tee, in the fairway, or on the green. He doesn’t usually wait for his turn to play. He often walks off to the next tee after having finished his putt, while others are still lining up their putts. It is not unusual for him to hit a practice chip or putt while another person in the group is about to hit his/her chip or putt. Speedy Joe plays in this fashion because “playing slower or waiting upsets his rhythm”.
After two holes, I got carried away and started sub-consciously imitating Speedy Joe’s behavior. On the par-5 12th hole, Parag lost his second shot in the thick rough on the left. As we were looking for the ball, the group behind us had teed off. Speedy Joe was by now within chipping distance, oblivious of what was going on behind him. Meanwhile Parag took a lost ball penalty and hit another ball into the rough on the right! While Parag was looking for his ball, the rest of us, including me, had given up on him and finished the hole. Parag joined us on the 13th tee, fuming and disappointed. Obviously we should have waited for him, and let the group behind us go through if required.
We did not treat Parag with respect. I should have known better.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The USGA Handicap System Explained
My home club – The Poona Club Golf Course – recently implemented a USGA Handicap system. The newly published handicaps have caused a lot of chatter around the clubhouse, and I have heard several cries of anguish over what is going on. I think most of the commotion is due to the lack of complete understanding of how this system works.
The USGA system is published through a manual that has 17 sections and 8 appendices. It is a fairly elaborate manual that can be confusing due to its back and forth nature. A link to the USGA manual is provided at the end of this article. In this article, I will attempt to provide a simple, easy to understand explanation of the system.
The USGA system is published through a manual that has 17 sections and 8 appendices. It is a fairly elaborate manual that can be confusing due to its back and forth nature. A link to the USGA manual is provided at the end of this article. In this article, I will attempt to provide a simple, easy to understand explanation of the system.
The Handicap system is governed by the following guiding principles.
The system measures a player's potential ability, not his/her average ability. What this means is that the system picks up the best scores from the available ones. I have found this to be one of the biggest sources of confusion for the golfers. The following table shows how many scores are picked up for the handicap calculation.
Available scores - To be used
5 or 6 - Lowest 1
7 or 8 - Lowest 2
9 or 10 - Lowest 3
11 or 12 - Lowest 4
13 or 14 - Lowest 5
15 or 16 - Lowest 6
17 - Lowest 7
18 - Lowest 8
19 - Lowest 9
20 - Lowest 10
Exceptional tournament scores (minimum 2 should be available) will reduce a player's handicap based on a USGA table. The reduction in handicap is based on the number of available tournament scores and how much the average of the best two scores is lower than the current handicap index. For example, if a player has two tournament scores that average 6 under their handicap index, the reduction will be 4.1.
The system assumes that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review. The player and the player's Handicap committee have joint responsibility for adhering to these premises
DEFINITIONS The following terms are used in the calculation of the handicap.
Adjusted Gross Score: is a player's score for a round after accounting for unfinished holes, holes not played etc.
USGA Course Rating: is the USGA's mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer under normal course and weather conditions. It is expressed as strokes taken to one decimal place, and is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring ability of a scratch golfer. The Course Rating for Poona Club Golf Course is 73.5.
Slope Rating: is the USGA's mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155. A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a Slope Rating of 113. Poona Club Golf Course has a slope rating of 128. This means that Poona Club Golf Course is more difficult than average.
STEPS
Calculate the Handicap Differential for each score in the player's scoring record. Subtract the USGA Course Rating from the score, and adjust for the slope rating of the course.
Handicap Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – USGA Course Rating) X 113 /Slope Rating
Take the required number of Handicap Differentials from the scoring record as shown in the table at the beginning. For example if 10 acceptable scores are available, take the lowest 3 handicap differentials. Average the selected handicap differentials
Multiply the average in Step 2 by 0.96. This is the Bonus for Excellence which is the incentive for players to improve their golf games that is built into the Handicap System. It is the term used to describe the small percentage below perfect equity that is used to calculate the handicap index
Truncate all the digits after tenths. For example 24.489 becomes 24.4. This is the Handicap Index of the player.
In case Exceptional Tournament Scores are available, reduce the Handicap Index based on the tournament scores.
Compute the Course Handicap by re-adjusting the Handicap Index in step 5 for the Slope Rating of the Course.
Course Handicap = Handicap Index X Slope Rating / 113
SUMMARY Your handicap index is independent of the course you are playing, while your Course Handicap is based on the degree of difficulty of the particular course for a bogey-golfer. For example if you want to know what your Course Handicap should be at Aamby Valley, get the slope rating for Aamby Valley and compute your Course Handicap in the manner shown above in step 6 using your handicap index from your home course. The more difficult the course, the higher your Course Handicap will be. REFERENCE The USGA Handicap System Manual at http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/manual/handicap_system_manual.html
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Golf Anyone?
It is 5:35 AM on a damp monsoon morning in Pune and the crack of dawn is still 10-15 minutes away. The light drizzle outside might either stop or turn into something nastier in the next hour. Either way, I am going to drive 20 minutes to the golf course and play, unless they shut the course down. I have been out of my bed for about 35 minutes, already in my golf gear, waiting for my friend and playing partner Parag to arrive for a cup of tea. I am sipping my tea, thinking about the tee-shot I should hit on my first hole, the par-4 number 10. In my mind I am debating whether today is a good day to hit a 3-wood to the corner of the dogleg, which will put me in a position to hit a wedge to the green. Alternatively I might hit a mid-iron off the tee and go for the green only on my third shot. That will keep me out of the trees and deep rough on the left and right. My decision will depend on the current state of my game, or more precisely the current state of my mind about my game, which varies widely day to day.This is my typical morning three times a week.
I have been playing golf regularly for about 21 months now, and the game is in constant battle with my family for the number one spot on my priority list!
I played golf a total of 3 times in the late 90’s when I used to live in Utah, USA. I have been a decent sportsman all my life and therefore assumed that golf would be an easy sport. After all how hard can it be to whack a stationary ball a few hundred yards? I had watched golf on TV, and it didn’t seem like a big deal. Well, I made a 113 (on 9 holes) with mulligans on my third outing. It wouldn’t have been too bad, except I had Terry, a 7-handicapper playing alongside me. Terry was kind and patient, and appreciated the one or two halfway decent shots I hit that day. I never played again until late 2006, when a friend invited me to play 9 holes at the Poona Club Golf Course in Pune, India. I have not stopped since.
My game has come a long way since that summer morning in Utah in 1998, but it has not been without the trials and tribulations that are a necessary part of golf. As for my game, I currently play to a handicap of 24. My goal is to get to 18 soon. There are days when I play like I am almost there, and then there are days when I want to give up the game. It is a delicious struggle!
I have been playing golf regularly for about 21 months now, and the game is in constant battle with my family for the number one spot on my priority list!
I played golf a total of 3 times in the late 90’s when I used to live in Utah, USA. I have been a decent sportsman all my life and therefore assumed that golf would be an easy sport. After all how hard can it be to whack a stationary ball a few hundred yards? I had watched golf on TV, and it didn’t seem like a big deal. Well, I made a 113 (on 9 holes) with mulligans on my third outing. It wouldn’t have been too bad, except I had Terry, a 7-handicapper playing alongside me. Terry was kind and patient, and appreciated the one or two halfway decent shots I hit that day. I never played again until late 2006, when a friend invited me to play 9 holes at the Poona Club Golf Course in Pune, India. I have not stopped since.
My game has come a long way since that summer morning in Utah in 1998, but it has not been without the trials and tribulations that are a necessary part of golf. As for my game, I currently play to a handicap of 24. My goal is to get to 18 soon. There are days when I play like I am almost there, and then there are days when I want to give up the game. It is a delicious struggle!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Why bogey golfer?
As I start sharing my thoughts on golf through this blog, I ought to explain why I chose this name for the blog. A bogey-golfer averages close to a bogey per hole, or in other words has a handicap of about 18.
I started playing golf almost two years ago, with a few lessons from the local pro in Pune. As I have progressed from being a beginner to an intermediate golfer with a handicap of 24, the one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that golf is simultaneously a singularly frustrating and rewarding pursuit. My first official handicap was listed as 36, and shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to play in an invitational event organized by the brand of clubs I had purchased recently. The entry bar was set at 24-handicap, and I got in by listing my handicap as 24. Needless to say, I got my butt kicked pretty good during the event, but the experience was invaluable.
Over time my handicap dropped all the way to 24, and then creeped back up to 27, where it stayed for almost 7-8 months. The dreams of becoming a single-digit handicapper in 2 years were quickly put to sleep by a healthy dose of triples, quadruples, quintuples, and three-putts. Through the trials and tribulations of working on my swing, the endless putting practice, and the Sensex like fluctuations in my scores, I realized that becoming a bogey golfer in a reasonable period of time was a more realistice expectation. I also showed myself a little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, by resolving to buy a driver once I reached a handicap of 18. Currently I am at 24 and there is some way to go to add the driver to my bag.
During this time I have also realized that becoming a bogey-golfer is a watershed event in the life of a golfer who is starting out. Some get to it much faster than others, but it is a very significant milestone neveretheless. At 32+ you are a glorified hacker, at 24+ you have promise and potential, but at 18 you have truly arrived as a serious recreational golfer. People look at you differently when you are at 18 or under.
Hence the name of this blog. This blog is intended to be a chronicle of my struggles and rewards, as I play this great game, and work on becoming a bogey-golfer. If you choose to leave a comment or have a conversation on this subject through this blog, I would be delighted.
Happy golfing!
I started playing golf almost two years ago, with a few lessons from the local pro in Pune. As I have progressed from being a beginner to an intermediate golfer with a handicap of 24, the one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that golf is simultaneously a singularly frustrating and rewarding pursuit. My first official handicap was listed as 36, and shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to play in an invitational event organized by the brand of clubs I had purchased recently. The entry bar was set at 24-handicap, and I got in by listing my handicap as 24. Needless to say, I got my butt kicked pretty good during the event, but the experience was invaluable.
Over time my handicap dropped all the way to 24, and then creeped back up to 27, where it stayed for almost 7-8 months. The dreams of becoming a single-digit handicapper in 2 years were quickly put to sleep by a healthy dose of triples, quadruples, quintuples, and three-putts. Through the trials and tribulations of working on my swing, the endless putting practice, and the Sensex like fluctuations in my scores, I realized that becoming a bogey golfer in a reasonable period of time was a more realistice expectation. I also showed myself a little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, by resolving to buy a driver once I reached a handicap of 18. Currently I am at 24 and there is some way to go to add the driver to my bag.
During this time I have also realized that becoming a bogey-golfer is a watershed event in the life of a golfer who is starting out. Some get to it much faster than others, but it is a very significant milestone neveretheless. At 32+ you are a glorified hacker, at 24+ you have promise and potential, but at 18 you have truly arrived as a serious recreational golfer. People look at you differently when you are at 18 or under.
Hence the name of this blog. This blog is intended to be a chronicle of my struggles and rewards, as I play this great game, and work on becoming a bogey-golfer. If you choose to leave a comment or have a conversation on this subject through this blog, I would be delighted.
Happy golfing!
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