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!