Two life lessons from golf

Over the years I have enjoyed the game of golf immensely, and have learnt some interesting lessons during this journey. Two of the most valuable lessons were taught to me by two very interesting individuals.

Radhika Tulpule Kanitkar is a fantastic athlete, a two time women's national tennis champion and the most qualified tennis coach in India. She runs her own tennis academy in Pune. Radhika plays at the same golf club where I play, and therefore I have had opportunities to watch her play golf, and have played a few rounds with her as well. For someone who plays so little golf, Radhika is a hell of a good player, and taught me the first valuable lesson in golf, which is to maintain an even keel, whether the going is good or bad.

One autumn afternoon a few years ago I watched her make par on hole number 10 at Poona Club golf course, and that par summed up her attitude. She hit a good drive, and had a wedge to the green. The lie was good, she took a couple of practice swings and then duffed the shot - the ball travelled less than 10 yards. Most golfers would have hurled a few expletives at themselves, or cursed under their breath at the very least. However Radhika promptly turned around, smiled at the caddy with an expression that said "What was that?". She walked to the ball again, addressed it, and hit a perfect pitch to about 1 foot from the pin. Once again, she turned around, and smiled at the caddy with an expression which said "What was that?". She did not expect to put the pitch shot that close, just as she did not expect to duff the previous one. The duffed shot did not get her down, and the great shot did not put her head in the clouds. Radhika recognizes that ups and downs are part of playing sports, but one does best by trying hard, and maintaining an even keel.

The second valuable lesson came from Dr. Date, known to all golfers in Pune simply as Doc. I wrote a blog post about Doc a few years ago. Doc taught me to be relentless. One can never count Doc out of a round. He doesn't give up, and he doesn't let up. Every shot has his full attention, and it is the most important shot in the world.

The Doc way is to never give up, to believe that your next shot will be a good one. And the Radhika way is to do your best and not worry too much about the result - good or bad. These are valuable lessons not just in golf, but in every walk of life.

Thanks Radhika and Doc.

Doc

I played a round of golf with Doc a couple of Sundays ago. We were playing a 4-ball match and Doc and I were partners. Doc was struggling physically due to a painful ACL and knee. We arrived on the 16th tee on a downward spiral, having lost 3 of the last 4 holes. Hole#16 at Poona Club is a difficult par-3. There is a huge banyan tree guarding the right half of the green. The green is also guarded by three bunkers. The hole requires a precise long iron or hybrid shot - high enough to carry the tree and land the ball on the green. It is a tricky par for even the best golfers, and for mid to high handicappers, a bogey is a very good score.

Doc was our back-marker at 4-handicap, and as we arrived at the tee in the middle of a slump, he told me "This is a non-stroke hole, I have got to win it". Our opponents hit decent tee shots and had decent par opportunities - one was in the left greenside bunder, and the other one was pin high, a few yards off the green on the left. I promptly topped and pulled my shot, and abdicated any chance of making par. It was Doc's turn to hit his tee shot - normally he hits an iron on this hole, but on this day he decided to tee off with a hybrid because the tee box had been placed way back. Doc hit a high shot, but pushed it right and could not carry the tree. It hit some branches and landed short and just to the right of the huge tree. He cursed himself, and limped off slowly to find his ball.

Doc went first. He was about 25-30 yards from the green in a bad lie - the ball was in thick grass with wet soil underneath. He had to hit the ball low to avoid the overhanging banyan tree branches. He could not go at the pin due to the treen trunk. To top it all, he had to carry a green side bunker. Fortunately the flag was center left, so he had some green to work with, but not much. To even get within 15-20 feet of the pin, would have needed an incredible shot, and a big heart. Doc stuck it to 7 feet.

Doc holed the putt and made par. Our opponents both made bogey, and we won the hole. This was not the first time I had seen him pull off something like this. That is Doc for you - great ability, and an unbelievable will to win.

The man we all call Doc is Dr. V.T. Date, a paediatrician. He is about 6 feet tall, but doesn't look it because he walks with a slight stoop. He talks in a heavy drawl, smiles a lot, and is a very humble man. Doc runs a children's hospital with his wife in Pune. He took up golf when he was 45 years old. He is 58 now, and has already won two national senior open titles, four "golfer of the year" honours at Poona Club Golf course and countless club tournaments. My coach once recommended that I play with Doc for a month to learn how to play, and to sharpen the mental aspects of my game. All in all, Doc is a legend in Pune golfing circles.

Interestingly Doc is almost entirely self taught. He has perfected his swing by watching good players play. But Doc's attitude can never be taught. To believe in yourself and never give up, never let up. Slug it out. Leave it all out there on the course. What an unbelievable competitor!

Thanks Doc, it is always a pleasure to play a round with you!