Teeing around: Perseverance, performance to the fore at TNGF Championship

CHENNAI: Someone said golf is 99 percent perseverance and one percent skill. I would represent the data a little differently, adding luck to the mix without disturbing the pre-eminent status of perseverance. There are so many instances in one round of golf when you want to give up the sport, but then you tell yourself that would be giving up on yourself, so you move on to the next hole, where things change dramatically.

You sink a big footer on a par four, and joy rushes through your veins. You want to do a small jig. The point is that it is very easy to lose the Zen mode. Golf needs not only focus but also perseverance, more so when you perform badly. Unlike other sports, say like tennis or cricket, everything you do on the course that goes badly is entirely your own fault.

The ball is not throwing a Yorker at you, yet your shot lands in the bunker, and you make a hack of it. You have only yourself to blame. A wise golfer facetiously said it is alright to get emotional when you have a bad shot, get angry, rant, and rave. You may feel better, but it does nothing for your game. Perseverance is the only way forward.

TWO-DAY TOURNEY

One should pack grit and stamina, both mental and physical, when kitting out for a round of golf. I learnt this at the TNGF Championship, held over two days at the Cosmo TNGF golf club last week.

The main event was a two round Strokeplay event, played over two days. Concurrently, there was a Stableford completion on day one and a bogey competition on the second. Most of the city’s storied male golfers played the Championship, offering a trailer as it were, of some of the best golfing one can see, and there will be more such quality amateur golf in the city’s two clubs, in the coming months.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

N Nandakumar and his son Pranav notched wins in their respective categories, drawing accolades from other golfers. I had just started on golf a few years ago, and playing in the mornings before heading to work, I used to see this school kid, Pranav, play with his grandfather on weekdays.

He became very good very fast. He played on a few occasions with the Old Afternoon Golfers (OAG), many of whom predicted a great future for him on a global stage. He is now at an American University on a golf scholarship. He won the Open event, showcasing his potential. Nice family time,right?

A stand out performance was from Suresh Venkata Raman. Not only did he play the TNGF Championship in the morning, but he teed off immediately after lunch as well, playing with his afternoon friends group of four balls who go by the handle OAG. And he walked the course most of the four rounds. If you think this is about stamina, well, Suresh posted a nett score of 151, coming second in the silver category.

Another example of stamina was R Ramkumar, who walked the course on day two and played a pretty neat game.