Rotary L&T, Tablets India tourneys: Fellowship of the greens

CHENNAI: The other day, I wanted to opt out of a lunch meet in order to attend the inauguration of a Green Polisher at the Madras Gymkhana Club (MGC) Golf annexe. My friends wondered why the greens are such a big deal for golfers.

“You know, it is a bit of a life and death thing when the ball stops an inch from the pin and you miss a par,” I retorted. Especially when you are struggling to amp your game.

All golfers will tell you that the short game – from about 40 yards from the pin – is where your money is. A few days ahead of the Rotary Club of T Nagar’s tournament at the MGC, all golfers in my four-ball watched with dismay as the balls stopped agonisingly short of the pin – maybe less than an inch. When this happens ahead of exciting tournaments, it is a matter of grave concern for a golfer. So, one hopes that the green polisher delivers on the eternal promise: of greens that play true!

Ponniyin Selvan too

The golf tournament schedule currently resembles a rapid-fire quiz round, where you have to quickly pick one of the two. That was the case last week, when the Rotary Club of T Nagar’s tournament at the MGC clashed with the first day of the two-day Tablets India Golf Championship at the Cosmo TNGF, held on January 21 and 22. Many, including ace director Mani Ratnam, opted to play the Rotary T Nagar tournament and tee off on day two of the Tablets India tournament. Is it a form of party hopping!

Rotary way

The Rotary movement is centred around fellowship. Which is why the MGC golf calendar has always featured a tournament sponsored by the Rotary Club of T Nagar. The players consider it a privilege to tee off in the name of fellowship.

The event saw 74 golfers in contention for the scramble format, where the better shot is chosen after each shot. This format is rich feed for the big hitters, who can chance their arm with the confidence that one out of two would be a good shot.

The course was fairly kind even to those who did not stand a chance of amassing huge points. Hari Manoj and Rakesh Viswanathan scorched the course, winning the Rotary L&T Team Scramble with 52 Stableford points. It was an ‘almost there’ moment for S Rajkumar and Muthuswamy R, who came second with 51 Stableford points.

KC Raghunathan (yellow t-shirt) readying to putt at the Tablets India Championship

Key elements in club tournaments

The weekend tournaments are eagerly awaited events. The environment allows for a more serious approach to one’s game. Almost everyone goes in fancying his/her chances. With multiple prizes on offer, the two-day events challenge and excite one and all.

Typically, the two-day tournaments are centered around the Strokeplay event for the more serious contenders. There is also a side event of either Stableford or Bogey for those who would like to play just one day.

Good going

At the Tablets India tournament, many played a high calibre of golf and it was evident from some excellent nett scores. On Day Two, the scoring became a bit harder. Putting made the difference in some of the winning scores. Muthiah Venkatachalam was the gold winner with a good nett score over two days, while Varun Mammen and KC Raghunathan were the winners in the silver and bronze category respectively. A Saravanan was the winner in the gold category (Stableford). KV Ganesh was placed first in the silver category (Stableford) with youngster R Ayappan emerging winner in the bronze category for Stableford. Needless to say, it was a happy weekend in many ways.

(The writer is an avid golfer)