Stressful? Relax? Golf?

WHILE I hurried putting on my sport outfits, carried my golf bag and put on my shoes, I was glad I am on the way for another night of golfing. While heading out, I cannot help recalling what Eric has told me from the last time we played. “Golf, it is meant to be relaxing.” Relax? What complications it could bring to me sometimes and yes, it is directly relating to an activity call ‘Sport’. Having spent most of my life playing and trying out all sort of sports, I subconsciously came to conclude that most sports would somehow require some sort of physical strength, I included Golf. What a big mistake!

Having hitting the ball inconsistently, I kept wonder what went wrong? I did not realize that it was actually my mental stage of playing the game. I was still treating golf very likely to swinging a baseball bat. Until I have personally witnessed Eric the way he has played that night, I can’t help but hitting my head claiming, “What an idiot I have been!” I was still trying to hit a golf ball with my strength, instead of more accuracy. Looking how relaxed and effortless Eric was doing it, I sighed deeply how shallow I know about this game.

Again, knowledge I have learned about golf came afloat in my head; “Golf, a game of precision”. Remember, we are hitting a ball that is only one and a half inches, attempting to get into a hole that is about 4-5 inches, from a distance of averaging 300 meters away? Of course, Eric has also brought me a new horizon towards golf. Eventually, I have to hit it on the greens. One thing that I was extremely grateful about is to have someone who knows about golf to coach me. Well, I cannot really call it a coaching but just a simple tipping session, since that night was the first time Eric touched a golf club since 6-7 years.

Now, I guess I am on a significant mission, which is to bring out again the great passion that has been embedded in Eric! Thanks, Eric. Although it was a short session on the driving range, I could not be more grateful to have you come by and tilt out my mistakes! To sum up, I suppose male and female do not really differ in golf, until you really gets up to a very high level. Good news!?

FYI: Eric Yap, a Port Klang Rotarian, who happens to be Toh Harnniann's boss.

A quote from the magazine I ran into. “The world according to whom (I have forgotten), golf is a game that we need to live with, in relationship. We can throw a football, hit a baseball or shoot a hoop without loving it, but we can't do it with golf. Because when it comes out of the bunker and sink into the hole, we know that golf is more than just another sport to us.”

Lloyd Cheam
Rtr. Port Klang Centennial