Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
A GOLFER'S BLUFF
|
Seniors from different countries swapped interesting stories at the golf tournament last week
|
Vikramjit Singh: winner of the overall gross section in the Asia-Pacific Seniors Golf Championship. -- Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash
THE 19TH hole in most golf clubs is the watering hole where all golfers gather after their game and swap stories. Like anglers who generally spin yarns about the huge fish they almost caught and punters who fib about the 40-1 horse they wanted to back, golfers bluff about the hole in one they missed by the proverbial whisker.
Golf, like the sport activities mentioned above, can be very addictive, and the older they get, the more time they spend on the greens. There are any number of golfing jokes and the one often repeated is about the senior golfer who respectfully took off his hat when a cortege passed by the course. His partner applauded him for his etiquette only to receive the reply: "After 50 years of marriage, that is the least I could do for my wife."
The 19th hole at the Bangalore Golf Club recently was throbbing with activity. Golfers from seven countries, 119 of them, including India, sat around and exchanged yarns over numerous beers and rum and colas. The Australian, Nicholas Dunn narrated how he missed a hole-in-one by centimetres. "I teed off and the ball spotters were cheering loudly. As I neared the hole, I was disappointed to see how close I was to the pin," Dunn recounted. His team-mate for the Asia Pacific Seniors Tournament, Geoffrey Davey spoke of his proximity to cricketer-turned-golfer, Tony Greig. "Tony's son and my son were school mates and we play regularly together whenever he is in Australia," Davey said in his thick Aussie accent. Alex Cleave, also from Down Under, proudly passed on his e-mail ID, which had "cleavage" in it. "Do you know what a cleavage is?" the 62-year-old golfer asked me, and then proudly credited the choice of the ID to his son.
The New Zealand team winners Andrew Hopkins, John Roche, Alistair Nicholls, Phil Yelavich, Dave Tarrant, and Ron Sissons -- Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash
Kiwi, Ron Sisson, who finished runner-up in the tournament, to India's Vikramjit Singh, carried fond memories of his stay in Bangalore. His wife, despite ending up sick on the final day thanks to some bad air-conditioning, was perky enough to click a number of photographs for keepsake.
Dilip Thomas, Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Golf Council, was the perfect host ensuring that the visitors from Singapore, Scotland, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, as also from India, were well looked after. Arranging sightseeing expeditions, shopping jaunts, and even medical care for the entire contingent, Dilip was relieved that the championship went off without a hitch.
The competition was keenly contested and India's Vikramjit Singh became the first Indian to win the Best Senior Golfer in Asia-Pacific Region title. Vikramjit, incidentally, was making his first appearance in the senior category. Ron Sisson finished a credible second. The New Zealand squad won the Asia Pacific Team Title dethroning the Australians, who, it must be mentioned were highly upset with the loss. The Australians, however, had some consolation winning the international team event with the threesome of Nicholas Dunn, Alex Cleave, and Geoffrey Davey combining well to achieve the best cumulative scores.
The Bangalore Golf Club excelled itself in staging a great tournament for the seniors.
D. RAVI SHANKAR
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
