: The greens are alluring indeed. The lush environs are so enticing, creating a world of its own, where silence is a compelling ingredient of the set up. The swing of the club, cutting the air and imparting a soft/hard touch to the ball, sending it soaring towards the target or rolling gently to the hole to signal the climax of the round, makes golf a fascinating sport.
At golf, you compete against yourself. Try to beat yourself, chasing your own shadow; the small-sized ball means the world to you. It is a different sport. More than a sport. For some a medium of relaxation, a course to stay fit, a stage to show case your concentration. But, at heart, it remains a wonderful sport.
Some of the iconic cricketers lost no time in taking to golf. From Garry Sobers, Brian Lara, Allan Border, Kapil Dev to the younger lot of Ajay Jadeja, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik , Nikhil Chopra and many more, there is a rush to improve at golf. “It can become an addiction,” says Kapil.
Ajay Jadeja. Photo: H. Vibhu
Is it the swing of the willow being quite similar to the arc the golf club makes that attracts cricketers to this classy sport? It is a sport that leaves no scope for cheating or doping. It is a clean sport at all levels and earned an exalted international sporting status due to achievers like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player….
It is not a recent trend that cricketers have developed a liking for golf. Sobers, the great West Indian all-rounder, was among the first, a pioneer of sorts, motivating his fellow cricketers to invade a different kind of greens. “If I had my life again, I would be a professional golfer rather than a cricketer,” wrote Sobers in his autobiography. Many years later, Kartik was to make a similar comment.
“Players such as Nicklaus are revered and quite rightly so. At the British Open at St. Andrews he received an incredible ovation, and he’s an American, not even playing in front of his own audience. You don’t see many cricketers being received like that at the end of their careers,” noted Sobers. True. Golf has a great tradition of appreciation from all quarters.
Ajit Agarkar. Photo: R.V. Moorthy
Sobers became a golf addict. Those who saw him marvelled at the grace that he carried to the golf course too. Lara batted left-handed but was a right-handed golfer. “I started swinging right handed, my friend had right handed clubs and I stuck with it,” Lara said in an interview once.
Kartik, a seasoned left-arm spinner, is a rare leftie at golf. “I set out to be a scratch golfer and that’s my destination. I am a 5 handicapper at the moment,” remarks Kartik, an avid golfer now. He is part of the growing army of cricketers-turned-golfers.
“Not all cricketers are attracted to golf, some are,” insists Kartik. “In fact, many cricketers find it too slow a sport. I took to golf in the last 6-7 years and I like golf because it’s a sport which is quite meditative for me. I am in an absolute zone playing the state. It’s the toughest sport I have played because no two holes are similar in the world, no two ball lies are similar in the world, you are constantly moving between 14 clubs, less is more in this sport which is so tough to achieve.”
Kartik puts it nicely, “You are on your own playing this sport. No one but you and your mind control to compliment your skill set in the game. It was a natural chemistry between me and the sport and more so post-retirement from cricket.”
Kapil is a natural at all sports. He played football for East Bengal, almost represented India at golf in the amateur category, ran races, was exceptionally good at badminton and table tennis too. But golf was a special attraction for Kapil.
Kartik Murali
“I wanted to be myself. Wanted to know myself. And the golf course gave me the opportunity. At cricket, I was playing in front of thousands. At golf, I was playing against myself, looking to improve with every shot. It was fun trying to dictate the ball, making it sink within the par demand was a feat. Golf has been a pleasant experience,” says Kapil.
Agarkar was in Portugal recently, partnering Shabbir Rawjee in a corporate tournament. “We ended up in the second position,” informs Agarkar with the same pride that marked his face after a five-wicket haul. A Test centurion at Lord’s, the genial Agarkar notes, “Golf helps me relax and also gives me opportunities to make friends. I love the peaceful atmosphere of a golf course after the noisy cricket stadiums. There is a lot of peace at a golf course. During my cricket days it wasn’t possible to pursue another sport. Once I retired, golf attracted me, took a few lessons here and there, and now I have a handicap of 10.”
Agarkar feels golf is quite challenging. “It’s a very technical sport with different perspective of playing it. You are very good one day and very ordinary the next. There is no wrist work in golf. In cricket wrist is important. But striking the golf ball is great fun, it is all about hand-eye co-ordination, the swing, touch, the greens are different, the courses are different. It’s a very tough sport. In cricket the ball comes to you. Here it is sitting there. But it’s great fun.”
Ajay Jadeja has a different take. “It’s not as physically demanding as cricket,” he emphasises. “You don’t run, just amble along. The basics have to be learnt well. You kick the ball in football, hit it in cricket, in golf you control it. Very tough! The flexibility factor comes into play hugely in golf. It’s a precision game that demands arduous training and practice. It is stimulating indeed. In cricket you accept the captain’s orders. Here you order yourself, just can’t afford to make a mistake since you can land the ball in the trees or a bunker. Perfection can never be a number and golf teaches you that. Very individual sport and very hard for someone who has played a team sport all his life. Yet cricketers love it. After retirement from cricket golf is the best form of relaxation.”
The number of cricketers taking to golf is growing. Time perhaps for a golf competition for cricketers alone. “Not a bad idea,” quips Kapil. He is eyeing the trophy, already!
