Golfing blues
On the most demanding holes corporate executives have played
| That could be because it's relaxing, or because it helps build concentration and steady the nerves, or simply because more contacts are made on the greens than in boardrooms. |
| But it isn't all quiet and serene on the golf course. There are courses that can have players pulling their hair out in frustration, especially if they've just come off a stressful high-level meeting or are preoccupied with thoughts of the tough week ahead. |
| Sanjay Sharma, CEO, Swarovski, has been playing golf for the last 18 years to relax himself over weekends. "I only get to play on Saturdays," he laments. |
| But when it comes to course stretches that he doesn't find particularly relaxing, Sharma rates the 10th hole at the Jaypee Greens, Noida as one of the most difficult holes he has played in India. |
| "You get a head wind on that hole which makes it very difficult to get the ball on the green in two shots," he says. |
| Sharma also rates the 16th hole on the Delhi Golf Club as very challenging. "One needs to hit very planned and accurate shots on this hole, otherwise it's very difficult to make the par 4," he says. |
| Avik Sanyal, country manager, Polaroid India, says it's easier to pick golf courses as being tough than it is to rank specific holes. "It's highly subjective though," he says. |
| "When it's your day, you're in the right rhythm and everything's going well, nothing will be too difficult. But when you have an off-day, you'll make stupid mistakes on even the easiest, most familiar courses." |
| Speaking generally, Sanyal says that if you know a course inside out, it shouldn't present a problem. "New courses are usually the difficult ones." |
| Y K Modi, chairman, YKM Holdings, is similarly reluctant to categorise holes as being difficult or easy. "I have been an avid golfer for over 20 years," he says, "but I can still tell you that things vary from day to day. You're playing against a handicap and every situation brings with it a fresh set of problems." |
| However, Sanyal does rate the Royal Calcutta Golf Course, where he's played a couple of times, as a tough nut to crack. "There are many obstructions, out-of-bounds and doglegs there," he says. |
| (Doglegs refer to holes on fairways that have a bend or angle, like a dog's hind leg; these are common on tree-lined courses.) Among the courses he plays on more regularly "" the Delhi ones "" Sanyal picks the Army Golf Course. |
| "I also find Golden Green in Gurgaon very challenging," he says. "The fairways are narrow, with woods on either side, and the first nine holes in particular are demanding." |
| The three things that make a hole nightmarish for a golfer are sand, water and out-of-bounds," says Brandon D'Souza, president, Tiger Sports Marketing, which manages the Indian Golf Tour. |
| Heading D'Souza's list of the most difficult holes in the country is the ninth hole at the Bombay Presidency Golf Course, Mumbai. "That's because the left side is out-of-bounds. Also the green is very fast." |
| D'Souza places the 18th hole at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata second. "It is guarded by two bunkers," he says, "and getting in and out of the bunkers is a nightmare for any golfer." |
| D'Souza's other nominees are the seventh hole at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club "" because of the big expanse of water there "" and the 16th hole at the DLF Golf Club, Gurgaon. "There is carry-over water at the DLF Golf Club, which makes the hole nightmarish for players." n |
| (Additional reporting by Smita Tripathi) |