Golf – A Corporate Game Indeed!

I have never touched a golf club or a golf ball before in my life but management school is a great way to experience alien things. Golf was one such experience where I came tête-à-tête with the sport and by the end of the day I was mesmerized with it’s aesthetics. Golf is perceived as a boring sport where the C-suit level people meet to plot fraudulent deals between shots. A simple game with no glamorous outfits or cheerleaders is a difficult task for a rookie to begin with. However these are false pretenses that surrounds the sport from ages.

It was a beautiful early morning when our Management school MET – ICS set us up on a trip to The Golden Resort, Thane to encounter Golf and that was the first time I held a club a in my hand. We were under the guidance of Ms. Sanam Merchant, (member of the WGAI (Women’s Golf Association of India) and Asian Ladies Pro Golf and has a list of trophies to her name) and team who took care of our initiation to the sport.

We started off with a small session about the basics where we got to know that a golf course consists of a series of holes(9-18), each with a  teeing ground that is set off by two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area, fairway,rough and other hazards, and the putting green, a circular green patch with a flag and a cup in the center. The different types of clubs, viz: Wood, Iron and a Putter and their uses in different strokes that are essential in the game.

The game is played in limited strokes, i.e. 4 strokes and a player must complete his entire journey from the tee area to the final flag in the assigned 4 strokes. Any one who finishes with more or less strokes is assigned with points that are explained in the table below:

Numeric term	Name	Definition
−3	Albatross or Double Eagle	three strokes under par
−2	Eagle	two strokes under par
−1	Birdie	one stroke under par
E	Par	equal to par
+1	Bogey	one stroke over par
+2	Double bogey	two strokes over par
+3	Triple bogey	three strokes over par

The rules were discussed before we could tee off individually with our clubs and after each practice session we were given a short brief to relate Golf with our present day business conditions. One on the things quoted by Ms. Sanam Merchant that practically stood out for me was, “You are your own competition in Golf. You have an entire day, assume that the ball is your company the club is your strategy and you have a limited number of strokes to take you company from tee zone to putting field and only things opposing you are YOU. Now can you compete with yourself to take your company where it belongs?”.

Golf is a fine test of character. When you do business with people, you need to know more about them. Golf rewards players who remain calm under pressure, never lose their temper and think strategically. These are all virtues in business too and once you are with all these virtues, a grand prize awaits you at the winning line. No Doubt a good golfer also is a better Executive Officer.

The day came to an end with experiencing everything that would have been necessary to play the sport next time with a Pro-golfer. Small teams were formed to compete within ourselves. The winning team was felicitated with great round of applause and the key scorer was presented with certificates of excellence achieved in a day of learning Golf. Before we left, Golf had a clear image in mind. It was surprising as for the first time a sport in 4 hours left an ever lasting impression.

Thank you MET Team (Professors, colleagues and staff members) for an amazing day and huge appreciation for Ms. Sanam Merchant and team for being an excellent guide for us, It wouldn’t have been the same experience with you. (http://www.sanammerchant.com)