Hero Indian Open 2015: Golf & Glory

Special Report by Anand Datla for Golfingindian.com

In the middle of New Delhi’s political district, the Delhi Golf Club seems like a soulful sanctuary of spiritual endeavour. As unlikely as that might sound, the ancient tombs and ageing trees draw you into an experience that is hard to describe. The Hero Indian Open 2015 is played on a course that is made special by the treasures it holds, just as much as it is by the spectacular golf on offer this week.

Golf is unique in several ways, none more so obvious than the almost mystical stillness and the warm intimacy that surrounds its craft. Young children and retired adults envelope golfers in their warm gaze, separated by no more than a few yards of a lush green patch of earth.

There is a strange discipline that envelopes the course. Hardly anyone utters a word and when they do it is in respectful tones of wistful whispers. The golfers it seems could even speak just with their eyes, as they navigate the field with their caddie for company.

The stillness is intense, almost as if a motley bunch of people have gathered around for a family prayer, written in some silent script. The silence is broken of course, by the musical rhythm of a composite shaft striking the ball and a mild mannered applause that accompanies that hymn.

The game is intimate. Take a step too many and you might impede your favourite golfer’s swing. As you traverse the lush green meadows walking from one hole to the next, golf offers a deep insight into the personality of the golfer.

And then there are elements of golf that aren’t entirely obvious. Golf is a game built around detail – golfers spend hours studying course details. The layout of the course, the best fairway positions, the topology of the greens – innumerable small pieces that go into making the puzzle complete.

It is also a game of intuition and introspection. While the game allows golfers to battle the course on the strength of their instinct, it also encourages introspection. Walking from one shot to the next, the game allows a golfer to reflect on the immediate past and work on the present.

A typical course can turn wickedly unforgiving or deeply empathetic, depending on the attitude of the golfer. A round of golf can be a life lesson, teaching the virtues of silent thought, deep reflection, humility, perseverance and politeness through a series of rewarding hurdles.

As the game spreads deeper and wider into the Indian ethos, there is reason to believe that men and women of our nation shall embrace the experience and enjoy its inherent rewards.