Bunker to Bunker
“Golf without bunkers & hazards would be tame and monotonous. So would life.”
B. C. Forbes
On a smoggy November morning I am heading towards P. A.F Skyview GCC at 6:30 am. My flight is already waiting at the first tee of front nine. The chauffeur, who is also my caddy, is jamming on Nusrat Fateh Ali’s tunes & my head is humming on the beats of Tabla & Sarangi. I am happy as a parrot. No worries in the world — and I’m expecting a wonderful round since I spent an hour on the range yesterday. I practiced my chip & bunker shot over and over. Can’t wait to tee off.
The course is a bit crowded today. Ours is the next turn. Joining me in the flight are Mr. Sajid, a friend from Montessori to date, Mr. Eyaz, my cousin, and Mr. Fezan, a rather young golfing enthusiast. Nice crew and staunch players. Sajid and I are paired together. Fezan’s tee shot flies near or over 275. Eyaz is also a hitter. Sajid and I, on the other hand, are mediocres, though we can put on a great show when we are together. We would keep our game going, winning or losing hole after hole. I tried to lay up on the fourth fairway. There are two deep bunkers — one on the left and one on the right of this green — and a deep ditch to the back.
As a result of my approach shot, the ball crept slowly into the left bunker. The white sand in these bunkers looks cool from the outside. Its appearance changes as we descend into it. I tried to play a very professional and controlled shot. Instead, I hit a clean shot that sailed over the green and plunged into the bunker on the right. Over-confidently I had hit a wrong shot, and bunker shots are rarely forgiving. The bunker on the right is deep and a bit wall-like at the edge of the green. Anyway, I followed it and decided to hit a punch shot. Even though the ball glided beautifully across the green, it continued to lean into the right bunker again. Embarrassed, I positioned myself on the same sand again to negotiate with my ball once more. This time, the summit of the ball and sand wedge proved to be fruitful and the ball rolled ever closer to the hole. I ended up with a triple bogey, with everyone — including my partner — laughing exuberantly at the turn of events. Golfers tend to put aside all decency on occasions like that. After all, I had given them the perfect opportunity to laugh out loud.
It doesn’t matter what game we are playing, sloppy moves always take their toll. Lack of concentration is fatal. On top of that, bad posture is without a doubt unforgiving. I was more attentive to the embarrassment than I was to the shot. That’s what led to my destruction in these bunkers. I could so easily blame the designer of this hole, or the depth of the bunker. The fact is, I played a shallow shot from a difficult bunker. The sooner we realize our faults, the better things get. If we are brave enough to identify and admit our mistakes, our true learning begins.
“The fault is the one who blames. Spirit sees nothing to criticize.”
Rumi
Credits
P.A.F Skyview GCC Lahore
By
Ahsan Jamil
Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.
