16 April 2009

One on....Two putt

I have finally kicked out the addiction..! Am I?


It was all started five years ago, when out of the blue somebody started to realize that our organization was losing not only good scientists who didn't pay much attention about other thing except how to get fast promotion and a handsome salary before their retirement, but also good golfers.

And it was one fine morning, in the big field that used to house international cricket matches, I started to get my first hand on the irons. Together with a group of 30 unwary novices (the number later reducing each time we had the training, but that was expected) I started the training passionately . The adrenalin straight away kicked in and gushing through my body and I got bitten by the bug almost instantly. The feeling was almost like driving a fast car without a speed limiter and not having to worry about speed trap on our uneven highways. Day in and day out, I whacked the balls. Until it goes straight.

That was until last December. Something not so good happened to me. An extra swing that tickled my nerves. I am still in my confinement now, recuperating from a sciatica. The longest so far. I have past the four month barrier. I think by now my golf sets have started to gather dust and cobweb in the store. Now I am starting to think of whether to sell the gears and get some fund to replace my old but trusty SLR - of which is depreciating everyday inside the cabinet.

Golf has somehow taught and showed me a totally new dimension about sport. Some people say golf is a gentleman's game. Which in away is true enough. For example, you can have a friend whom you have known for many years for his good manner and behaving better that any imam in this world, but in the field, he is cheating like a horny rabbit (he will always claim he find his ball, even though it is clearly the ball splashed the water and has sunken deep in the pond). You will also seldom hear these passionate people utters nice word like 'Please clean your ball first", but four letter words are quite an inevitable tune when some miss hit happen or the ball hit the bunker. And these nice people will become as good as 'tokoh maal hijrah' again the moment we finished the game. These has been our laughing stock for years to come.

There are so much rules, regulations, etiquette etc. you have to know before you even set your foot on the green. Some are quite weird and funny too. It is for example, a big taboo if you stand behind your partner when he/she is ready to putt the ball into the hole. And on the green you just cannot walk like you normally do during one of your window shopping sessions. You have to actually learn to do some catwalk or walk the way gentleman's normally do. You have to also be aware not to step on your partners' line as that will incur a penalty. No jean is allowed and only with proper attire you will be allowed in the field. The field marshals will check on you from time to time and will ask you to stop playing and packing your gear if you break any of the rules. No joke.

Golfers are really a handicap sportsmen. They can get themselves ready at anytime and anyplace, rain or shine for this one passion, even on the last minute call. Any mother-in-law will be so proud of this total devotion and utmost determination. Most don't have much problem to wake up before the first light of the day, earlier than the subuh muazzin and travel many hours to uncharted territories just to play a round of golf. Most will just contented finishing at the 18th hole, but some of the more adventurous and more spirited ones will continue with another round, even with new or different partners. The partners they might just picked up in the loo during the break.

Golf is also a universal game with no boundary as well. I am not a member of any golf club and like to stay that way, as I can play anywhere that fancied me. Whenever somebody ask me which club I belong to, I will say "KGSS" (read = Kelab Golf Sana-Sini :) Nowadays you don't need to be a member of a club to play golf (not like many years back), in most of the cases, you just pay the green-fee and off you go to the field. I think money has more say than a plastic membership card.

In a nutshell, golf is really an interesting sport to me. I met many interesting people and make a lot of new friends on the green. I play golf because the principle behind the game and a good company too. The green fairway and beautiful landscape has a soothing effect to my eyes.

My sciatic problem, extreme UV exposure, missing quality time with the family, world economy crisis and the possibility of stumbling upon creatures from the underworld are among the issues that really bugging me right now. From time to time, my 'kaki' will call asking for a game. A real temptation. But I am in no good shape now and really has to 'fast' at least another 3 or 4 months. Even Tiger Wood took one year off and miss a few title recently.

I am still thinking...

53 comments:

Naddy said...

tukar ke riadah apa pulak lepas ni dr?

CAHAYA said...

what's your handicap DrSam?

x said...

Wah. Banyak jugak pantang-larang bila main golf ni ya, Doc.

MariaFaizal said...

I believe this sport 'berhantu.'
Once you try it, you'll want it more,and more, and more,and more...

Happy golfing Doc!

besi said...

dr sam....ada gaya pro la...hehehe

patungcendana said...

morning doc...

I'm totally clueless about golf...but from what you've written...it seems to bring out the beast in every gentlemen...want to see their true colours...go play golf with them...hahaha

one more thing...

walk the way gentleman's normally do.

how do gentlemen walk...I imagine sherlock holmes...hehe...

DrSam said...

mizzy N
masih rehat-rehat. Untuk berpeluh berkebun dan menjaga taman kat rumah sahaja.

CAHAYA
My handicap keeps changing and heavily depend on many factors - the mood, the playing partner, the weather and the course among other. If everything is in order, I am a 18 handicaper.

Si Penconteng
Memang betul. Pantang kena larang, terus nak turun padang :)

MariaFaizal
'Berhantu' yes! I've seen many 'hantu padang', who are willing to spent more hours in the field rather with the family, especially during the weekend.

Still thinking whether to continue becoming one of the 'hantu' or not :)

DrSam said...

besi
main golf pukul tak bagus tak apa, tapi gaya kena jaga...haru betul :)

patungcendana
your yellow cap in the avatar surely qualify you as a lady pro :)

Since you can see many colors of a gentleman spilling out in the field, I once suggested that for the top post in the organization, the best way to do the interview is to ask the candidate to play one or two round of golf...You'll get to know the man better :)

Liyana Safra Zaabar said...

golf was my compulsory subject when i was in college in kumamoto japan, and i hated it.My father loves to play golf and I don't why until now what is so special about playing golf :)anyway,this is a nice blog!!

Puan Ninie said...

tgk cam senang jer main golf ni tapi leceh gak ye Doc...;)

*SiRibenMerah said...

aiyooo..
addicted woo once da pegang kayu golf tuh..
ada free time je, sure hati tuh meronta2 nk g range.. hehehe..
dulu slalu lepak sebelah KRU, UKM.. ada golf range kan kat situ.. dapat le merasa lebih kurang 10 pukulan.. hehehe.. katanya... nak semangat hayun kayu tiap2 minggu.. tapi dlm mimpi je lah.. busy woooo.. nampak sgt student x de masa nak main golf.. hehehehe..

happy golfing Doc.. *_*

Anonymous said...

I truly agree if you want to know the true character of a man, just ask him to play one or two round of golf...You'll definitely get to know the man better

"How a man plays a game shows something of his character, how he loses shows all of it."

I gave up this gentleman's game quite sometime already, there are so many reason and quite a long story, will share with you if we have the chance to "men talk"!

Cheers bro.

Anonymous said...

wahhh...

bestnyer main golf...
mesti Dr.Sam SALAH SEORANG dari pro,

Nobody said...

Salam DrSam,

Tukar hobi tebas rumput je Dr! :D
Simple & Murah.. sambil2 tu pekena cekodok pisang panas + teh o panas yg wife buatkan.. syokkkk ooo hehehe

anne said...

salam, 1st time singgah...

Naddy said...

macam main bolingkan. gaya tak betul lantaklah asalkan semua pin jatuh.

Meen Eunos said...

sayangnye.
kalo diteroskan.
mungkin bole jadi
golfer dari Malaysia.

DrSam said...

Liyana Safra Zaabar,
Golf is a very expensive sport in Japan. I heard one round will cost at least RM500++.

Are you still golfing these days?

mEiZ AraNda,
Memang senang. Pukul aja bola tu...kalu bola tu melantun ke hadapan kira o.k.

SiRibenMerah
Zaman saya tak ada kemudahan tersebut - masih hutan lagi KRU tu :)

Daniel Ng,
Haa..haa... a bad loser will spoil the game and ruin the fun as well. If we dive into on of the ponds, I am quite confident we will see many shafts that has been thrown by these temperamental people :)

Expecting to hear your own account on why you quite the game bro.


fahmi latiff,
Pro = prosak!

ShiDa
aktiviti menebas rumput memang dilakukan selalu, cuma hari tu terlebih tebas terus demam (saraf terkujat).

anne,
Salam kembali. Welcome aboard.

mizzy N,
You got the point right. Gaya aja lebih kekadang tu, mengalahkan pro :)

DrSam said...

meEn
pasal nak jadi golfer Malaysia lah sampai terseliuh segala urat saraf kat belakang tu.

Liyana Safra Zaabar said...

yes,it's very expensive.back in college we played golf in the school field and the school imported one of the prefecture players to teach us.but,for our graduation,we golfed at the real place,and it costed about rm200 for one round.(cheaper because we're students)

No,i'm not golfing anymore coz i hate it.hahahha

JohnJenin said...

Wow. Great post DrSam. Now i know playing golf is not just putting the ball into the hole.

I only know to play golf game in Wii console which i found quite addicting. Get well soon. Club Golf Sana Sini missing u ;)

SRISUFI said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SRISUFI said...

Main golf sama tak cam main catur Dr.? Memerlukan logik akal dan teknik menipu musuh. ;)


sungguh informative!!!!


=)

Sally said...

ermmm..tak yah la kan..go easy on ur back..find some other ways to fulfil ur time la doc..like..ambil gambar makhluk2 cenonit..?..*wink

DrSam said...

Liyana Safra Zaabar,
Japanese pro from another prefecture as you sensei... he must be one good golfer. Lucky you!

JohnJenin,
I am feeling great at the moment. thank you Pak Cik.

You should go to the driving range to warm up and get your first green experience in the soon.

Kelab Golf Sana Sini :)

Sufi,
memang kadang kala tu ada juga teknik psikologi yang saya perhatikan digunakan oleh otai-otai ni ketika dipadang. contoh, bila kita pukul bola cantik sikit, terus otai-otai ni puji melambung...biasanya pukulan seterusnya mesti tak menjadi - terlampu syok agaknya kena puji :) Sebab tu kena cool sentiasa!

Terimakasih kerana singgah disini.


tchersally,
very tempting, but determine at the same time (to slow down :)

Yeah...DSLR. tengah pasang radar mencari ni.

Hidup KOKA said...

aku tak reti main golf aaaa...

bozzobattousai said...

main golf kat PS3 je...tak sakit kaki....

DrSam said...

Hidup KOKA
kau tak jawab lagi soalan cepu masa tentang masa dan tempat.

bozzobattousai
ha..ha.. memang tak sakit kaki.

patungcendana said...

oh yeah...gaya mesti ada..skill takde takpe...

interview kat padang golf...sure aku dengan cemerlang...hahaha

pal7 said...

dr sam..
tq bg info pasal golf..banyak juga yang menarik tentang golf ni rupanya..

pernah juga main masa kat sekolah..tp sekadar suka2 dengan kwn2..

dan xpernah tahu pun ade undang2 dalam golf macam apa yang drSam bgtahu..hehe

joegrimjow said...

golf???
golongan orang lupa famly

lalala~
smoge kata2 tu salah

Zendra-Maria said...

Salam Doc, a chiropractor once told me that the most number of sport-related injuries that he treats are those of golfers. Put another way, golfers make up a significant number of his patients. This is not to dissuade you in any way from golf, I'm just sharing..... ;-D

DrSam said...

patungcendana
macam-macam gaya ada. mengalahkan pro kekadang tu, tapi bila pukul bola...tup...tup bergolek kat depan tu je :0

bagi yang masih belum kahwin pun, boleh juga mencuba menilik dan menilai karekter bakal pasangan masing-masing kat padang golf.

pal7,
undang-undang banyak, cara kiraan banyak, teknik banyak etc. Tak payah fikir sangat pasal tu semua, balun je dan 'enjoy the game'.

joegrimjow,
memang tepat sekali sinonim tu, malah banyak lagi yang boleh jadi lupa kalau dah setengah hari berjemur dipadang.

Zendra,
Salam. Totally agree with you. I got my first gout during my first green experience (dehydration), I had my slip disc on the driving range and many more muscle related problem after playing golf. Having said that, many of my colleagues still think that golf is a healthy sport :) God bless us!

Anonymous said...

I think I'll stick with basketball..hehe..
Get well soon with your sciatica...huhu..

DrSam said...

Al-Muallim Shah @ Dino
I am living and coping with it for the past 4 months now. Looking on the more divine side, there is always a 'hikmah' in anything that happen to us. A heavenly reminder, seriously noted.

Kak Teh said...

Dr Sam, I will never understand the game nor the obsession, but i have my strange hobbies too, to unwind.
my son has taken up golf but he's a long way before he can make enough money to retire.

Unknown said...

tried ou this game, twice, at the driving range.

sakit pinggang, the next day!

terus give up!

DrSam said...

Kak Teh,
No worry Kak Teh. As I have past the 4 months benchmark, I think the addiction has finally subsided.

Strange hobbies...very interesting! Care to share.

So far, I think golf has not only making a big hole in my pocket but also degraded my health. What a sport!

Have a great and cheerful weekend Kak Teh.

VersedAnggerik,
Actually golf if played correctly won't harm any of us. In fact anything if we do accordingly should be o.k. In my case, that was the case, I was too excited to try my new driver and overzealous seeing one guy who hit very well until the ball flew so far it landed on the other side of the fence (over the range)! Overdoing myself. I learned the hard way.

nahmy said...

man!!...aren't u that close of becoming a 'gopher'. they said extreme golfing can make u become one!!

SRISUFI said...

Memang betul Ab Geldofg kata pujian memang melekakan.



Teruskan menulis.

Memorable trails... said...

Hi doc,
When I was staying in the camp,padang golf belakang umah je.Silap ari bulan bola golf pun masuk dlm umah.Ada lah cuba 4 to 5 times when all the golfers have left the padang,tapi always being scolded by hubby,pegang kayu golf tak kena,pukul tak kena..finally I gave up.SOmetimes ada juga penonton tepi padang tu, but after watching me swing once they just left..he..he..last2 padang golf tu tempat I jogging je..

DrSam said...

nahmy,
Googling on gopher...something about FTP. Is that the one?

Sufi,
Kata-kata pujanga dari Ab Geldofg memang bermakna


madam gold,
Yes, in some courses the residents' houses lining the fairway could be quite intimidating for the novices. I guess, you must get used to having golf balls straying into your private territory.

manro said...

hello boss, nanti kalo i ada rezeki pulang kita pi satu round golf, ok tak? for old time sake. ni tengah gawat kat sini.

DrSam said...

Shan,
My old friend, nice to hear from you. Make sure you train with Andy Garcia and hit the ball straight first before you coming back home. I am still 'fasting', but for the old time sake, a slow 9 holes should be fine.

You take care and send my warmest regard to your senorita (dah ada ke belum :).

DrSam said...

bro shan,
erratum...! bukan Andy Garcia..Sergio Garcia :)Maaf tersyasyul.

Singh is King!

patungcendana said...

aku cuma perlu 1 minit untuk menilai character orang di pdg golf...hehehe...

tapi betul ke apa yang ditulis...sumber agak boleh dipercayai...:-)

DrSam said...

patungcendana
Hebat! Satu minit pun jadile :)

Pengakuan : Cerita-ceritu diatas bukan rekaan semata-mata, memang betul sebetul-betulnya.

nurulainabdrazak said...

salam singgah~~

u hve a nice blog.

=)

Teja Suraya said...

bestnya doc men golf..aiya..teja minat nak main golf..tapi..simpan dulu la minat tu..haha..

Faisal Admar said...

hehe i cannot imagine if i can't play badminton for months! i'll be dying... :(

DrSam said...

TuN Teja,
seronok tu memang seronok, tapi bila dah handicap macam ni - tengok golf channel pun sayu :(

Faisal Admar,
Hoping your game is improving well bro.

CAHAYA said...

Mine is 19. Care for a round, Mister?

DrSam said...

CAHAYA
No problemo CAHAYA. Wait till my back is good first and we can play. The Club at Bkt Utama is quite near to our place. Haven't visited the place since they have the new clubhouse. Have you played there before?

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