The aeroplane landed upon the rain-washed tarmac, its wheel swishing the ground with a small and joyous bounce.
Subhasish was woken up by the sweet shrill voice of the air hostess. “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Hawaai Adda mein aapka swagat hai…” She went on to mention the weather outside. He unclasped his seat belt and looked around at the many familiar faces of the executives and their wives of his company. “Excited?” winked, his manager Mr Bhattacharjee. They talked about the nuances of the task at hand which soon turned into a discussion about the leaf quality to be worked upon.
They waited by the conveyor belt for their luggage to arrive. His Manager struck up a conversation with Mr Singh, while Subhasish kept an eye out for their luggage.
“Is he your assistant?” Mr Singh asked. After the initial introductions, he asked Subhasish, “aren’t you quite young to be playing this Cup?!”
The Manager quickly intervened, “he is one of our best players! He joined Mathura TG about ten months ago.”
“Magors have put together a strong team then!” Mr Singh said imitating a practice swing.
Subhasish was proud and determined to put up a good game for his company. He remembered the buzz of explosion he had felt in his brain, a few evenings back when his manager had handed over an envelope addressed to him.
“Congratulations, you have been selected to represent the company…” Folding the letter, he gave himself a small pat on his back. Whatever lay ahead could be a great challenge but he was happy to tackle this head-on.
With unwavering grit, he picked up his golf set that had finally found its way to the conveyor belt. The gradually dispersing crowd left the airport bay and everything was still again, leaving only a sole pigeon as a witness. Each one of the crowd was headed for a destination of their own making.
Subhasish wheeled his trolley out to be met by a person holding a placard with his name and an umbrella who guided him to the cab. Tired yet excited, he rested his head on the plush rear seat and began to admire the scene. The wide roads were illuminated with thousands of tiny blue bulbs. They stopped as the traffic light turned red and the queue of cars ahead halted to let the gathered pedestrians cross the road under the drizzle. “This city has a heart,” he muttered to no one in particular.
Driver Anwar said, “saab, there is a package for you behind…”
Subhasish opened the neatly wrapped brown parcel and his joy knew no bounds. There was a sleeve of new Srixon golf balls, an Oilman store and a letter welcoming him. For him, it was a calling of adventure and exhilaration as he went through the itinerary. The first day was a practice session at RCGC and the tournament was to be played the following day. He was up bright and early as he made mental notes of all that he had to take into consideration during the practice. The ambience of the club was a true testament to its name – The Royal Calcutta Golf Club.
The club boasts of many inter-company sporting disciplines, among which this tournament prides itself on being the oldest. The Merchant’s Cup has been played in RCGC since 1906, open to those corporate houses that have at least three executive golfers based in the eastern region. This city is regarded as one of the culturally opulent hubs of the nation. Every street and corner of this ancient colonial city exudes rich history, heritage and tradition. One such legacy is the age-old culture of golf.
Once he was satisfied with his practice session, he was ready to take on the tournament the next day. Early next morning he stood at the T box and addressed the ball. With a perfect swing, the driver met the ball with a whack on the sweet spot. He watched the ball take a loft straight ahead on the fairway. He was elated with his first drive.
They walked the beautiful fairway and saw the many mounds built on the course. The trees and shrubs enhanced the beauty of the golf course. The caddies also offered a lesson in the history of the place. They came to know that this par 72 was originally paddy fields and consequently undulating. It was redesigned in 1972 by Peter Thompson and John Harris as an eighteen-hole layout.
As the game progressed, Subhasish realized that the greens were quite large by modern standards and the undulations made them tricky. On top of that, it began to drizzle. The caddies dabbed dry the grips of each club before handing them to the saabs. In spite of everything, Subhasish was satisfied to get a couple of pars and a birdie to his scorecard.
On the ninth green, one of the four-balls swung his putter like a pendulum and struck the ball which began to roll, slowing a wee bit near the lip of the cup. "Go, baby, go..." talked the golfer to the ball and magically, the ball turned obedient and rolled into the hole. All of the players celebrated the shot with their arms raised up and a round of applause.
The whiff of hot omelettes, baked beans and sausages rekindled their hunger pangs now. The players mingled over the wholesome breakfast. They exchanged notes about their scores. One of them added, “I should have carried my swimming trunks for this tournament as I only happen to be aiming for the water hazards!”
The other golfers laughed heartily as they related well to the conspicuous features of the course – its strategically located water tanks and natural hazards. They were now ready for their back 9.
Subhasish took a stance, swung and followed through, hitting the ball perfectly – or so he thought. But the swing was a slice and the breeze carried the ball to the right and it began to roll into the water hazard. Once they all had their chance at teeing off, they waited for him to retrieve his ball from the pond.
As he and his caddy looked around the pond scavenging for his ball, he was met by a golfer who seemed to be a victim of the same fate. “Sir, you too lost your ball?” asked Subhasish.
He laughed and answered, “I seem to be having the most adventurous round… Believe it or not, I am looking for my golf club!”
Glossary:
T-box - The area from which one hits the drive or tee shot
Driver - The golf club used for teeing off
Loft - Straight flight of the ball
Par - apocryphally an abbreviation for "professional average result", the standard score for a hole (defined by its length or a course)
Birdie - Hole played in one stroke under par
Putt - A shot played on the green, usually with a putter
Putter - The golf club used for putting on the greens
Bad Lie - A golfer faced with a bad lie is one whose ball is situated in such a way as to add difficulty to a golf shot.