A team defining "Teamwork"

I started golfing less than a year ago. I'm surrounded by friends who are not only great golfers, but also good teachers. They've helped me come a long way. Last week, I was told I'm part of a "team".
"What team?" I asked
"Golf team, to compete in a championship," my friend's wife said.
"You got to be kidding me!" I said. "Are you serious?"
"This is no joke. You will be competing in a Golf championship this Sunday," she said.
"And we'll give you a ceremonial Indian battle send-off before you go out to compete," my wife joined in.
I felt a little weak, and my anxiety level inched upwards.
"And instead of the traditional sword, we'll give you golf-clubs," my wife said, smiling.
"The sword might be a better option," I muttered. "At least I can scare some competitors away."

I practiced a bit for the next few days. The big day finally arrived. The organizers did a wonderful job at the Goose-Creek golf club, looking out for every little detail. And then I was fortunate to witness some spectacular golf played by the veterans in our team, who were incidentally, the defending champions from last year. There was some powerful hitting and some exquisite chip shots. And on top of that there was some unbelievable "putting" by a certain physician turned golfer! Although I was the weakest member of our team, I was never made to feel that way. "There's no 'I' in team," our team captain said. Anyway, our team won the tournament by five strokes. But there was still more to come. The tournament organizers also had a raffle. As the the winning ticket for the grand-prize (a wedge set) was being pulled out of the bucket, one of the stars in our team suddenly developed a sixth sense. He started from his seat. "That's mine," he said.
"We haven't even looked at the ticket yet," the official said.
"Well, go ahead and look. It has my name on it," our team member said.
The official looked at the ticket, and indeed, it was his name!! And I have no explanation for how that happened.

Extrapolating this to the real world, it is so much easier to navigate life, with all its trials and tribulations, if we work as a team with people that surround us. And this is true in our professional, social and personal lives.

"If we know we have people by our side with whom we share implicit trust, we meet life honestly, courageously and with integrity. That is how character is built." ~ Eleanore Roosevelt

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The Golf experience!!

"Do you Golf?" Somebody asked me the other day. "Yes, I do." I could say that as of a few weeks ago, when I picked up a golf-club for the first time. But then I followed up with, "Do you Football? or do you Basketball?" The guy looked at me as if I was a little off-center and walked away.

But you tell me, if I can golf, why can't I basketball or football? I can go skiing, golfing..... but not basketballing or soccering or footballing? Well, we'll let the English language wizards decide this one.

Back to "golfing" now. My experience so far can be best described as interesting. Initially, my thoughts were --- "All you got to do is hit that ball with the bat.... sorry club. How hard can it be? Whack the ball, for pete's sake!" Well, as you can imagine, these thoughts perished the first day I was at the driving range. After 4 weeks of off & on practicing, I feel blessed every time my club makes contact with the ball!

I have great golfing friends, all with good intentions. So I've had a barrage of suggestions and tips. Most of those have helped me. "You lifted your head" is the standard line for me when I make a bad shot, and I do that more often than I make good ones! They are worried about the distance and direction of their shots. I just want to hit the ball, it doesn't matter where it goes, as long as it lands more than 10 feet away!

So my journey into the mysterious depths of golf is just beginning, and I have a long way to go. I have teachers with good intentions all around me, so I think I'll make rapid progress. Hopefully, one day, I too will be more worried about the distance and direction of the shot than mere contact.

And I hope I'm always more focused on my own game, than of those around me. So here's my golf-anthem----

PLAY RELAXED & PLAY FOR FUN,
AND WHEN THINGS DON'T GO YOUR WAY,
BLAME YOURSELF & NOT SOMEONE!

Stay tuned for future updates on my game!!

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