Golfing in December…Why Not?

Ever since coming to this relatively fair-weathered country, I’ve reveled at the thought of golfing this late into the year.  Well, yesterday I satisfied my appetite for “a good walk spoiled,” as it were, by going to the Panchkula Golf Club.  

If there is one thing about golf in India, it’s that it seems a rather exclusive club.  The Chandigarh Golf Club is members only and seeing how I didn’t know a member, I wasn’t going to be golfing there anytime soon.  Luckily for me, the Panchkula track wasn’t as exclusive and I was able to play without a problem.  Did I say “without a problem”…I mean a few snags.

The first thing probably not helping my cause was my mode of transportation.  Honestly, who shows up at a golf course riding a bike?  Everyone was laughing at me and I felt about as small as an ant.  Even the guards were chiding me (albeit in Hindi).

So I began to wonder around the “Clubhouse” looking for someone that would let me play.  I guess the GM must’ve seen me and came out.  Is first question, “Do you have any golfing experience?  What’s your handicap?”  

“I don’t know, 13 maybe?”  

“Oh, welcome to the Panchkula Golf Club, then.”

After talk to about 5 different people, I eventually found out that I needed to supply my own tees and golf balls because there was no pro shop at the place.  That’s like not selling beer at hockey games…it just doesn’t happen.

A group of people was kind enough to give me an unbreakable plastic tee, but refused to give me a couple of balls (shrugged me off in utter disgust, I might add).  So I had a tee, but no balls…too bad both are needed for a round of golf.

Finally, the guy in the office had the bright idea of telling me to go over to the caddy shack and get some balls from them.  He phrased it in such as stereotypically India way, “Go over to the caddy shack.  They will give you some balls after you give them some money.”  Not only did I return from the shack with balls, but with a caddy as well.  I had never had one before, so this was all new to me.  

Finally, I was ready to tee off on #1.  Now I know nobody wants to hear about the actual golfing part of this story, so I’ll leave it out.  One thing I can tell you was that I embarrassed myself rather badly.  I learned that chipping and pitching are not like riding a bike….

When I was about 2/3 of the way through my round, some legend joins me.  He claims he was an 11 handicap and had only been golfing for 2 months.  Right….

After we both hacked it around for a few holes, he decided to leave in the middle of the 18th fairway.  It became clear that he was not in fact a paying customer like myself and had to leave before somebody caught him.

Coincidently, the 18th was my best hole of the day.  I had embarrassed myself just enough to want to go back and see if I could tame the beast.