Arya Gupta , 17 years , Kolkata

AN INTERVIEW WITH ARYA

Q : At what age did you begin golf?

Ans : I started playing golf at the age of nine.

Q : Who or what prompted you to begin golf?

Ans : Initially my father had picked up the game and he used to come back and watch it on TV. I was fascinated to see people hit a small white ball and at the end of it all put it inside a hole. I wanted to try it out and soon realised that I was totally into the game. That is how I started off.

Q : Who is your favourite player?

Ans : My favourite player is Tiger Woods.

Q : What are the keys in making a good golfer?

Ans : I think patience, composure and self-confidence are the keys in making a good golfer. Oh, and of course, a fighting attitude.

Q : Which golf magazine do you follow?

Ans : I normally browse through the Golf-Line.

Q : Which is the best book you have read till date?

Ans : Uhh (thinks)... I guess the Da Vinci Code.

Q : Where would you go for a holiday?

Ans : Thats an easy one. I would go to Spain and Hawaii.

Q : Your favourite actor and actress?

Ans : My favourite actor would be Tom Hanks and actress would be Angelina Jolie.

Surya Prakash , 17 years , Kolkata

THE IGU EAST ZONE PROGRAMME

The protouch golf academy is the first of its kind in our country.We have a programme set up which helps in all aspects of our game.Every week we have sessions on our golf swings and on Mondays we have a fitness and yoga sessions which is very necessary for us.The camp also helps us to practice for tournaments as we have a lot of competition within the camp.Indrajit has helped me gain a lot of confidence and without his support ,I would not have won against Harinder Gupta in theAll India amateurs.We are lucky to have such a programme in our city.Taylormade also presented the winners of the national tournament which is very encouraging for us.

Manvi Halwasia , 18 years , Kolkata

THE IGU EAST ZONE PROGRAMME

The IGU Junior Golf Programme has worked wonders for all the juniors of
Calcutta and various parts of the East Zone. It has provided great
incentive to those, whose passion lies in the game of golf, which is not
only a physical sport but depends much upon your mental strength as well.

With the help of the IGU Programme, which has not only helped in improving
the technical aspects of the golf swing but also has worked with the
physical and mental strength. The players of our zone have improved and
shown better performances.

Mr. Indrajit Bhalotia along with Mr. Anwar Wahab and the yoga instructors
have helped a great deal in improving the standards of my golf. It has
helped make me a much more consistent golfer and has improved my stamina,
strength and the ability to focus.

Taylor Made which is the sponsor of the IGU Programme has also been
generous enough to gift us with golf bags and balls to reinforce us when
we perform well and win a major. I received a golf bag for winning the
East India Amateurs Ladies Golf Championship.

Without the help of our coach and trainers and all the facilities that we
have received from the programme , it would have been extremely difficult
for us to take a step towards achieving our goals.

Vedant Jaitha , 15 years , Kolkata

MY BEST ROUND

My name is Vedant Jaitha.I am 12 handicapper.So far my best
round has been 7 over at rcgc during the one of the club tournaments
  happening in may this year.I played one of the best golf of my
life that day.I never expected that round as i as not playing very
well.

    My start was ok.I hit a good drive on the 1st hole.I made par
that hole.On the 2nd hole i hit the green .i made a good 2 putt for
my par.On the 3rd hole I hit a bad drive into the tank and ended up
with a double bogey.On the 4th hole I drove it left into the
trees.From there I hit a lay up shot behind the tank and hit my
third shot on the green and made my par with 2 putts from there on
the par 5.On the 5th hole I hit the green in regulation and made my
par.On the 6th hole i drove it left into the hazard.I found the ball
but I had to play it safe.From there I hit a bad shot and made a
double bogey.On the 7th hole I hit a bad drive but made a bogey.On
the 8th hole I hit a good drive on the fairway and made my par.On
the 9th hole i hit a horrible drive to the left and made a bogey.I
was 6 over after the front nine.Then came the back nine.I started
the back nine with a good drive and a par.On the 11th I made a 15
footer putt for my par.On the 12th hole I hit two good shots to hit
the green in regulation and made 2 putts for my par.On the 13th I
hit my 1st shot left of the green on the par 3.Then I hit a lucky
chip which hit the the hole and stooped 2 inches from the hole which
me to get my par.On the 14th hole I hit my tee shot right of the
fairway and made bogey.I was not to dissapointed with a bogey after
my drive.On the 15th hole I made a par.On the 16th I made good
chip-putt from the bunker for a par.On the 17th hole I made a bogey
after a horrible drive.The 18th was the magical hole.My 1st shot
went inside the bunker.From there I hit on the fairway .I had 80
yards left.I took out a sand wedge and holed it.I made a birdie.I
finished my round at 7 over with a 1 over back nine.This has been my
best round so far.

Ishan De Souza , 15 years , Kolkata

WHY I LIKE TO PLAY GOLF

          Golf is the only sport in which no one can influence my performance. It is upto me ,my effort, and hard work because the club is swung by me and the ball is stationery. based on my performance I can play for INDIA. The game means fresh air being with nature and meeting great people. the city is getting more crowded and pollution is increasing and green trees are becoming less, supply of oxygen  is decreasing and being on the course for four hours helps me to be more close to nature which is a special treat wether it means being a school boy or in college playing GOLF means i have met and made some great friends .In life golf will stand me in good stead when i have to join the cooperate world. I have heard people say friends you make on the golf course become friends for life.And I have started believing this after playing the junior tour.This is why the game of GOLF is so close to my heart.

Arya Gupta , 17 years , Kolkata

THE IGU PROGRAMME and WHY I LIKE PLAYING GOLF

    I started golf at the age of 9 under Rezwan Ali, I continued with him for
3 years after which I trained under Clive Bradsley.Gradually as I grew older I
took my game more seriously. At this moment I have realized my potential and
that is thanks to the IGU EAST ZONE PROGRAMME lead by our coach Mr.Indrajit
Bhalotia.The camp has helped, almost all the players of the East to attain a
desirable position.

      The head coach of the programme is Mr.Bhalotia supported by Mr.Varun
Sahay.We have regular classes during the week and we also have video classes
twice a month. Our physical trainer Mr.Anwar Wahab and Mr.Gopal Dutta, the yoga
instructor have helped achieve a good amount of stamina, mental and physical
strength. The regular classes of yoga has helped me to concentrate on and off
the field. And, mind you concentration is the most important. Our coach prompts
us to set goals over a span of 3 months so that we remain competitive all year
round. Looking at each other’s swing and game also helps improve our own as we
learn something new from the process. The camp is quite vibrant as we have
little joke sessions. All in all the camp provides a great opportunity for the
young ones and of course us.

     People often ask me why I play golf? Well the answer is pretty simple and
that is I play golf because I love the game for what it is. I feel that it keeps
me intrigued. I think it builds self-character and I also believe that allows a
person to explore himself or herself. My mental strength has increased thanks to
the game, which has enabled me to push myself to the limit.

Parthsarathi Trivedi , 15 years , Kolkata

Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Parthsarathi Trivedi and I am a 7 handicapper. I joined the I.G.U camp about a year ago and now I am about tell you about my experiences in this training camp. When I first heard about the I.G.U camp I was just thinking that the whole thing would be very regimental and unintersting. But then when I was selected to be in the camp and when I started, it completely changed my game. My whole perspective towards the game and my style of play changed. Earlier I used to think that golf is just about a small white ball with craters and a bunch of holes, but after this camp I realized that there is much more to the game than that. Let me explain.....

                    We start the week of training with gym and yoga classes on Mondays. Our instructor Anwar Wahab is not only our gym instructor but our friend, who is always there to see to our every need. Well, he does have a problem with remembering our names so in the gym Parth becomes 'Jack' ! We start off with a few warmup exercises and then go on to weights. Every week we have a new gym routine to follow. For example on one week we have a set of exercises to do and then on the following week we have another set of new exercises. We are made to not only do them but also remember how we did them so that we can practice them whenever and wherever we want. This has really proved to help me when I go out to play tournaments. We have drills and running exercises to increase our stamina. It is a very wrong assumption nowadays that you don't need to be fit to play golf. We also have exams to reveal our true fitness levels and our strengths and weaknesses . Once we know which part of our body needs attention we start doing particular exercises that make that weak part strong. Right after gym on the same day we have yoga classes conducted by Gopal Dutta and his assistant. The yoga we do is specially for golfers.Yoga improves  concentration which is essential for golfers. It also improves coordination of limbs. Both gym and yoga have given me the extra pep in my shots. After about four of these classes I saw that all my shots were about 20 yards longer than usual.

         On Tuesdays Indrajit and Varun give us coaching in Tolly. I do not know how to explain but let me tell you these classes are like no other. We are taught  not only how to play the game but to enjoy it as well. Sometimes on Tuesdays Indrajit gives us counselling. Here he talks to each one of us and asks us what our weak points are and then tells us how to overcome them. He also tells us about course etiquette and unique strategies to use when we are in trouble while playing. I remember once that he told us to make two lists, one for all the positive thoughts we should gather while playing and another list stating what we should not think of. Basically this improved my attitude on the golf course. I feel that Tuesdays are a lot of fun as the whole team is very humourous (its not always fun, once Indrajit scolded all of us for not showing results!). If we want, we can attend other junior classes held on other days at four. We also have I.G.U classes on fridays which are similar to those on tuesdays.

              The last class of the week is on Sundays at eight (so much for those late mornings on Sundays). In these classes we are once again observed by Indrajit and Varun and they point out our mistakes and correct them, at the same time explaining why the correction was necessary. These classes are held in RCGC and most of the time this is our video class, where each of our swings are caught on video and are observed on Indrajit's 'hi-fi' laptop using a golf swing viewing software. We see the swings one by one each on slow motion. This has proved very useful to me as I can see what my swing looks like and can easily recognize defects in it. Then once I know where exactly I am going wrong, its time to improve! We have a lot of fun on Sundays as everyone is relaxed and in a jolly mood, and this atmosphere I feel makes practicing fun. The I.G.U camp and the whole team is like a family where everyone helps each other. I feel the camp has the right ingredients to make Tigers and I am sure that it will.

Kunal Patodia , 18years , Kolkata

“Life never gives a second chance” is quoted by many. But to some extent I don’t really believe in it. When I was a young boy of barely ten or eleven, my mother insisted me on playing all kinds of sports. In school I was not only a part of the cricket team but also enjoyed football. Swimming was my other passion too. Due to my mother’s fascination for tennis, I was put into a tennis camp. The first two days were enjoyable but after a stressful week I decided that the racket was not made for me. I could not play a role of a tennis player. A few months later, my mother wanted me to develop an interest in golf. My father and my uncle both played regularly and were also good at it. My mother with the help of my uncle made my start my golfing lessons. The story was more or less the same out here too. My interest did not catch hold of golf also. I remember that my caddie ‘Chun – Chun’ used to call me up every other day asking me to come. I tried my best to go but in vain. For about two – two and half years it carried on like this. One day I used to go and for days I would be irregular. I was literally pushed out of my house to go and play golf but I was never very keen to develop any interest in it.

Something had suddenly inspired me. But I do not know what. When I was 14 I guess I got hooked onto the game. The club started pulling me towards it. From that time onwards my attendance was 100% (except during my examinations). I was disheartened to learn that the club would remain shut on Mondays. That would mean that one less day of golf in a week. The golf fever took over me. I started having knowledge about the game, its rules, the players, the equipment used, and most importantly myself. I discovered myself in the process of learning. I am still learning the game today and learning many things about myself too. If I would not have played golf I would not have been able to discover my true self. I made new friends which was also a motivation towards the game. I started liking every aspect of the game. I never considered it to be an “old man’s” game. Many of my friends consider is still though. I remember, one of my friends always criticized the game, that disgusted me. Today he is a golfer too and tries to make it to the club whenever possible. I am 18 now. The interest and madness is still there about golf, which I doubt will never go. I believe no one is perfect in the world. Every day some one learns something new. I am also still learning and Will always learn throughout my life.