OUR ERSTWHILE GOLF FOURBALL

After settling down in Delhi post retirement from the Navy, I started playing golf at the Army Golf Club (AEPTA) Dhaula Kuan. I became part of a fourball which included PKG (Cmde PK Gupta), Arjan (Brig AS Narula) and PC (Col Puran Chand, not Personal Computer(!), Pande). 

It was a fun group with a lot of light banter and jokes. We never spoilt it by betting which unnecessarily gives rise to controversies such as strict adherence to rules, false handicap, etc. Play, enjoy the game and company, go home.

A golden rule with PC was that all good shots were attributable to his skills and the bad ones to his caddie. The latter was to be blamed for anything wrong with PC's game be it the choice of club, not keeping the head down, the swing, grip, stance, whatever. As soon as the shot went wrong, PC would begin chastising his caddie: 'why did you give me 7 iron and not the 5', 'why didn't you tell me to keep my head down', 'you should have told me my backswing was too high', 'why have you come when you don't know how to caddie- a caddie does not get paid for just carrying clubs, a caddie is supposed to advise and tell the player how to play', etc. etc. It was fun to hear PC's rant and the caddie would quietly listen, grin and bear it because he knew that it was just PC's way of letting out steam.

What would have us in splits of laughter were PC's funny remarks. Noticing that the management had started marking free drop areas with 'choona' (white limestone powder), PC said that was a wonderful idea, he would put some in his bag and whenever his ball would lie in a difficult position, he would quickly sprinkle some choona around it and claim a free drop!

Once while walking towards the10th tee, he saw a veteran practising on the driving range. PC, "Saala, Nigambodh Ghat jane ko taiyyar hai phir bhi practice mein time waste kar raha hai!" 

In the washroom, noticing the state of hand towels, "Yaar, these towels are so filthy that after wiping your hands with them, you need to wash your hands again." 

Another habit of his, squeezing buttered toast in his palm till the last drop of butter had been drained out. When I asked him why he didn't ask the waiter to put less or no butter, he said he wanted his toast soft and didn't like the taste of plain bread.

The four ball does not exist any more. PC departed from this world many years ago and Arjan quit sometime back due to illness and finally followed PC last year. PKG has given up because of bad knees. Pandemic kept me away for almost a year but I am trying to make a comeback and find new partners to make it at least a two or threeball instead of just oneball!

But whenever I see any 'choona' on the course, I will remember PC.