Life's lessons can be learnt in many ways. Sports can be pretty useful in learning some. I played cricket for my school team, and have played many other games like Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis without a table, Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey at some point at least for a trial. Badminton a little more than others.
Golf was a late entrant into my life, and we started because of easy access to some cheap courses in the U.S. For about 5 dollars, we could play nine holes in the Clemson, SC area. So we just hit the ball around, not achieving any degree of expertise. In Harihar, while I was at Kirloskar Institute, we had an 18 hole course within walking distance in the campus, and made full use of it.
This week, we started Golf lessons for the new batch of IMT Nagpur students. It's just an intro, but the idea is that those who get interested will pursue the game. Looks easy, but is a tough game. And teaches you a lot about yourself, like most others. One lesson I have learnt from it is that you are competing (fighting?) mostly with yourself, and not with an external competitor- student, colleague, wife or boss. If you are at peace with yourself, it shows in your (Golf) swing and game. If not, it also shows- and how! Anyway, the excitement among the learners was palpable, and it gives them something to talk about, even if they don't play it hereafter! B school is also about networking, and Golf terminology adds to the vocabulary too.
On the academic side, I have written a case about a company called Golftripz with an accompanying video (interviews with two directors of the company), which illustrates the launch of a new service aiming to take Indian golfers out to play on foreign shores. Used this in some training sessions, and it led to some good discussion.
Golf was a late entrant into my life, and we started because of easy access to some cheap courses in the U.S. For about 5 dollars, we could play nine holes in the Clemson, SC area. So we just hit the ball around, not achieving any degree of expertise. In Harihar, while I was at Kirloskar Institute, we had an 18 hole course within walking distance in the campus, and made full use of it.
This week, we started Golf lessons for the new batch of IMT Nagpur students. It's just an intro, but the idea is that those who get interested will pursue the game. Looks easy, but is a tough game. And teaches you a lot about yourself, like most others. One lesson I have learnt from it is that you are competing (fighting?) mostly with yourself, and not with an external competitor- student, colleague, wife or boss. If you are at peace with yourself, it shows in your (Golf) swing and game. If not, it also shows- and how! Anyway, the excitement among the learners was palpable, and it gives them something to talk about, even if they don't play it hereafter! B school is also about networking, and Golf terminology adds to the vocabulary too.
On the academic side, I have written a case about a company called Golftripz with an accompanying video (interviews with two directors of the company), which illustrates the launch of a new service aiming to take Indian golfers out to play on foreign shores. Used this in some training sessions, and it led to some good discussion.
5 comments:
The only Bogie I knew of till very recently was the smelly one made available by Indian Rail
'competing (fighting?) mostly with yourself'-well said!
Bogies are easy to accumulate when you have just started. The birdies are a lot more difficult, in hand or in the bush.
I assumed Golf made you a chick magnet so some birdies might be harder to get than others?
ha, ha..you are right! Palm reading is passe.
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