ROYAL CALCUTTA GOLF CLUB THE Royal Times August 2013 SUMMER 2013, Golf Course Maintenance Operations - Challenges of Monsoon Weather Having this understanding of the basic needs of various turf grass species is beneficial; having a more detailed and specific understanding of the needs is critical to the continuing management and sometimes continued existence of turf grasses in localized environments. Here in West Bengal, Kolkata, our turf grasses are in a very unique environment that is rare on our planet compared to the great majority of highly cultured turf grass environments. Royal Calcutta Golf Club is positioned in a region where the average daily and yearly sunlight levels are lower than most areas on the planet. So, given the importance of sunlight on total plant function, the greatest challenge we have here and especially during the monsoon season is the significantly lower sunlight level. Couple that with the frequency of rainfall and the alteration of soil/air balances we have a second and potentially deadly and prolonged disadvantage of the grasses and their various plant structures being bathed and often submerged in an anaerobic, lacking of air, low light environment. When this happens the Challenges of Monsoon Weather Profile - SSP Chowrasia Rules of Golf On the Lesson Tee Club Round-up Like most grasses on Planet Earth, turf grasses typically require a tremendous amount of sunlight to produce the sugars necessary for the energy used in the production of cell walls, vascular tissues, internal functions and the obvious leaf and stem tissues we play golf on. The grass plants also require sunlight to assist in the regulation of that energy and movement of water and nutrients within and surrounding the plant's structures. Other important factors that make for optimum growing condition include a combination of water, soil nutrients and air. These produce and culture the elevated experiences that today's golfers have of turf grass. Since we apply terrific pressures on these grasses to meet the playing standards of today's game and players by lowering the natural heights, cutting them frequently, removing much of their valuable tissues and walking and applying equipment pressure all these elements have a significant combined effect on the grass plants. Add the pressures of natural pests such as diseased and insects, the world of turf grass is a challenging place to live. grasses naturally attempt to grow higher and out of the sometimes suffocating watery world to obtain light and air causing lateral thinning and rapid vertical growth of the plants. When we recognize these circumstances and we adjust our maintenance practices accordingly in an attempt to best coordinate the grasses needs with available practice and materials. This sometimes means that we actively raise the height of cut, making the roll slower and often less predictable. We also do this to intentionally allow the plants to gain additional structure in the form of new leaves and stems so that they can continue that natural process of photosynthesis and cell development and maintenance. More often and annually, this is a temporary strategy worthy of practice in order to maintain the health of the plants and sometimes to save their lives. So, during these wet periods in the Indian monsoon the members can expect us to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate a continued existence of our turf grass plants.
Fortune favours the brave It may have been his dream come true: to go international. But the food was horrid; it smelt foul and everything was alien in Macao. Yet there was a tournament to play in. The young man from Kolkata found his determination almost crumbling. Steeling his nerves, Shiv Shankar Prasad (SSP) Chowrasia went to the links, admonishing his mind to adjust to the circumstances. Then his golf took over. Nothing exceptional, of course, but I finished 40th in Macao, reminiscences SSP Chowrasia, sitting in the comfort zone of his own club, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. He was off for the European Tour the next day for three weeks, to play in London, Sweden and Austria. Macao and Phillippines in 2006 were SSP Chowrasia's first journeys outside the sub-continent and he did well in his first Asian outing, returning with two accomplishments: doing reasonably well in both, having worked on his long game and beginning to learn to love Chinese food. Son of a greenskeeper at the RCGC, SSP (born May 15, 1978), overcame his first major obstacle, a father who constantly cautioned his son not to fool around with this rich mans game. But he thanks his mother, who managed to find finances from her meagre household budget. His older sibling was a self-taught golfer too but could not carry on, given the family's straitened circumstances. SSP was, however, made of sterner stuff and knew that he wanted to do nothing but play golf. So he would caddy and then cajole senior members who were impressed by his short game to support him. SSP would never miss a putt. And he would practice from dawn to dusk...sometimes with nothing but the vast links for company. I turned pro in 2007 (check year) and managed to rise to the Indian challenges over the next four to five years but there was need to go international, improve the game and, of course, find a sponsor. Indeed, he had needed sponsors even to do the Indian tours. That was way back in 1999, when it was the generosity of Joydeb Chitlangia that made it possible. The need was to go international for which he had saved some personal funds. SSP had done well in the country but not without stuttering starts. Even so, after entering professional golf in 1997, his earnings at the end of 1998 were $1,220. Chowrasia finished second to Arjun Atwal in the 1999 Indian Open held at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Prior to that life was about generating funds to take the game forward: I caddied for Mr Madan Singh and took an advance on my salary for the first tour. My golf set came from Mr Neel Law. I went to Chennai and qualified but then the performance turned bad for Bangalore and Chennai and I ran out of money. The game improved and so did finances but ever so slowly. I recall a night when my mother gave me her last funds before I went to Chandigarh. There I got out by one shot and did not sleep the entire night. The next game was th in Kapurthala and here I finished 30 and earned between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000 and then came back for the third tournament. I made money on this trip and repaid my mother's loan on condition that she would give me money when I needed it again. Then came the SAIL Open with its Rs 28
lakh prize money in 1998. I finished 23rd and got Rs 28,000. SSP's fortunes seemed to be changing as he started aiming for the PGA Tour. was also an opportunity to learn from my mistakes. The need was to concentrate. SSP listened to all the advice but 2009 was even worse. I even lost my card. For the overseas ventures, it was Sanjay Agarwal, who supported me and Bunty Verma. The first stop was Pakistan: I did well and my confidence improved a lot. Then came Macao and Phillippines, when everything seemed alien and out of kilter. That was followed by the Taiwan opportunity, which was amongst the biggest tournaments: the Taiwan Mercures Masters (please note he said it was the Taiwan mercetese master...i find no such tournaments on the net) and after two rounds I had a five shot lead at the halfway mark. It meant clawing his way back with a conditional card. I finished 135th and that gave me a half card) and I could play in small events that I did in 2010. In 2011 there was the Avantha Masters (an European Tour event) that I entered through the Indian Tour and I won the tournament to get a full card for Europe for three more years. My game had improved immensely over this period. The important thing was that he was performing uniformly well throughout the year and played in America as well. This form continued through 2012 and I am set for 2013. Disaster was just round the corner: SSP Chowrasia forgot to sign his scorecard and got disqualfied. The reports about him were complimentary though: top-20 finishes in Philippine Open and in China... was followed up with a top-10 finish at Bangkok Airways Open, says a report about the season. SSP Chowrasia's claim to fame was his fairly immaculate short game. This fellow golfers had noted even when he was a kid, leading to a nickname that he would rather forget. Internationally, I saw that people hit long and straight. Of course, he continued to practice the short shots, which were my strong points. At home things were looking up. The 2006 Hero Honda Indian Open saw him narrowly miss the title won by Jyoti Randhawa on a play-off. SSP then secured the 10th place in the Volvo Masters by end 2006. Year 2007 too saw a narrow miss. SSP was one stroke behind the leader on the opening day of the 2007 Malaysian Open but lost ground ending up tied for 16th at the end of the tournament. The Asian Tour ranking had improved though from 38 in 2006 to 32 in 2007. Greater glory awaited him in February 2008. SSP Chowrasia won the inaugural Indian Masters, which was a part of the 2008 European Tour. There were such greats as Ernie Els, Thomas Bjørn, Maarten Lafeber and Ross McGowan along with Indian golfers Arjun Atwal, Gaurav Ghei and Digvijay Singh that he had to take on and he won with a score of nine under par. More importantly, he won a purse of 239,705, which doubled his earnings over the past decade. Reportedly, he was the only player to achieve sub-par rounds on all four days in this biggest golf event in India. His fortunes seemed to be changing as he started aiming for the PGA Tour. I never thought that I could win this tournament but I do not know what I am going to do in the future. I am sure I will play more both in Asia and Europe but my ultimate target is to get onto the US Tour, he said after his victory. The idea was to improve the European rankings to get into PGA through Europe. The international outing was one about trials and tribulations though. 2008 was a bad year with injuries. Competition was tough; the weather was bad; it was raining and I found golfers hitting longer. It took all the cheering-up and counselling from my caddy friend to keep my spirits high. He told me that nothing was achieved in life without a struggle and every bad game that I played Two things were important in this journey. Royal supported me throughout and I realized the important of patience, perseverance and the need to commit 100 per cent to golf. Thus I practiced from 8 pm to lunch break and again till it became dark. People called me mad. I also realized that both time and timing are important. There was also the need to constantly improve. My grip is strong but it had to become more flexible and I worked with my coach, Pritam Saikia, for five to six years, technically strengthening my long game. There is so much by way of technique that has to be acquired When I learnt my game, no one talked of technique. I was a natural. I learnt that the posture for the swing had to be strengthened, the swing perfected as I watched myself on the computer repeatedly. The results are there for all to see. At Kuala Lumpur in 2013, SSP broke back into the top-20 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, moving up to 18th after a strong showing at the Ballantine's Championship in Korea. Today he plays at the same level as Jeev Milkha Singh and Gaganjeet Bhullar. Jeev is experienced and his course management is excellent. I spend time with him whenever I can and learn a lot from him, especially how he plans the game, says SSP. As he gets set for the next international tour, SSP is grateful to Royal: Royal is excellent in terms of encouraging players. It has given us a separate driving range, it send us to tournaments in the country. It is important to encourage golfers with a caddy background because they increase the catchment area for golfers. The government too should help. On another plane there should be a lot of focus on fitness, which does not seem to be so critical for golfers in India and we lose out. I try to be fit but, if I have a problem, I call up my doctor in Europe for advice and he tells me what to do. Fortunately, it is a fit SSP Chowrasia who is playing in Europe now. Earlier, he had said that he was working on his putting and it has been getting better day by day. For SSP Chowrasia was aiming for his first win outside of India. Hopefully, that win will come very soon based on my current form, he said. With a name that features Shiv and Shankar, certainly even the links will treat him with deference.
Water Hazards (Rule 26) If your ball is in a water hazard (yellow stakes and/or lines) you may play the ball as it lies or, under penalty of one stroke: play a ball from where your last shot was played, or drop a ball any distance behind the water hazard keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard and the spot on which the ball is dropped. If your ball is in a lateral water hazard (red stakes and/or lines), in addition to the options for a ball in a water hazard (see above), under penalty of one stroke, you may drop within two club-lengths of, and not nearer the hole than: the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard, or a point on the opposite side of the hazard equidistant to the hole from the point where the ball last crossed the margin. A Teeing ground D C B E Lateral water hazard Ball played from teeing ground at Point A comes to rest in lateral water hazard at Point B, having last crossed the margin of the hazard at Point C. Player's options are as follows: Play ball as it lies without penalty at Point B, or under penalty of one stroke: Play another ball from teeing ground Drop a ball behind the hazard anywhere on the broken line from Point D backwards Drop a ball in the shaded area at Point C (i.e. within two club-lengths of point C but not nearer the hole than Point C), or Drop a ball in the shaded area at Point E (i.e. within two club lengths of point E but not nearer to the hole than Point E). Ball Unplayable (Rule 28) If your ball is in a water hazard and you do not wish to play it as it lies, you must proceed under the water hazard Rule - the unplayable ball Rule does not apply. Elsewhere on the course, if you believe your ball is unplayable, you may under penalty of one stroke: play a ball from where your last shot was played, or drop a ball any distance behind the point where the ball lay keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball lay and the spot on which the ball is dropped, or drop a ball within two club-lengths of where the ball lies not nearer the hole. If your ball is in a bunker you may proceed as above, except that if you are dropping back on a line or within two club-lengths, you must drop a ball in the bunker. A Teeing ground B A ball played from teeing ground at Point A comes to rest in a bush at Point B. If the player deems the ball unplayable, the options, under penalty of one stroke, are as follows: play a ball from the teeing ground drop a ball behind point B on the broken line, or drop a ball in the shaded area (i.e. within two club-lengths of Point B but not nearer the hole than Point B). Bush
On the Lesson Tee John D. Volz, Director of Golf at RCGC If you haven't done so already, start keeping a record of the rounds you've played with regards to: number of fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts per green. Also note that, if you're missing greens, by how much. The more information you gather, the better plan you can put together to overcome the issues and be a better player. Beating balls is merely an effort in exercise and practicing that way more often only encourages bad habits to hang around. If you really want to improve your game you must practice with a purpose. You should take instructions from a Royal Teaching Team member only. The IGU has been reinforcing better teaching methods amongst Indian coaches from 2005. All recognized coaches on the Royal Team have been through the IGU programme and consequently have a much better understanding of how to help your game than a caddie does. 1. Warm up properly. Do stretch slowly and methodically. Never bounce back and forth. This could lead to injury. 2. Take 2 wedges and swing them together in a rhythmic fashion. It helps to assume the proper stance and posture while doing so. 3. Start with a wedge and, without worrying about a target, hit 10 balls with 75% effort, mostly concentrating on solid contact. 4. Hit another 10 balls at a target at a distance that is close to a full swing. 5. Now you can start working the clubs in the bag, the number of balls you hit depending on your stamina and time allowed. 6. When you work on a swing improvement, you should take many practice swings to allow the body to adjust to the new technique. You will be wasting range balls if you don't. 7. Don't let your rhythm get out of whack just hitting ball after ball will play havoc with your timing. This is a huge point here. If you go on course immediately after practice your timing and rhythm will be out of sync and all the effort you put into correction will be lost and you'll end up only frustrated. Practice with a purpose. Make each shot count. After you have the feel of the change, you should go through your pre-shot routine before each shot (you DO have a pre-shot routine don't you?). 8. A crucially important point to practice is you should always wind up your session with ONE BALL - ONE TARGET practice. That way you'll know if what you've been working on all that time will make you a more consistent golfer, and it applies to every aspect of your golf game. This guy wants to help you play better golf. Call John, a USPGA Class A at 9163196000 or e-mail golfdirector@rcgc.in
Brakenridge Cup Winner & Runners-up Making a difference Manisha Khatoon, age 13 years, d/o Firoz Khan, caddy working at the club was suffering with a serious kidney ailment. After being registered under the "Caddies Welfare Programme" a joint effort of RCGC and Medica Superspecialty Hospital for providing healthcare to the caddies and their families (spouse and three children), she was provided with the best possible medical attention. After going through more than 25 dialysis, series of tests and thorough investigations at the Medica it was advised that Manisha needed a kidney transplant in order to survive. Her mother offered her kidney but in-spite of this, the surgery involved lot of expenses. The total cost of surgery and the various test required for the donor and recipient of the kidney is more than 6 lacs rupees (if the donor is from the family). Though Medica was providing free consultation and services of all the specialist team of doctors including nephrologists, urologists etc, free bed and lodging and all other facilities on the basis of consumable costs, it was an impossible task for the caddy to collect even two lacs of rupees needed for the purpose. But this could become possible with the help of some philanthropists and through the empathy shown by the club members who came forward and donated generously for the said cause. The surgery was done successfully on 29th April '13 and due to all the effort made by Medica and RCGC members today Manisha and her mother are recuperating at home, and by God's grace she will be able to live a healthy and fulfilling life. We sincerely appreciate and extend our heartfelt thanks to all who made it possible. East India Rinks 3A Side Winners & Runners-up This month we had the long awaited Captain vs Convenor tournament. 32 players participated in the tournament including the committee members along with the Captain. There was good interaction between the committee members and the bowlers. The event was followed by cocktails sponsored by the Captain. The result of the tournaments held during the last three months are as follows: Brakenridge Cup Singles, a handicap tournament was won by Samit Malhotra. The runners-up was S.V. Pai East India Rinks 3 A Side, (Scratch) Winners - Samit Malhotra, S.V. Kejriwal and Madhu Lakhotia, Runners-up S.V. Pai, Sushma Burman and Anshuman Fogla.
Golf Results Upto June 2013 Japanese Cup : Winner Jayanta Gohain Reading Medal : Winner Sanjeev Mehra (2 & 1) MONTHLY MEDAL (MAY 2013) Winner(net) : Soumitra Ghosh (85-19=66) Winner (gross) : Imran Ali Mollah (76) On Count Back Runner-up(net) : Nilanjan Sarkar (83-15=68) Runner-up(gross) : Vedanta Kanoria (76) Senior Winner Runner-up : : B G Chowdhury (43-11=32) (over 1st 9 Holes) Alok Kr Mitra (43-10=33) Special Prizes 21st Place : Suyash Poddar 51st Place : Ronojoy Giri Wooden Spoon : Manoj Joshi GOVERNOR'S CUP 2013 Winners Amit Mohunta&ASJawanda (44 Pts) Runner Up Pratyush Kedia & Ranjit Chaudhri (43 Pts) MONTHLY MEDAL (JUNE 2013) Winner (net) Suman Saha (84-21=63) Winner (gross) Viraj Madappa (69) Runner-up (net) A M Luthra (80-10=70) Runner-up (gross) Vedanta Kanoria (75) Special Prizes 21st Place Vishesh Khanna 51st Place Avnish Mehta Wooden Spoon Alok Gupta Golf News : The Telegraph Merchants' cup and the Telegraph Challenge cup, started at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club course from 23rd July till 26th July 2013 and concluded with a Gala evening at the Oberoi Grand. The Merchants' Cup was won by Williamson Magor 'A' comprising Aditya Khaitan, Lakshman Singh, Vivek Seth and Jayanta Gohain with a cumulative score of 225. The Telegraph Challenge Cup was won by DBS Bank comprising Mayukh Ray, Deep Banerjee, Atanu Mukherjee and Tejen Banerjee. Overall Runner-up was Mcleod & Co comprising Pradeep Bajoria, Anant Bajoria, Ishan Bajoria and Vivek Bajoria. CAPTAIN'S PRIZE 2013 Winner : Sunny Uthup (2 & 1) Runner-up : Sundeep Soni Golf Programme for the month of August 2013 : Tuesday, 6th to Thursday, 8th : Tata Steel East Zone Sub-Junior Golf tournament (IGU event) Thursday, 15th : Independence Day Cup (For RCGC members) Golf Programme for the month of September 2013 : Sunday, 1st : Mazda Trophy Match play (Better Ball team) Entry closes at 5 PM Saturday, 7th : Golf Rules & Etiquette Clinic Sunday, 8th : Monthly Medal comptn Saturday, 14th & Sunday, 15th : Dryden Challenge Cup (Team Stroke play event)
Golf Corner To the Golfer In my hand I hold a ball, White and dimpled, rather small Oh, how bland it does appear, This harmless looking little sphere. By its size I could not guess The awesome strength it does possess; But since I fell beneath its spell I've wandered through the fires of Hell. Golf is a much loved game. It generates a lot of interest and enthusiasm especially among the members of the golfing community, who love to talk about the game as much as they love playing it. Therefore, RCGC has decided to publish 'The Royal Times' newsletter in order to spread information and news about golf in a novel and interesting way. As such, 'The Royal Times' newsletter will serve as an interesting and entertaining forum for exchange of news and views between members of the golfing community. They will love reading the newsletter and discussing the many articles and news that the newsletter features. Anybody interested to write in is most welcome to contribute any articles or anecdotes that he or she may like to share with his/her golfing buddies. RCGC hopes that they have been able to introduce an entertaining publication and looks forward to your news, views and contributions to this newsletter. RCGC hopes to see this newsletter become a success in the years to come. 2 (July 2013) Jack and Tom are playing as partners in a four-ball event. Tom has a long putt with a big break. Jack, using his putter, taps the spot on the green where he thinks Tom should aim. What's the ruling? a. No penalty b. 1 stroke penalty c. Disqualification d. 2 stroke penalty 1 (May 2013) In the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, Cristie Kerr was having difficulty with her alignment and asked her caddie to stand behind her to help her line up. Is her caddie permitted to stand behind her while she plays a stroke? a. Yes b. No Ans : No. My life has not been quite the same Since I chose to play this game. It rules my mind for hours on end. A fortune it has made me spend. It has made me curse and cry. I hate myself and want to die. It promises a thing called "par". If I can hit it straight and far. To master such a tiny ball Should not be very hard at all. But my desires the ball refuses And does exactly as it chooses. It hooks and slices..dribbles..dies Or disappears before my eyes Often it will have a whim To hit a tree or take a swim. With miles of grass on which to land It finds a tiny patch of sand. Then has me offering up my soul If it will just drop in the hole. It's made me whimper like a pup, And swear that I will give it up And take a drink to ease my sorrow. But "The Ball" knows... I'll be back...tomorrow. Puppy Mac and Jimmy decided to get together one morning and play a round. Mac brought along his little black puppy. When Mac sank a twelve foot putt on the first hole, the puppy stood on his hind legs and began to dance, jump and bark. Jimmy said, That's great, what does he do when you miss the putt?" Mac said, "He does somersaults." When Jimmy asked how many somersaults, Mac replied; That depends on how hard I kick him."