Swing Stars

Life for these young sports people is a whirlwind of travel,keeping up in class and of course dealing with pressure of performing on the course. “Some people are very driven at the age of 13 but Gurbani hasn’t really thought that far. But I will support her with whatever decision she takes,” says Bharti,Gurbani’s mother,for whom golf has “fitted in with the activities”. “It’s like running a parallel life,” says Bharti. She is also a member of Albatross formed by a group of parents in 2007 that provides opportunities to junior golfers to play competitively.

Meanwhile,Mehar Atwal,15,is also a familiar face on the golf circuit and at the DGC where you can find her most days at the driving range,practising. A distant relation of golfer Arjun Atwal,Mehar is a Class 10 student at Sanskriti school and isn’t playing these days because she’s recovering from a shoulder injury. “I got to slow down and concentrate on studies,” says Mehar,who got hooked to golf watching her father Karan play (also a serious golfer). “In junior classes missing school doesn’t matter,and sometimes one get exempted from the exams but the boards are a diifernt ball game together,” says Aru,mother of Mehar.

Junior golfers get a lot of attention these days thanks to the success of pros like Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyothi Randhawa on the international circuit. Coach Nonita Lall Qureshi who teaches kids is skeptical how many will be good enough to turn golf into a lucrative career. “Playing well in India is one thing but their overseas performances are only average. There is still a long way to go,” says Qureshi.

Eleven-year-old Piyush Sangwan has already played in 45 national level golf tournaments and is leaving tonight for the US Kids World Golf Championship in North Carolina. Piyush’s father will be accompanying him. “I practise six days a week at the DLF Golf club after school around 4 pm. During vacations,it is golf,golf and golf,” says Sangwan a class six student in American Montessori Public School,Gurgaon. For 15-year-old Ankur Chadha,the golfing atmosphere at home helped him learn to love the game. This year,he won the DGC Open Junior Championship. The lanky teen admits balancing school,friends and golf can get difficult at times. “There is no extra attention paid to us in schools and I manage studies. It is difficult though but one gets a 15 day break before the exams,” says Ankur.

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