GOLF MANIAC

1. I took up golf in 1990 when I joined Kelab Golf Rahman Putra in Sungai Buloh. At that time golf was considered a game for the elite group because golf is a very expensive game. To become a member of a club you have pay some thousands of ringgit.

2. Many people, including me, thought that golf is a stupid game. You hit the small ball, walk in the hot sun to look for the ball, then hit again and again until the ball reaches the green. On reaching the green you putt the ball into the small hole. You continue doing it for every hole until you finish one round of 9 holes or 18 holes. For a game of 18 holes it would take about 4 hours to complete.

3. In the first year of joining the club I became a golf maniac. Every weekend I would be at the golf course. Sometimes I used my annual leave just to play golf. Once in the fasting month I played 18 holes when I almost collapsed because the sun was so hot and I was thursty. Since then I have never played again in the fasting month. No wonder some people say GOLF is an acronym for 'Golongan Orang Lemah Fikiran'.

4. In 1993 I scored a hole-in-one. It is one rare achievement where you hit the ball from the tee-box and goes straight into the hole. You need skill and some luck to achieve that.

5. Today I spend almost every alternate day playing golf at Kelab Golf Negara Subang. I must say golf is a unique game, very interesting and challenging. You need to develop skill more than strength in order to play well. Not everybody can play golf. Normally people with sportsmanship talent can pick up the game faster.It is not easy to acquire the skill of hitting a long and straight ball. My regular "kaki" Hamdan Salim (photo) hits very long but sometimes the ball goes into the bush or into the pond.

4. After one round of the game you and your golfing partners normally would adjourn to the clubhouse for drinks or lunch as well. Normally we pool some money to pay the bill and the balance goes to the best player. Some people say this is betting, but I say it is a token of appreciation to the best player. Some golfers do side-bet just for excitement.

5. Golf is good for business and social networking. For retired people like me, golf is for exercise and to pass time, and getting more friends.I walk for about 8,000 meters to complete 18 holes of the game. Good exercise!