Shaun Pollock and Mahela Jayawardene talk about their love for golf

Shaun Pollock likes to play with people of different ages, while Mahela Jayawardene enjoys catching up with corporate bigwigs on the course, here's why the cricketers love golf
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock

Two former international cricketers and one game of golf. But both players come with varied views about their respective styles and approaches to this game. Shaun Pollock, former South African cricketer and Mahela Jayawardene, former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played international pro golf at the recent Louis Philippe Cup 2018 Celebrity Pro-Am in Benglauru talk exclusively to Indulge.

What is it about golf that attracted you?
Mahela: I enjoyed it even while I was playing cricket. Golf provided a much more relaxing environment for me. During matches and tours, I could just go out and be myself with friends and have fun, it was more of a team outing for me. Once I retired, it was a good fallback sport for me. It was less intensive and I was just trying to improve, so I got a bit more addicted to it.
Shaun: I think I have always been very competitive and it was very important to take up a sport after cricket, otherwise there would have been a void. Golf helped me fill that void. It takes time though. It’s a slow game. The biggest challenge was that I had to stand still. You have only one person to blame and that’s yourself. You hit it badly, it has nothing to do with anyone else. All my cricketing injuries have come back to haunt me, back, knees and ankles — but I enjoy golf.

What has golf taught you?
Mahela: It is an individual sport so there is no one else to blame but you, yourself. You need to have more discipline and more patience, it’s quite different from what we do on the cricket field. In that way, it was more challenging, it’s probably why I took it up after cricket. I have had a good time with some other friends who were not cricketers but who are golfers.
Shaun: There’s not one way to get things done in life. You can get a lot of input and advice from people but you realise that what works for one thing may not work for another. You need to spend time thinking about your own game and there is no substitute for hard work. You have to put in a lot of time.

What changes do you see in yourself as a sportsman and a human being after you started playing golf?
Mahela: I think it’s just about meeting other people and knowing different cultures, which we do as sportsmen. But the golf fraternity is quite different from the cricketing world, so we meet new people on the course. It’s good to talk to them and learn more about other countries. We meet a lot of corporate guys and it’s interesting to learn about what they do, what they trade in and so on.
Shaun: Mentally, I have changed. I think when you are in international sports and you walk out of that arena, you have a lot of confidence. You believe you can do anything and that carries you only so far in the game of golf and then suddenly, you realise at one stage that if you have to be good and that you have to perform well, then you have to put a lot of work into it. That confidence carries you to a level but then it becomes frustrating because you have always achieved results and you set certain sporting standards for yourself and when you can’t play at that level, you wonder what can you do to achieve that.

Do you miss cricket and being part of the team?
Mahela: Not really. Once you retire, you realise you want to play again. But sometimes, it is good to stay away from the game. It helps. But I am involved with coaching and a bit of consultation work so I haven’t been totally away from cricket. But the playing side, I don’t miss at all. I am more happy on the golf course these days.
Shaun: I do miss being part of a team. I have developed some wonderful friendships through my international career. But most of the golf I play is with friends. So we have our chitter-chatter and we give each other a hard time, it’s all good fun. The best thing is I mix with people of different ages. In cricket, you get stuck to a certain age group. Now, I compete with 60-year-olds and children as young as six.

What’s the one thing about golf you love the most?
Mahela: Every shot is fascinating just like cricket. But every shot has a challenge in it, it’s not like cricket. Once the ball is delivered in cricket, you react to it but here, you already know what kind of shot to play and you try to execute that but more often than not you don’t execute it properly. So this is the challenge.
Shaun: There’s always something about the day that brings you back even if you have one of the worst rounds. You play a shot, and you feel you can still do it. I think that’s what I enjoy. There are ups and downs, but invariably, there’s something about the day that you thoroughly enjoy and want to repeat.

ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax

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