Golf is a sport that is picking up in India but still has a long way to go. But there are already some names that have made the country proud with their performances at the international level. One such golfer is Shiv Kapur, most notable for bagging the gold for the country in the 2002 Asian Games. Shiv was recently in the city as the celebrity host for the Marriott Bonvoy Golf Tournament 2023, which was married luxury and golfing excellence. Hosted by the JW Marriott Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire Resort & Spa in collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy, we began our day with a light breakfast at The Aviary followed by a golfing session with Shiv. After this fun session, we sat down with Shiv for a chat and spoke about golf in India, how cricket was his first love and lots more…
Shiv, did you always want to be a golfer?
Actually, I didn’t. I didn’t set out to be a professional golfer. My family didn’t really want me to be a pro golfer. Like any kid growing up in India, cricket was my first love and golf was just something that I did as a hobby. I guess. I was lucky at the time that I started playing golf because there weren’t that many kids at my age playing the sport. At the age of 12, I got selected to play for India and I thought I was good. I was a big fish in a small pond and got the chance to represent the country, which I probably would have never been good enough if it were cricket. So, it sort of started that way and then it is a bit of a high, representing your country and going and playing inter national events. You get your India blazer and your national anthem. But when I got to about 16 or 17, that’s when I said I really want to give this a go. A lot of kids these days from the age of 10 or 11 are getting groomed to be professional golfers. Mine was not the case. I played a lot of golf. I played a lot of competitive golf and I would say much later in life than most, I decided.. but, here I am 20 years later still doing the same thing and I still absolutely love it.
Can you tell us more about golf as a networking sport?
I always say that I can play a round of golf with somebody and I can tell you everything I need to know about that person in that one round of golf. There’s a reason why most business meetings take place on the golf course. You can tell if a person is honest. You can tell if a person gets flustered easily. We call it a gentleman’s game for a reason. All my best friends are golfers. I’m very close to a lot of them because of golf. And even as a networking opportunity as you mentioned, most CEOs play golf. Most of the top management of a company are golfers.
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How was it winning the gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games?
It still gives me goosebumps when I talk about it because when I was a 12-year-old kid, in school, they’d asked me what my ambition was and I had written an essay saying I want to win the Asian Games. When it actually happened, my school had a little ceremony for me and the teacher brought out this essay. I’ve had professional wins around the world but this was very different because I did it for the country. The others were selfish and monetary wins. I remember coming through the airport and as I landed in Delhi… everybody stood up and applauded. From the auto drivers to everybody you know, they hoisted me up on their shoulders and it was a great feeling for me.
For budding golfers out there, what do you think it takes to excel in this sport?
It takes a lot of discipline. It takes a bit of patience, because it’s a game where when you first start, you improve and then you’ll plateau and you get worse for a while and then after that you get better. One just needs to realise that.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @al_ben_so