'A HOLE IN ONE'

“A HOLE IN ONE”

By

J.L. Gupta

Is golf just another four-letter word? Certainly not! It is a fas­cinating game. A perfect diver­sion from the days' drudgery. It is a busy person's escape from the dull routine. A good work-out without any weariness. Golf is played in healthy, open and pleasant surround­ings. In the company of good friends. You `swing' the club at a stationary ball. It gives a rare delight at one moment, despair at the next. It is fun. Also frus­tration. And Lord be thanked for His mercies. But for my thick skin, I could have been the first man with a hole in the head. Let me tell the tale. Though it is much older than the recent episode involving my head, yet it can be inflicted.

It was a slightly misty, but a pleasant winter morning. We had teed off before the sun had really risen. Despite the chill, everyone was hitting the ball well. Long, straight and hard drives. Invariably, everyone reached the green with the second shot. And then, the hole lay eerily between the two 'putts’. After the first two holes, the sun greeted us warmly with its crimson red and or­ange radiation. It promised to be a bright day. We really looked forward to a good round of golf.

But, the joy was short-lived. Suddenly, there were shouts of "ball, ball". One of the foursome immediately behind us had hit a, bad shot. The ball had taken off in the wrong direction. Via a tree, it found its way to my head like a guided missile. Straight on' the spot.

I had got it smack on the back of my head. In the occipital area to be precise. Though the tree branch had taken the main impact and the Cap had provided some additional protection, the ball did give me a good blow. My friend Baljeet, a policeman by profession, was visibly upset. As was his wont, he was quick to speak the un­speakable ones. Thankfully, in English.

Within minutes, we were at the doctor's clinic. After a pre­liminary examination, I was asked to go for an X-Ray and a CT scan. I was feeling normal. Yet, the doctor was not willing to take any chance. There could be an internal brain injury. So, he could not take any chance. Not in my case. Somewhere in­side, the concern felt good.

The radiologist took the plain X-ray pic­tures from different angles, probably to see if there was any crack in the crani­um. Then followed the Computerised Tomographic scan. Layer by layer pictures of the brain, to see if there was any haem­orrhage, clot or ac­tive lesion. Finally, after about an hour, which actu­ally seemed much longer, I was permitted to go home with a promise that the report shall be ready by tomorrow.

Back home, each minute seemed to last much longer. I sat wondering as to what would the doctor find. What if he sees a clot? Or suggests a surgery? There was no apparent cause, but all the same I was curious. Others in the house were under still greater stress. But, everyone put on a brave face. Even a smile. A very reassuring attitude.

The wait for the radiologist’s report was the longest that the family had ever experienced. Finally, the new day dawned. We reached the clinic. The doctor looked relaxed. At least, so I thought. It seemed like a good omen. He gave us the report. In a nutshell, it said NAD, (nothing abnormal detected). What a relief!

My wife uttered a silent prayer and drove me straight to the temple to thank the Lord personally. She  even gave some money to the poor. Next moment, we were going back home.

Now that she had regained her nerve she seemed reasonably relaxed. With a mischievous smile, she said, “Even the golf ball could do no damage. Some advantage of being thick headed.” What a shot! A ‘hole in one’?