It was unfortunate that nobody made a hole-in-one. But the charity event was a tremendous success. As master of the lodge, I am very grateful to various sponsors, individual donors, and players for their support and to Filtaga Golfers Association for their efficient management.
Aside from overseeing the event, it was also a fun-filled golf outing for me with old golfing pals after many years of absence. And I credit my enjoyment to the things that tennis and golf have in common. Here are some similarities.
1) Both accelerate during the last 18 inches. No matter how far is your backswing, the last 18 inches before your club contacts the ball, still matters? This is also the same in tennis. You. have to accelerate your racket during the last 18 inches before impact to generate power to the shot.
2) Both keep elbows close to the body. I have heard this tip many times and it is very helpful in hitting the ball flush and achieving distance. This tip also applies to tennis. You have to keep you elbow closer to the body when you are both executing a forehand and a backhand shot to achieve consistency and power.
3) Both approach the game mentally. It is not a question of ability that spells the difference between winning and losing. Rather, it is the choice of shot at a given situation that separates victory from defeat. This to me both applies to golf and tennis.
4) Both visualize the shot. While golf is not a game in a hurry as compared to tennis, which is always an emergency, they both visualize the shot before they hit the ball. And the fact the golf ball does not move, is a lot easier to hit it.
5) Both keep emotion in balance. How many times have you witnessed a golfer after making a birdie in the previous hole only to score a boogie in the next one? This is simply because you can’t be happy or sad while playing. This is true also to tennis. If a player hits a passing shot or hit an ace serve, he remains calm and focused on the next point.
