ParGolf contributors Ida Fahany, Nick Goh and Stanley Saw recall their experience playing with touring pro and ParGolf ambassadress Genevieve Ling in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ at Kelab Rekreasi Tentera Udara (KRTU). For the record, Genevieve and Ida won the match 5 and 4!
Ida Fahany
(Handicap 13)
“I have played with female professional golfers before during pro-am tournaments, including Laura Davies and Cristie Kerr. This time, playing alongside Genevieve, I must conclude that all of them have one thing in common aside from a sound, one-piece swing – their calm nature on the golf course.
Calmness is one of the key factors in ensuring a good round. How do you attain such a state of calmness on the golf course, one might ask? Well, it involves arriving early (preferably one hour before your tee-off), hitting 20 balls at least at the practice range and finally five to 10 minutes of putting drills. This can shave off at least five strokes off your score!
A consistent pre-shot routine helps too. I noticed Gen has the same pre-shot routine in all her golf shots, be it on the fairways or in the rough. She hardly made mistakes and calculated her distances very carefully. I, on the other hand, had a lot on my mind; the hot scorching sun, the man on the tractor making lots of noises, my drink which was not cold enough, etc. Everything except making a crisp, one-piece swing.
Golf is about maintaining a certain level of discipline. That includes accommodating physical changes in your body as you age. Certainly I am not as elastic as I was 10 years ago, so I have to try and spend some time in the fitness department to rectify my swing. The 24-year age gap between myself and Gen makes me think that I can’t and never will be able to swing the club as fast as her. So I have to offset that with my 50-metre ‘trick shots’, if I have any on that day.
All of that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my round with her, Stanley and Nick. A possible rematch should commence soon. Time to focus, grind it and … win it again!
Nick Goh
(Handicap 8)
How often do you get a chance to play against a touring professional?
It was truly an honour and a great privilege for me to be in a flight with Genevieve Ling not too long ago. First of all, it is her home course and I must admit that KRTU is not an easy course to tame. The fairways are tight and undulating. A few holes with OBs and hazards left or right could be quite intimidating for a regular golfer.
My playing partner (Stanley) and I were playing from the blue tees while Genevieve was teeing off from the whites and her partner Ida from the reds. I guess I was too excited and nervous right from the very first tee-box. Knowing that Genevieve is able to consistently drive longer than I do had already crept into my mind to mess me up mentally! So even with my best drive, I was way behind her.
After a few holes of seeing how accurate she was in her approach shots and around the greens, the pressure to play well finally got the better of me. I had so much respect for her that I forgot about Ida who was also playing well … and she was scoring some points for the ladies. Lesson number 1: It’s us against them and not me against the pro!
Obviously my fitness and finesse levels are far from great and not anywhere near a younger athlete. So I can clearly see that I was mentally weaker, physically weaker and most obviously less skillful in many areas.
I can now thank God that I have a day job and I am not playing golf for a living! I may be good enough to beat my weekend buddies but surely need to be much better to take on a pro.
My lesson today: I should be playing to my own ability and not be pressured by the other person’s game. Concentrate on one shot at a time and stay focused at each shot. Get physically stronger, go to the range and practice more in every area of my game.
Perhaps if I played my best game (one or two below my handicap), my partner and I could have had a glimmer of hope to keep up with Genevieve and Ida.
But most of all, I enjoyed myself and the wonderful company. So well done ladies for beating us 5&4! I would surely ask for a rematch soon with a hope to be given a chance to redeem my pride!
Stanley Saw
(Handicap 17)
When golf was allowed to resume, I couldn’t wait to get out there and when the idea of taking on one of our lady professionals in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ was tabled, I thought “why not?” It should be a walk in the park. And since I was paired with a strong nine-handicapper in Nick Goh, the prospect of being a passenger made the enticement even more palatable.
So the day finally came and the place picked for the swashbuckling encounter was KRTU, known by seasoned golfers as a ‘commando course’. From the onset, this 18-hole layout set in a military base was a welcoming sight with old planes and helicopters off the fairways and greens as nifty mementos. But trust me, if you are not accustomed to thin fairways and small greens, approach KRTU with extreme caution.
Gary Player, in a visit to Malaysia many years back, stated that a single-handicap golfer could not break 100 if he played in the Masters … and that got my mind jogging to find out for myself the disparity between a lady professional player and average exponents like myself. So we pitted our skills against the lovely Genevieve Ling whose petite frame and innocent eyes made you feel like it couldn’t be all that bad. But behind those delicate qualities is a skilled assassin. Eventually, Genevieve and her partner Ida trampled over us, winning 5&4, without breaking a sweat.
Although our pride was bruised and dreams of a good fight destroyed, the match gave me faith that as our professional players take to the field, Malaysia has raised a batch of good golfers like Genevieve … ready to take on the world and fly the flag!
