The par 72, 18 holes Royal Palm Golf Course ranks as a majestic and awesome test of golf players’ ability and on Saturday it will host the 5th Club Indigo Golf Tournament, to be contested over 18 holes and participated by 120 corporate leaders, most of whom are golfers of ability, though not in practice and hence shot making might turn out to be a little rusty.
But a large number of them do not seek a major victory or a win and will be content with playing at a golf course like Royal Palm in august company and enjoying the superb hospitality of Mobilink who are famous for giving such events a touch of cheer and joy.
These 120 competing golfers have a love for this game and the occasion helps them to revive their golfing relationships and a feel of the golfing arena. Amongst them are some who manage to retain their rhythm and without being plagued by any kind of jitters hope to cast their winning spell over the championship and take home some enviable prizes, supplemented by glittering trophies.
Most of such hopefuls are single handicappers who are not bothered by creaky swings or inaccurate hitting and thus add grace to the occasion with birdies and ample regulation pars and thus produce par or under par scores.
The Royal Palm Golf Course is demanding with greens true and fast and the fairways supportive to crisp shotmaking. And demons are there too in the shape of 72 bunkers, water hazards on holes 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and finally on the closing hole, the 18th. Additionally the eight man made lakes cause a fright of their own and golfers have to keep their nerves safe from unbearable stress and causing limbs to stiffen and result in creaky swings. To add a touch of majestic grandeur, are the age old trees, some 50 plus years old. Col(r)Jamil, Director Golf rightly pointed out, “all these threats of hazards and out of bounds can be neutralized with rhythm and graceful play”. And at least twenty of the competitors have the ability to do that. The Mobilink Club Indigo Golf Tournament has already been held at Karachi and next arena is the Islamabad Golf Course.