LOVE OF GOLF

K. MURALI KUMAR

At 92, Dr. Ramanna could possibly be the oldest golfer in India if not the world who plays a full 18 holes twice a week.

The nonagenarian, who has been an avid golfer for over 50 years, recently won a tournament for senior citizens at the Bangalore Golf Course (BGC). He has an enviable handicap of 29. He is so fond of the sport that he has ensured his entire family — sons, daughters-in-law, daughter, and grandchildren — has taken up golf.

"Though I play twice a week with my family, I wouldn't mind playing with anybody who invites me to play for one more day of the week," says Dr. Ramanna, who bears a striking resemblance to the English author P.G. Wodehouse.

Going down memory lane, Dr. Ramanna, a general physician, recalls how he had applied for a membership at the BGC. Set to face a committee of Englishmen at the interview, he had no hope of getting the membership.

But at the interview, much to his surprise, he found that most of the committee members were his patients.

Many years later, when the Karnataka Golf Association was formed, Dr. Ramanna was invited to apply for membership, but he had to decline the invitation following pressures from his playing partners at BGC.

— D. Ravi Shankar