Golf

‘Golf deserves a special mention. I’ve been making some attempts to start playing it for 15 years. About once in every three years I came to the golf field and started training. It didn’t work. It happened several times. In the end, I decided that I’d take up golf after 65, when it’d be difficult for me to run properly in tennis. But, unfortunately, in the last few years I had to play less tennis because of joints problem. In 2018, I was in Spain with my kids, and there was an opportunity to play golf. A Spanish coach was really good, and I finally made some progress. I must admit that when you hit the ball correctly, and the ball flies beautifully, high, and straight, you experience feelings, as I say, close to orgasm.

Since then, wherever I went, I tried to take golf lessons, sometimes played on simulators, and gradually got to the point when I got a handicap (this is an indicator of the skill of a golfer). Now I can visit all the fields and play of a hole – to pass the field in 9 holes, 12 holes, 18 holes.

Of course, golf is a whole special world. First, it’s good for your health, as it’s an outdoor sport. Second, it’s beautiful. Golf clubs are often located in picturesque places. Then there is the ethics of behavior in golf, and all the people who play golf are well-mannered and educated. Among other things, again, it’s competitive, you must show results. I used to think it was an entertainment for the elderly, but it’s a real sport. When you walk between even 9 holes, it’s already 10,000 steps.

Golf, I can say, is a new stage in my sports life. And it’s a sport that you can play as long as your hands can hold a club. I’ve seen people over 80 who play golf and have fun, not that often maybe, and not that active as young people, but still they do.’