What do eight-year-old boys usually do during their holidays? Play cricket? Play football? Watch cartoons, perhaps? But not Pune boy Aryaman Singh. He plays golf.
Aryaman took to golf when he was four. Back then, he used to play for half-an-hour every day. At six, he spent an hour on the course and started competing in tournaments across the country. A year later, he won each of the six tournaments he took part in. That fetched him the 2014 Order of Merit of the Indian Golf Union. The Order of Merit comprises eight tournaments spread over the year, out of which the five best scores are considered.
What's even more impressive about his top ranking is the fact that he was a playing in the Under-9 category.
On Thursday, Aryaman started the junior season on a positive note, winning the first tournament of the Indian Golf Union West Zone season by 11 strokes at the Willingdon Sports Club, Mahalaxmi.
Aryaman, who goes to Vibgyor High School (Pune), was only six when he donned the Indian colours in two prestigious tournaments — the Callaway Junior World Championships (San Diego, California) and the US Kids World Championship in Pinehurst (North Carolina), the home of golf in America. He finished 15th and 24th respectively, but said it was the experience gained from there that helped him reach the top in his age category.
One is curious to know what made a young boy, whose parents aren't golfers, choose the sport? "From the first time I attended a golf clinic at the Poona Golf Club as a three-year-old, I fell in love with the sport. Though I played cricket and football, too, the fact that golf is an individual sport made me start playing it," said the Rory McIlroy fan. One of his prized possessions is a Nike cap signed by the Northern Irishman
But his journey hasn't been a walk in the park. For starters, his day begins with an hour of exercise. Then, he goes to school. After that, he heads home, changes into his golf clothes and goes to the Poona Golf Club, where he practises for two hours every day. That's lot of time, considering his home is an hour away from the golf course. The rest of the evening is devoted to mundane things like homework.
Participating in a golf tournament means having to spend weeks away from home. And for the Std II student, it only means being away from school. Actually, that's what he loves the most. However, she was shy to admit it. For the record, he spends two months away from school. "His school is really supportive. Whenever he needs leave to play tournaments, they readily agree and encourage him. Also, Aryaman is really good at studies so he catches up on whatever he has missed," said Rohit, Aryaman's dad.
To know how serious Aryaman's parents are about their son's career, look no further than the person who coaches him. They send him to train with Justin Parsons, who is the director of instruction at the prestigious Butch Harmon School of Golf. For the record, Parsons has trained the likes of Rory McIlroy and cricket greats Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.
For Aryaman, the best part about golf is putting. The other is dressing up for the game. "I like the clothes golfers wear. It looks very classy," he said. No wonder, then, that Singh chooses his outfit for every match. Forget tournaments, he is all dressed up for his practise session every day. "You have to feel like a golfer," he said.
So what is his goal? "Doing my best at every tournament, practising hard to become better each day is my goal. I know that I can win many tournaments. I just have to become older to compete in them," he said.
INDIAN GOLF UNION ORDER OF MERIT 2014
Catergory E
Rank Player No. of events Total
1 Aryaman Singh 6 270
2 Ahika Jani 7 194
3 Jahnavi Mahindrakar 6 188
4 Dev Aswani 5 175
5 Aditya Tyagi 4 123
WINS IN 2014
Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Mumbai
Willingdon Sports Club, Mumbai
Poona Club Golf Course, Pune
Gulmohar Greens Golf Course, Ahmedabad
Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Course, Ahmedabad
Poona Club Golf Course, Pune (final)
What They Say
A star of the future
—Mark Roe, Sky Sports golf analyst & commentator
Aryaman is a fantastic young player who works very hard with a great attitude and a smile on his face. If he continues in this vain, he will look forward to enjoying continued golf improvement and I have been impressed with his success thus far
—Justin Parsons, renowned golf instructor who has worked with Rory McIlroy, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara
