Walking the green: Diverse group of golfers plays at a casual event
Participants included ambassadors, CEOs and directors of ministries and organisations۔
ISLAMABAD:
While there are some golf facilities in the country, they are far from enough, according to Pakistan Golf Champion Taimur Hassan. He expressed these views while talking to The Express Tribune at the Serena Hotels Annual Golf Tournament at the Islamabad Golf Course on Saturday.
However, he remarked, that should not stop anyone from playing, regardless of age or gender. “[Playing golf] is a culture, where you can play and enjoy the course. Who wouldn’t want to play in such a beautiful atmosphere,” he added, gazing down the golf course as flights of players returned for lunch after the tournament.
Around 80 people participated in the amateur tournament. They included ambassadors, CEOs and directors of ministries and organisations. Cho Hyun Hee, wife of the Korean ambassador and the only female golfer at the event, seemed to be enjoying herself after playing a game of nine holes. “My husband and I come here to play golf about three to four days a week. We start early morning.”
At the concluding distribution ceremony, Argentinean Ambassador Rodolfo J Martin Saravia awarded prizes to winners. The prize for the Longest Drive was given to Umar Khokhar whose tee shot saw the golf ball travelling 321 yards in the fairway of 18th hole. Bob Light got the closest to the pin prize, when his shot came 12 yards from the 14th hole.
The regular prizes in the Net were for Jim Costen, Aftab Chaudry and Major Farrukh for their scores of 64, 58 and 56 respectively whereas the prizes for the gross scores were won by Faisal Jamil, Major Afzal and Ibrar khan for 76, 76 and 72 respectively.
Serena Hotel Corporate Director Marketing Azam Jamil dubbed the event more of an ice-breaker session to get people out of their homes and play golf, adding that they plan to extend the series to more events.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2012.
in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:5.65pt;line-height:9.9pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle'>Walking has become an ordeal in itself. Civic agencies frequently dig up footpaths, strewing mud and rocks everywhere for days on end, said Ghulam Ali, who walks every day to his shop in Marir from Moti Mahal. “A classic example is dumping construction material like bricks, sand and iron rods on the roads.”
“I find it shocking that we have to walk on the road at the risk of being run over by vehicles. There has, to date, been no specific focus on problems faced by pedestrians or steps to solve them,” he added.
Muhammad Riaz Butt, an electrician, recalled the past, when the city was less populated. “In those days since there was little traffic and we had no problem walking long distances. I used to walk from my house near Banni Chowk to Pindora Chungi when the area had not been commercialised.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2012.
While there are some golf facilities in the country, they are far from enough, according to Pakistan Golf Champion Taimur Hassan. He expressed these views while talking to The Express Tribune at the Serena Hotels Annual Golf Tournament at the Islamabad Golf Course on Saturday.
However, he remarked, that should not stop anyone from playing, regardless of age or gender. “[Playing golf] is a culture, where you can play and enjoy the course. Who wouldn’t want to play in such a beautiful atmosphere,” he added, gazing down the golf course as flights of players returned for lunch after the tournament.
Around 80 people participated in the amateur tournament. They included ambassadors, CEOs and directors of ministries and organisations. Cho Hyun Hee, wife of the Korean ambassador and the only female golfer at the event, seemed to be enjoying herself after playing a game of nine holes. “My husband and I come here to play golf about three to four days a week. We start early morning.”
At the concluding distribution ceremony, Argentinean Ambassador Rodolfo J Martin Saravia awarded prizes to winners. The prize for the Longest Drive was given to Umar Khokhar whose tee shot saw the golf ball travelling 321 yards in the fairway of 18th hole. Bob Light got the closest to the pin prize, when his shot came 12 yards from the 14th hole.
The regular prizes in the Net were for Jim Costen, Aftab Chaudry and Major Farrukh for their scores of 64, 58 and 56 respectively whereas the prizes for the gross scores were won by Faisal Jamil, Major Afzal and Ibrar khan for 76, 76 and 72 respectively.
Serena Hotel Corporate Director Marketing Azam Jamil dubbed the event more of an ice-breaker session to get people out of their homes and play golf, adding that they plan to extend the series to more events.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2012.
in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:5.65pt;line-height:9.9pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle'>Walking has become an ordeal in itself. Civic agencies frequently dig up footpaths, strewing mud and rocks everywhere for days on end, said Ghulam Ali, who walks every day to his shop in Marir from Moti Mahal. “A classic example is dumping construction material like bricks, sand and iron rods on the roads.”
“I find it shocking that we have to walk on the road at the risk of being run over by vehicles. There has, to date, been no specific focus on problems faced by pedestrians or steps to solve them,” he added.
Muhammad Riaz Butt, an electrician, recalled the past, when the city was less populated. “In those days since there was little traffic and we had no problem walking long distances. I used to walk from my house near Banni Chowk to Pindora Chungi when the area had not been commercialised.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2012.