Refuse to disclose shots at your own peril

If you are like me, you find it very hard to focus on two things at the same time. I find that I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.

Last week, I had a system overload on things that I wanted to focus on.

I was like a child in a sweets shop... I couldn’t decide on whether to watch the elections updates, The PGA Championship or the IAAF World Championship: I have to admit that IAAF World Championship took my fancy a few more times especially with runners like Faith Kipyegon who is easy on the eye.

Watching some of the athletes who are in their thirties being described as being past their prime, made me realise that I am over the hill and picking up speed.

I still look like I am in the thirties, if you are looking from 50 yards away. I am getting to a point in my life when “happy hour” is my nap time on Sundays.

I have come to point in my life where I am accepting the title “Mzee” and not quickly giving a rejoinder “Mzee ni wewe”.

The one thing that I need to guard against as I grow older is not to lose my memory.

Talking of memory, I am noticing a lot of people who seem to develop temporary amnesia when playing golf.

The interesting thing is that they only seem to forget the bad shots.

Recently when playing on a par 5 hole, a fellow competitor’s tee shot did not get past the ladies’ tee.

The player had a series of misfortunes and even though I did not play well on the hole, I knew that he would have played worse than I did.

I got my ball to the green for five shots and was realistically looking at playing seven shots (double-bogey) on the hole.

The fellow competitor was on the fringe of the green and he proceeded to four-putt and when asked, he claimed to have played seven shots.

I quickly retorted “you mean 7 from a hundred yards...”

We had a friendly match play competition and needless to say, I beat him on the particular hole.

I realised that he is one of the players who don’t like saying the number of strokes that they have played on a hole before everyone has holed out.

It is almost like they are sitting for an exam and they would not like anyone copying their scores.

In match play competitions, the player’s scores must be made public just like the form 34A.

When your opponent asks you how many strokes you have played so far, you must not say “wait until we finish the hole”, as some players are known to do. If one decides not to give information as to the strokes played, or gives the wrong information, they lose the hole.

If for example I was putting for the 11th strokes and the gentleman (the one who had conveniently forgotten how many strokes he had played) had played 10 strokes, he would have lost the hole for telling me that he had played 7 strokes.

Refusing to disclose the shots played or giving the wrong information about strokes taken will lose you a hole.

Your opponent must make the claim first for that to count. Otherwise if the players tee off at the next tee without the claim being made, it will not count.

It is always a proud moment when we witness young Kenyans going out to represent the country and flying our flag high.

Heroes and heroines.

The Kenyans that took part in the IAAF World Championship have really done us proud. They are our heroes and heroines.

There was, however, one unsung hero who represented our country a few weeks ago in the 23rd Deaflympics (Olympics Games for the Deaf) in Turkey.

Isaac Ogolla Makoha from Vet Lab participated in the first golf tournament held in the Deaflympics that was played in the city of Samsun in Turkey.

The format was 36 holes stroke play over 36 holes followed by match play for the top 16.

Isaac made us proud by making it to the final 8.

So for all those young and the not-so-young golfers playing a match this weekend, don’t forget to disclose your scores when asked by your opponent.