An Indian lady whom I volunteer with recently told me about guru and yogi Sadhguru, who has a massive world wide following and lectures at the United Nations.

What she didn’t tell me, but I found out later, is that Sadhguru is a passionate golfer with a 14 handicap who takes his clubs with him whever he goes.

He said not so long ago “Give Tiger Woods to me for two weeks and maybe I could put him right back on top”.

During the peak of his playing career Tiger always wore two string bracelts  which had been blessed by Buddhist monks and he said they gave him a sense of strength and protection. His Buddhist upbringing, thanks to his Thai mother Tida, was thought to be the foundation of his extreme focus under pressure and his mind and body coordination.

Sadhguru’s thoughs on golf are that it is not difficult.

”People keep saying golf is the most difficult game, but I do not think so because if you play any other game, the ball will come at you at different velocities and spins, different angles and curvatures, but with golf, the damn thing is just sitting there; you just have to hit it! That’s why it is so frustrating because if you play cricket and get beat, you can say the bowling was too good. Or you can say it bounced on me. But with golf, it’s just you and you, that’s all. That is the beauty of the game. There is nobody else, just you”. “You may play with somebody else, but in reality, the game is structured in such a way that you are only playing with yourself.

Sadhguru speaks of how geometry is a fundamental aspect of creation, and yoga is a scientific system of getting the geometry of the human system right.out 70% of it, is just mind. Intensity of involvement is a must for the game, this is something that the human being has to learn, golf gives us that opportunity.

He says that on the golf course we should pay more attention to our breathing, it is the one thing you can control. Breathing more evenly leads to a smoother tempo and better shots. The way you breathe is the way you think, keeping your mind alert and calm becomes a real possibility.

When asked how he can reconcile playing golf when he is travelling the world dealing with issues like world poverty he answers “the meaning of life is to explore one’s potential in as many ways possible and games are perfect for this. People get too serious about their lives and other aspects are needed life involves many ingredients and it’s an excellent game”.

Gary Player met with Sadhguru in Abu Dhabi this week.