Provisional Ball.

This week we continue with part 2 of Know Your Golf through the eyes of an amateur. That sounds like an intro I have wanted to do for some time he he.  I sound like a golf pro giving lessons to aspiring golfers. But let me stick to my lane as I doubt I will ever be able to teach golf to anyone. Even my baby sharks don’t go out with me as often as they used to. Labda (maybe) they’ve now realised their dad is nowhere near Tiger Woods. He’s just a tiger that’s mostly in the woods he he.

Speaking of woods, most golf courses have a lot of trees and unpayable areas. One of the signages on the course that makes golfers nervous is a small white plate or notice written OB, short for Out of Bounds. We are always on the lookout for OBs and do all we can to avoid going there. You lose your golf ball and get penalized when you are out of bounds.

When your ball goes off course and into OB the rules require that you play another ball from where you hit the lost ball. That second ball can be the ball in play if you are sure that your first ball went out of bounds. However, if you are not certain the ball is lost then you are allowed to play a provisional ball to avoid coming back to hit another ball. That is after you have gone to the first ball and confirmed it is indeed in OB. Should you be lucky and find your first ball and it’s in play then you can pick your provisional ball and proceed with play. If the first ball is in OB then you continue to play with the provisional ball but you incur a two-stroke (shots) penalty. End of today’s golf lesson. I hope you all shikad (understand) it.

I have hit numerous provisional balls over the years and they are often much better shots than the first one. I then wish I was allowed to play my provisional ball first to avoid being penalized. In golf, you play better when you play fewer shots.

The just concluded Magical Kenya Open had very few provisional shots. Those pros know their game well and displayed it for us to see over the four competition days at Muthaiga Golf Club. The government was the key sponsor and with that came certain requirements, procurement being one of them. Over the years we have had an internal procurement committee sourcing and evaluating various suppliers and picking the ones that are fit for purpose and at the right price. Some have given excellent service and the tendency is to keep using them year after year.

This year was noticeably different. From the arduous process of selecting, evaluating and contracting suppliers it was clear that we would have several new kids on the fairways (no blocks in golf he he). I must admit I was concerned about some of the suppliers we got for various services and goods. Golf is a technical game and event. It often intimidates those of us who play. How much more would it be for outsiders?

Anyhow we rolled up our sleeves and got to onboard the new suppliers with their teams. This was days before the event so it was a case of being thrown deep into the bunker (the sand traps that golfers avoid as they make the game harder) and learning the game from that disadvantaged point. Some of us were sceptical and prepared for an Open with many balls dropping. But I was pleasantly surprised from an event staging perspective.

Two suppliers stood out for me. The firm contracted for security services and the ticketing company. These two were interacting with golf for the first time and at the largest and most important golfing event on the calendar. That must have put them under immense pressure. They went all out to prove that they were up to the task and that they did. Their teams were all hands (and legs) on deck and it was evident that getting that opportunity was important to them.

In the past, we have had big reputable firms partnering with us and they have delivered too. But we have had some shortcomings that keep appearing in the postmortem reviews for a few years. For the first time, those shortfalls were fixed by these new firms and it was a pleasant surprise for me. I was glad to be proven wrong. They made their first impression count. And that’s what I will remember them for.

One thorny issue over the years has been the designated parking spaces. We’ve had officials or sponsors driving in and finding their reserved parking taken. It is quite irritating and one ends up feeling disrespected. I’m sure you folks know how emotive matters of parking can be both at home and at work. There was this young guard kijana who was stationed at the reserved parking. He diligently ensured that only those allocated parking were allowed into those spaces. It didn’t matter who you were. No identification no parking. I’ve never seen it done this orderly over the years I have been involved with the Open.

When Gava declined that we use the companies we had been using prior because they were not registered vendors with the Ministry of Sports, I knew our ball had gone out of bounds and the event would be hard to pull smoothly. We reluctantly played our provisional ball as the event’s promoters and what a good shot it was. It landed bang in the middle of the fairway and play went well for most of the week when we collaborated with the new vendors.

One key observation stood out for me with the new firms and their teams. They were eager to learn, craved feedback and correction and swiftly rectified the errors highlighted. There were no egos to manage and that ensured quick learning and follow-through.

Folks, the same applies to our lives. Sometimes our first shot at something will go out of bounds but we shouldn’t give up. If we learn from it then we are bound to play our second shot (chance) more accurately and land smack bang in the middle of life’s fairway where we are likely to hit our target well on the next shot. OB is not the end of the game folks. Play a provisional ball for it is not how we start that matters. It is how we finish.