Golfer with a Swing in him
UTTAM SINGH MUNDY
Uttam has been invited by the US tour to serve on the Presidents committee of the Presidents Cup 2017 .
54 G o l f P l u s JULY 2017 t is a daunting task for me to pen down and say something about a gentleman golfer tucked so close to my heart that many of us have looked up to as stylish , suave and debonair both on and off the course- the inimitable Uttam Singh Mundy . But I find that writing is like playing golf ; you have to keep working at your swing to better it . So here ’ s hoping to give it my best shot , because Uttam deserves nothing less .
I ’ ve known Uttam for almost forty years . I can ’ t emphasize too strongly the important point in bettering my own game watching him drive from the tee . Once he took his stance he was sure of the right line of play , putting his entire mind on hitting that golf ball with the best swing . Talking about swings , on one carefree Wednesday afternoon , which in those days was usually set aside to play golf regularly and leisurely , walking along the course with late Ramesh Bhasin , ex-Managing Director , Tinplate Company of India , Jamshedpur and a passionate golfer himself , watching Uttam engrossed in his swing , he remarked , “ Uttam is always serene and composed putting no extra effort in his swing . If he believes a shot is possible , he makes sure that it is so . His swing is sheer poetry in motion , rhythmic and graceful .” Then he jokingly added , “ Swing is not about using strength , you know ; otherwise the great Dara Singh would have won every game !”
Uttam was already a name to reckon with as India ’ s number one amateur golfer when Ramesh Bhasin recognized his splendid skill and took him under his wing in the year 1985 . He not only offered him a job in the Company but marked him out to play in the Merchant Cup Golf Tournament at the RCGC , the most important Corporate Golf event in Eastern India in which every reputed golfer took time off to participate . The rivalry for the Cup between Tata Steel and Magor ’ s was traditional and the talking point of the tournament . His game so impressed the legendary Russi Mody that he ‘ borrowed ’ Uttam from TCIL to play for Tata Steel . Needless to say , Tata Steel won the cup that year ! Russi Mody was genuinely fond of Uttam and made it possible for him to participate in the British Amateur Championship at Muirfield in Scotland in the year 1990 . At that time , Uttam could not have had a bigger fan than me and when opportunity knocked , I grabbed it with both hands to tag along with him and watch him play the tournament . This is a memory I look back on with great fondness even today .
There ’ s a reason so many motivational speakers use sports as a metaphor for life because there is a connection between a man ’ s character off the field and his good sportsmanship on it . Uttam had what it takes to be successful both in real life and on the playing field . He was a tough competitor , had some of the finest performances under his belt . He was courageous and persistent . He was honest in his dealings with opponents