April 25, 2024 • 40 mins
Join us on a journey with Amandeep Johl, one of the trailblazers of golf in India, as he takes us back in time on another international episode of the Accelerate Golf Podcast. Explore the highs and lows of his remarkable golfing odyssey, from humble beginnings to becoming a seasoned touring pro turned coach, all fueled by his passion for the game and the unwavering support of his family.
With captivating tales and heartfelt anecdotes, Amandeep shares the story of his life on the course, ignited by his father's profession and nurtured by his childhood bond with the legendary Jeev Milkha Singh. Experience the thrill of his triumphs on the international stage, including his victory at the 1989 All India Amateur Championship and his proud representation of India at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Discover the challenges and triumphs that marked his transition from academics to the professional golfing arena, as he reflects on the exhilaration of early success after turning pro in 1990 and the resilience required to overcome numerous obstacles along the way.
But Amandeep's story extends beyond his own achievements, as he shares his deep commitment to nurturing the sport in India. Listen as he discusses his innovative coaching philosophies, blending cutting-edge technology with time-honored traditions, and his involvement with the Golf Foundation, a noble initiative aimed at introducing golf to underprivileged youth founded by Amit Luthra.
Through it all, Amandeep's love for golf shines through, illuminating the countless life lessons this beautiful game has to offer. Whether you're a seasoned player or just teeing off on your golfing journey, don't miss this enlightening conversation with Amandeep Johl.
To learn more and connect with Amandeep Johl, call or text +91 97111 79639, visit his website at https://ajga.in/ or email amandeep.johl@gmail.com
Amandeep is also on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/amandeep-johl-6410a324
To learn more about The Golf Foundation, visit https://www.thegolffoundation.in/.
Intro and outro music: “Silent Night” by Infraction Music.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
On the old course and new course and two rounds on the old course as the final day.
So two day event, 36 holes each day and I beat Ernie Els by two shots.
So that was a biggie for me as far as amateur was concerned.
So 1989 was a great year for me.
I remember Jaipur was, I played unbelievable golf. You know,
(00:21):
it was almost like I won by seven shots.
So I had, after the first day of 69, I just went on to shoot 69,
65, I think 66 and 68 or something like that.
So I was like on a zone over four days.
I don't even remember how I kind of felt that day.
(00:45):
But it was like almost everything was on autopilot.
I mean, it's one of those weeks where you say, my God, golf is very simple.
This is the most wonderful game I have known. own.
This game teaches you everything that you want to know of life.
You can play it alone. You can play with two people. You can play with three.
(01:08):
You can play with your friends. You can play with your enemies.
You can play with who doesn't speak your language.
Music.
Welcome everyone to the Accelerate Golf Podcast, where we speak with great players
(01:30):
from around the world to understand how they became so good.
Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Amandeep Johal.
He's played professionally since 1990 on the Indian, Asian, and European tours.
Prior to turning pro, he was an accomplished amateur who won the 1989 Indian
(01:50):
National Championship and also represented India at various events around the world,
the most prominent being the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Amandeep has four professional wins and he currently runs the Amandeep Johal
Golf Academy in Delhi, India, and also coaches the Indian National Golf Team.
(02:12):
So welcome, Amandeep. Thank you very much, Vikram. It's nice to be on this podcast.
Hopefully my thoughts and my experiences are going to benefit some people in
certain ways and obviously going to make it exciting conversation
between us so that you know probably we can make this game more popular in in
(02:35):
Indian subcontinent and around the world. Thanks for that Amandeep.
You know why don't we start from the very beginning. How did you get into golf?
You know we used to I come from a small town called Chandigarh which is about
200 all miles northwest of Delhi.
It's a capital city of Punjab,
(02:55):
And my father was a horticulturist and a landscape architect.
And he was invited to... So Chandigarh is a city designed by a French architect, Le Cabougier.
And my father was invited to take care of the horticulture and landscape of
Chandigarh. So he came into Chandigarh in 1964.
(03:15):
And obviously, he didn't know anything about golf. But because he was involved
in the landscaping and horticulture, So they, in 1970, they invited him and
said, listen, you know what? We need you to build a golf course in Chandigarh.
He says, well, I don't know anything about golf.
So they said, okay, it doesn't matter. So you start playing golf and then you
(03:36):
will be interested in the game of golf.
And then you, so, you know, he read a few books and, you know,
whatever little knowledge he knew, he started building the golf course.
And we used to live right about 250 yards from the golf course.
That's, that's where the house was.
So, you know, my father learned the game and my mother learned the game and
natural progression, my older brother, both the siblings got to the game.
(04:00):
And by the time I was about six or seven, so it became a household hobby,
the game of golf, though we only had a couple of golf sets.
My father had a full golf set and my mother had a half golf set.
So whenever they were not playing, We used to, you know, go and borrow their
golf set and go on to the golf course.
(04:21):
Sometimes, you know, we used to have somebody's old club. We used to cut it down in small.
And, you know, with three golf clubs and a couple of old balls,
we used to go on to the golf course.
So that is my initiation to the game of golf.
So, yeah, my older sibling is about eight years older than me.
So he was already 15 and, you know, playing on the national circuit,
(04:45):
juniors and going to Delhi to play some tournaments.
So obviously, as a little, you know, baby brother, I would, you know,
accompany him to the golf course, watching him, you know.
And he used to be obviously a show-off because he was already playing on the national circuit.
So, you know, me being a younger kid, younger sibling, always wanted to emulate
the older brother. And, you know, so I obviously was, I was going itching to get to the game of golf.
(05:12):
And so that was, that was how, you know, the initiation and the passion and
all of the magic of this game of golf bit me.
That's great. And so you obviously started practicing, trying to get as good as your older brother.
By what point in time, how many years, at what age were you close to scratch?
Well, you know, I really don't remember when I got close to scratch.
(05:36):
But yeah, I do remember that, you know, when my brother was playing,
obviously, we were trying to, you know, emulate the greats of the game at that time.
So by that time, my father had already built a small green in the house.
And a small bunker, a small green. And, you know, my older brother, obviously much older.
(05:56):
He would talk to us about the greats of the game of Nicholas and,
you know, Gary Player and Peter Thompson and Arnold Palmer and all the greats.
And so he would want to be, you know, Gary Player.
And I always wanted to be Nicholas because my father had got this book,
(06:16):
took Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus into the house, a small paperback and,
you know, which he got from the local store.
Because, you know, in those days, getting anything of golf was very limited in India.
You have to realize that, you know, we came at a time where hardly a bunch of
people, I think my father's membership number was 54.
(06:41):
That means there were 53 players earlier who had joined the club before my father joined in.
So 53 and 54 was his number.
And so golf knowledge, anything about golf was very limited.
So I always wanted to be Nicholas and emulate Nicholas.
Golf My Way was the book that he had brought us and we used to try and emulate that. So-
(07:06):
I started playing in the local tournaments at the age of 13.
I still remember, 12 or 13. And I won my first tournament, a club tournament,
which of the memory I have, at age 13.
And that was in 1981.
And that's when I started dreaming of, you know, the next day there was a newspaper clipping.
(07:31):
I mean, you know, my photo appeared in the newspaper, in the local newspaper,
the Tribune, which was printed in Chandigarh.
So I went to the school the next day, you know, beaming with this thing that
I had that, you know, my pictures appeared in the newspaper and everybody congratulated me.
So that gave me a real high and I already started dreaming of playing on the national circuit.
(07:54):
And by the next year, I started playing on the junior circuit.
And that in itself is a story of how I kind of graduated, which I tell you,
But I don't remember when I got to scratch.
Probably say about 16 or so is when I probably started playing to scratch.
Okay. And then you represented India at a couple of international events.
(08:19):
What was that experience like? I know that in 1987, you played in the Nomura
Cup. I believe it was held in Thailand, correct?
That's right. Right. I mean, you know, I think my first thing with playing for India started in 1986.
We, Jeev and me, by that time Jeev had started. Jeev and me were backdoor neighbors.
(08:41):
His house number was 59, sector 7, and mine was 61.
His mom and me, his mom and my mom went to college together.
So they were, they were, we were backdoor neighbors and they were great friends.
And then, you know, we grew up watching Milka Uncle's movies.
So, very inspired, you know, always wanted to play for India.
(09:02):
But then, yeah, Jeev started playing.
And we got invited to play the Doug Sanders Juniors in Melbourne, Jeev and me.
So, that was the first time I represented India and to play a junior tournament. moment.
And from then on, there was no stopping. So, you know, while we were juniors,
we got selected to play for the Nomura Cup, which was 1987.
(09:26):
And, you know, we got playing Jeev, myself, Uttam Mandi and Gaurav Ghai.
That's the team that went to Namuraka.
We didn't have a great outing, but it was obviously a great experience for us
to, you know, be playing, to wear India colors and playing for India in the actual amateur team.
And how was your game compared to the other participants?
(09:49):
Did you match up? Did you feel good about your game? Confident in your ability?
We felt terrible. I mean, you
know, we felt absolutely because we finished bottom of the pack in 1987.
And that was a huge learning for us. You know, that, you know what,
we are way behind the international as far as amateur golf was concerned.
(10:12):
Because we were okay as juniors because Jeev and me did quite well as juniors.
But as amateurs, when we started playing amateur golf, we felt we were way behind.
So we needed to put in much harder work, you know, and become better and better
to at least match what the amateurs were playing.
(10:34):
The top people in that time, I remember, were Japanese and obviously in the
Muro Cup was including Australia as well as New Zealand in those days.
So Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia.
I mean, everybody was better than us. So we really needed to,
it was a great wake-up call and a great learning for us that,
(10:56):
you know what, we need to really pull up our socks and become better and better.
We did. Actually, we did. And also, you know, just to make sure that our listeners
are aware of who Jeev is, Jeev is Jeev
Milka Singh, one of the most famous professional golfers out of India.
Who was a few years younger than you were, correct, Amandeep?
(11:17):
That's right. I mean, you know, like I said, Jeev and me were backdoor neighbors
and Jeev was a couple of years younger.
We went to the same school and
I used to, in fact, my duty was because his mom and my mom were friends.
So, my duty was to actually take him out, go to his house, take him on my bicycle,
ride with him, right, take him to school every day in St. John's in Chandigarh.
(11:40):
So, Jeev and me go back that far back.
So, Jeev is, you know, great golfer that he has become.
I think the genes that he had were world-class and, you know,
the whole country is proud of him, of the feats that he has done and continues
to do. I mean, you know, now he plays on the Champions Tour.
In America, he's invited to play a few tournaments. In Japan,
(12:04):
he did so well. In Europe, he did very well.
Obviously, he won the Order of Merit in Asia.
So, a great, accomplished golfer from Chandigarh. But yeah, that's Jeev Malik Kasing for you.
But you went on to win the National Amateur Championship in 1989.
What was that experience like?
(12:25):
Yeah, it was interesting. You know, like you said, Jeev became,
Jeev went on to go to America and hone his skills in America.
He went to college there while I continued.
And, you know, my father belonging to a middle-class government,
you know, job kind of a person,
never seen any heroics on the sporting world, said that I must continue with my academics.
(12:51):
Academics and so I had to focus
a lot on my academics and I
went on to because I was good in maths and physics so I took on to engineering
and became got my degree in engineering in India which finished in 1989 and
that's the year I you know I gave my degree to my father and said you you know what,
(13:15):
I now need to focus a lot on my golf.
And that same year, I won my national championship, 1989, in Delhi.
So that was quite a year and very exciting. So that was, in fact,
the best time of my amateur golf.
I won the All India Amateur Championship.
(13:35):
I finished fourth at a St. Andrews Lynx Trophy.
That was a very, you know, celebrated amateur tournament.
Worldwide. I think only about 100 golfers were invited to that tournament.
Sanandru's Legs Trophy, it was played two rounds over the old course and two
rounds on the... No, one round on the old course and new course and two rounds
(13:59):
on the old course as the final day.
So two-day event, 36 holes each day. And I beat Ernie Els by two shots.
So that was a biggie for me as far as amateur was concerned.
So 1989 was a great year for me. That's
fantastic Ernie Els went on to win two US Opens so many different tournaments
(14:20):
so that must have given you a huge boost of confidence from finishing as a team
dead last in the 1987 Nomura Cup to here you are in 1989,
competing and holding your own against the best in the world 1989 was a big
point for me I went and finished second in the Singapore Open Amateur.
(14:43):
So, you know, I really did quite well, I thought, as an amateur from where we
were in 1987 to where we went to do in 1989.
So quite proud of what I did with while continuing to follow my academics.
So because as an as an engineering student, it's not easy to combine sport and and and academics.
(15:08):
It's not a very easy proposition. Also, because India's sport is not given a
very favorable, especially in my times, not a very favorable.
So, you know, just to manage between my college times as well as our sport was quite tough for me.
So, but I did it. So, in hindsight, did pretty well.
(15:30):
And then you went on to represent India at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Tell us about that experience?
You know, Asian Games and Olympics, I mean, for us, Asian Games was,
in that time, Olympics was never with golf.
So Asian Games was probably the highest as far as any amateur would dream of.
(15:51):
Obviously, the Eisenhower was bigger in the golf.
But for anybody who's, you know, an Asian, I think the Asian Games was the epitome
of the experience, you know, And getting a gold medal or something like that
was something which everybody vied for.
Unfortunately, I finished, I think I finished fifth or fourth or fifth, I don't remember.
(16:16):
You know, but did quite well individually. India finished, I think,
also fifth in that tournament.
We lost out on the bronze medal, but just because people, China.
Yeah, China was, you know, you were going to, in those days, many golf courses.
We didn't even know whether China, they did host us and we were in Beijing.
(16:42):
Charlotte Golden at that Asian game was a great experience.
Just to be in the Asian Games village with the legends of today,
I mean, sport, Leander Pace, great friend.
You know, you had great friendships at that time.
And now when you go back and you say, you know, Lee is a very dear friend of mine now.
(17:04):
And you say, Leander, you know, how many years do I know you?
I know you since 1990 Asian Games. for 34 years.
So these are the friendships you develop over time, Gaurav Natakar,
you know, things like that.
Those are the people that you meet at various sporting events and you develop
(17:25):
friendships, even though they don't belong to your game.
But P.T. Usha now is the president of the Indian Olympic Association.
You know, girl of that year.
And so it was quite a great experience, I'm sure.
And I look back and say, you know, those are the fun times.
1990 is the year you decided to turn pro. What led to that decision?
(17:49):
Yes, I always wanted to turn pro. I mean, that was the key. And engineering stood in the way.
And the second thing that stood in the way was the Delhi Golf Club.
Because in those days, they wouldn't give membership to professionals in Delhi
Golf Club. So, I got my membership at Delhi Golf Club on the 26th of October 1990.
(18:13):
And the moment I got my membership, I turned pro on the 1st of November 1990.
And there was a tournament happening in my hometown, the Tantyaropan.
And that's the time I turned pro.
So, it was quite hilarious that the committee at Delhi Golf Club wasn't too
happy that I had done that.
But I told them, you know what? I was an amateur when I got my membership at Delhi Golf Club.
(18:38):
Four days later, I turned professional.
That's great. And then, you know, you had quite an early success on the tour.
I mean, you ended up winning three times in a span of three years right after
you turned pro, correct?
Yes, I think I won. My first tournament was the Jetpur Open,
if I can remember. I played 19 under par over 4 days.
(19:04):
That was a very good win. Then I won the Nepal Open.
Then I won some tournament in Bombay. I think it was the Broda Race Open.
Pratap Singh Rao, Gaikwad Opan. So quite a few tournaments I've won in the first couple of years.
(19:24):
It's quite a good start to the professional career.
And what was that winning feeling like when you were coming down the stretch
in your first tournament, which you won?
Were you nervous? How did you keep it together? How did you close the deal? you?
I remember Jaipur was, I played unbelievable golf. You know,
it was almost like I won by seven shots.
(19:47):
So I had, after the first day of 69, I just went on to shoot 69,
65, I think 66 and 68 or something like that.
So I was like on a zone for four days.
I don't even remember how I kind
of of felt that day but it was like almost everything
(20:10):
was on autopilot I mean
it's it's it's one of those weeks where you say my god
golf is very simple not very
complicated you hit short in the fairway you hit your shot in the green you
make a putt and you make a birdie and you move on so it's it was something like
that but yeah in those days you know you feel that much nervous I guess you were young,
(20:38):
you were feeling that, you know, what you can conquer the world.
You don't have a baggage of bad shots.
You don't have a baggage of, you know, near-misses. And you don't have a baggage
of, you know what, I didn't perform so well so many weeks.
So you're just going out there and playing your heart out. And I still remember,
(20:58):
you know, the prize money was so low.
And I called my father and he said, I said, well, you know what?
Dad, I won the tournament. He says, how much money did you make?
So I gave him a silly number and he says, well, you know what?
Your friends are making a quarter of a million dollars in America.
You just go and get a job in America.
(21:22):
I'd much rather do this than play golf, than do a job in America, Silicon Valley.
That's a that's a great story so what was
your game like at that point were you a really long
hitter like for example did you ever measure your
swing speed how how far did you hit the driver
(21:42):
your seven iron just kind of give the listeners a
sense of where you were with respect to your game yeah
it was always a big hitter because you know i
think i was decently big but we never measured
swing speed there were no never any things
which measured your swing speed but yeah
you know i used to i used to be longer than
(22:04):
others with the driver that gave me a good sense that i was 20 yards longer
than whoever was playing with me but i remember in korea once i finished third
in the asian driving competition so obviously i was decently long i think i hit a drive which was
about in those days you know with that equipment it was 287 yards so in those
(22:28):
days 287 yards was a big drive i mean this in this day and age it's considered
short like shorter than short.
But it was a big drive in those days and when did you get on to the asian tour
well asian tour was Because in 1993, I think, I went to play the Korea Open.
(22:52):
Before that, I had gone to play one odd event, you know, on a smaller tour.
But Asian tour, I went on to play the 1993, if I'm not mistaken.
And 1993 is when I started going abroad and playing.
That is the time. And you play? Officially, I qualified for the Asian PGA in 1995.
(23:14):
Before that, I used to play just, you know, on invites or maybe just,
you know, go there and qualify or things like that.
So not really on the Asian tour.
But Asian PGA is when I went to qualify in 1995.
And that's when I started playing regularly. And you continued to play the Asian
(23:35):
tour for over 15 years, if I am correct, correct?
That's right. That's right. Almost 95, I started and until 2008, 2009, I played.
And then you played the European tour for two or three years in between as well in the early 2000s.
Yeah, that's the time, you know, we used to have a good understanding between
(23:59):
the Asian tour and the European tour. and they would allow some of the top players
to go and go to the final stage of Q School.
Some players to go to the second stage of Q School.
So, you know, I took second stage once and then through the finals and then
got a conditional card, played challenge tour a couple of times,
(24:21):
but then got a conditional card.
So, then I played, you know, from the Asian side, play a few tournaments on
the European tour, but not really played the European tour but yeah kind of
on a conditional card played a few tournaments here and there.
You know over 20 years on the professional circuit how did you sustain your
(24:42):
the quality of your play were you obviously practicing quite a bit what parts
of your game really worked for you which which part of the game required work from you?
Well I was lucky I you know, I got introduced to this Italian coach by the name
of Dr. Donato Di Ponziano.
(25:02):
In 96. So he had come to India on an exchange program sent by the RNA,
which was a great program.
You know, he had actually come to set up a program to train the teachers.
So I got to know him, became friends with him.
And I used to go to Italy for almost a month and a year and trained with him
(25:25):
in his academy at Rome, in Turin, in Brescia.
And so I used to go almost spend the summer months, you know,
when the Asian tour was off.
I used to go and spend a few years with him. I mean, you know, a few weeks with him.
So Donato was quite a huge help.
And that was my, you know, first actual real coach.
(25:47):
And till today, he's a great friend. He's a great coach because he was part of the European PGA.
Oh, sorry, PGA of Europe, not the European PGA, PGA of Europe,
you know, and so that was, but my biggest issue always was my short game.
Driving was always good, long game, short clubs were fine.
(26:08):
Putting i used to be pretty good with my
long handle putter but short game chipping
something which always struggled with so little
things i mean you know you always feel that you could do much more what you
achieved uh actually you're never happy with what you've achieved because if
(26:30):
you are happy then there is an end so always felt that you know i could achieve
much more from what I did achieve.
Always regret that I couldn't win. I finished very close so many times in second
and third and a lot of times I couldn't win on the Asian tour. So that is a huge regret.
You know, led many times. Sorry, I mean, you know, the main regret was that
(26:54):
I didn't win but got very close.
So if I could do it again, I would do it again, you know. So.
I'm quite happy with what my career gave to me. Obviously, I didn't achieve
as much as I did, but such is life.
You went to that level. You won four times professionally. You won the national championship.
(27:16):
You played golf at a level for 20, 25 years, which most people only dream about.
So I feel you have a lot to be proud of, Amandeep.
I'm very proud of what I did in my life.
I'm very proud of what I'm doing in my life. You know, I'm adding to this game.
This game is a huge passion for me since I was a little kid.
(27:38):
I continue to add to this game, you know, whichever way I can. I teach people.
I'm trying to bend golf courses. I'm trying to, you know, train great players.
I'm trying to train beginners.
I'm currently at a place in India, which is a place called Ajmer,
which has Muir College, which is a school, which has a nine-hole golf course attached to it.
(28:04):
First time they're going to have a national level tournament.
I'm helping to grow that.
So anything with regard to this game, I think this is such a fantastic game
that everybody should play.
So I'm trying to play my little part in growing this game in whichever way I can.
I've enjoyed being a part of this game right from all the 47 years I've been.
(28:27):
And hopefully, I will be able to be a part of it till my eyes close.
How long have you had your golf academy in Delhi? What gave you that idea to
transition to coaching?
You know, I started my golf academy when I was running a driving range in Delhi.
(28:48):
It was right in the heart of town. That's the idea when I said,
okay, let me have a golf academy.
But you know what, over time, I felt I couldn't cope up with anything which
was requiring a mundane life of,
you know, you arrive there and you coach from so-and-so time to finishing so-and-so time.
(29:12):
So even though you know i
i still the name still exists but in
physicality it doesn't exist anymore because when i when i stopped the you know
because it was a it was at city fort which is a own facility owned by the government
so then we we lost the contract in in in you know about four four, five years ago.
(29:36):
Then we tried to shift to a place in Noida. It didn't work out.
And then kind of gave hope. I mean, you know, I just gave up on that idea.
But it exists on paper. But I mean, I teach all kinds of students everywhere.
So it is called Amadhi Golf Academy on wheels.
(29:58):
So it doesn't have a home, but it's on wheels.
And, you know, over the years of playing professionally and now coaching,
what have you learned to be the most effective way to teach golf and get people
to almost your level of play?
You know, when you teach golf, the first thing that you need to read is the
(30:22):
person's excitement and the passion about the game.
You know, that's something that you can't build.
That's something that, you know, you could ignite, but you can't.
It has to be somewhere beneath the surface or around that. But either a person
(30:44):
is passionate about the game or is not.
So if somebody is passionate about the game and I don't care what age that person
may be, I want to be associated with that person.
And I want him to experience the beauty of this phenomenal game.
So I try my level best to be associated with that person.
(31:06):
If our thoughts meet and if our ideas
meet i will try to make that him or her reach their best potential with the
amount of time they are willing to spend to the game so my idea as far as this
game is about that i've summarized it in in about a sentence and a half that
(31:27):
is my idea about this game.
So I'm happy to help anyone who comes my way in becoming better and enjoying this game much more.
If a person has goals to achieve, I'd be happy to help them achieve those goals.
(31:48):
I'd be happy to be their coach.
I'd be happy to be their teacher.
So short-term, long-term, whichever way they want me to be their part of their
journey, I'd be very happy to be associated.
And that's it. That's my fundamental about this game.
How can people, you know, some of our listeners, If they are inspired to reach
(32:11):
out to you, how do people get in touch with you?
How do prospective students approach you? Do you have a website, an email address?
I can put it in the description of this podcast so that people can actually
reach out to you. They've got my phone number.
Please give them my phone number. Give them my email address.
(32:33):
They can reach out to me by WhatsApp or email. I'd be more than happy to help
them whichever way that I can.
It doesn't matter how, but I will help them for sure.
I'd be happy to help them. Not only just help them, happy to help them.
(32:53):
Just a quick question on over the last 30-40 years you've been playing golf,
a lot of technology has come into the game with track man, video,
slow-mo. So do you use any of this technology?
Does it help? And are there any swing aids you recommend for people trying to get to Scratch?
(33:15):
Okay. You know, if technology helps, of course it helps in every which way.
We have to be continuously evolving and technology is helping us to evolve.
Let me tell you, when we were playing, I wish we had the technology then what we have now.
I always find that there has to be a little bit of marriage between logic,
(33:40):
sense, fundamentals, and technology.
Some people tend to overdo on technology, and some people are shut out to technology.
I'm the in-between. I'm...
Somewhere in between, because I believe that technology should be used,
but you shouldn't be over-reliant on technology.
(34:06):
The human side is very important because unless you feel a player or sense the
player, you can't help the player.
The technology should be used to explain to the player how that player can become
better. And yes, I think technology is phenomenal.
The trackmans and the radar technology and all of that, you know, is phenomenal.
(34:31):
I wish we had it then.
The 3D technology, the pressure plate, the ground forces.
I mean, it's a whole new ballgame. And golf has become that much simpler.
Equipment. I mean, I wish I could get into equipment. I'm terrible at equipment.
(34:54):
But yeah, equipment is such an important factor.
So, you know, we used to hit 287 and at my age, at 55, I'm hitting it 320.
I mean, goodness gracious, this is all equipment and understanding technology,
which is helping you become better players. So use technology.
(35:15):
Don't go crazy on technology because technology can't help you everywhere.
But yeah, the teachers of today are much more equipped now to help you.
But my only thing of advice to everybody out there is try not to use social
media so much because there's a lot of, you know,
(35:37):
thing on social media because anybody who's trying to send you too much information
on social media is not that equipped.
You know, he's trying to sell himself cheap, him or herself cheap.
So try to find somebody who you can vibe with because that is a better person
to learn the game from than from social media. That's great advice, Amandeep.
(36:02):
And just before we let you go, I wanted to ask you about the Golf Foundation,
where you work with underprivileged children to get them into the game of golf.
Can you quickly tell the listeners what this foundation is all about and how,
if somebody did want to contribute money or time, how we could do that?
(36:24):
Well, Golf Foundation is a great idea started by this guy called Amit Lutra.
He started with this at Delhi Golf Club and he had this idea that where he could
help underprivileged kids.
So, he got his friends onto that foundation. I got onto that foundation.
But because of my commitments in the last couple of years, I had to not be directly
(36:47):
involved with it. However, I think it's a great foundation.
We produced a super kid called Shubham Jaglan. You know, he went on to win.
He came from a little village in Haryana.
We got him to Delhi. We trained him. We put him into a public school.
You know, he conducts a press conference better than you and me combined.
(37:10):
Unbelievable. believable, speaks in fluent English, went on to,
we got him in admission into Florida, in Tampa, Florida, University in Tampa,
sorry, University in Eastern Florida.
I'm not sure what the university, he's now a college kid.
So transformed his life completely.
(37:30):
And like him, we've transformed lives of so many kids by the Golf Foundation.
We had another kid, Raksha Dahiya, who was part of the foundation.
Now we've got him admission into university in the United States and in Chicago, a full scholarship.
So great, great stories of kids who have been benefited by this foundation and continue.
(37:57):
Girls and boys included shinjini there's another kid from calcutta she's got
admission in in in the united states so amit lutra is doing a great job i i
hope and wish that everybody contributes towards the foundation it's i think
it's exempt from any kind of taxes,
(38:17):
so please feel free to and and i urge you to donate towards that foundation
i'm sure if you If you go to the website of the Golf Foundation,
you will find ways and means of contributing.
Please do that. You know, it's a great initiative by one guy.
And he has got a lot of people together, including Bollywood artists and all of that and shebang.
(38:40):
So he's doing a great job. Thank you for that, Aman. And Amandeep,
you know, we will, for our listeners' benefit, put links to the Golf Foundation
and also your contact information,
Amandeep, in case somebody wants to reach out and solicit your help to improve their golf games.
Clearly, you have a great appreciation and love for the game.
(39:03):
It comes out in every word you say.
And as we leave, is there any parting advice you have to the listeners about golf or life in general?
Well, my advice, thank you very much for having me on this show.
And this is the last words that I'm saying.
Please play this game. This is the most wonderful game I have known.
(39:25):
This game teaches you everything that you want to know of life.
You can play it alone. You can play with two people. You can play with three.
You can play with your friends. You can play with your enemies.
You can play with somebody who doesn't speak your language. You can play with anybody.
You can be 85 years old. You can play with a nine-year-old kid.
(39:46):
It is the most fantastic game. This is the only game where amateurs can play
alongside professionals.
Kids can play alongside grandparents.
It's a game for the family. It's a game for the kids. It's a game for the old.
You cannot find a better game. So let's everybody play golf.
(40:06):
That's very well spoken, Amandeep. Thank you so much. And that,
ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap for today. Thank you for listening.
Music.
On the old course and new course and two rounds on the old course as the final day.
So two day event, 36 holes each day and I beat Ernie Els by two shots.
So that was a biggie for me as far as amateur was concerned.
So 1989 was a great year for me.
I remember Jaipur was, I played unbelievable golf. You know,
(00:21):
it was almost like I won by seven shots.
So I had, after the first day of 69, I just went on to shoot 69,
65, I think 66 and 68 or something like that.
So I was like on a zone over four days.
I don't even remember how I kind of felt that day.
(00:45):
But it was like almost everything was on autopilot.
I mean, it's one of those weeks where you say, my God, golf is very simple.
This is the most wonderful game I have known. own.
This game teaches you everything that you want to know of life.
You can play it alone. You can play with two people. You can play with three.
(01:08):
You can play with your friends. You can play with your enemies.
You can play with who doesn't speak your language.
Music.
Welcome everyone to the Accelerate Golf Podcast, where we speak with great players
(01:30):
from around the world to understand how they became so good.
Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Amandeep Johal.
He's played professionally since 1990 on the Indian, Asian, and European tours.
Prior to turning pro, he was an accomplished amateur who won the 1989 Indian
(01:50):
National Championship and also represented India at various events around the world,
the most prominent being the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Amandeep has four professional wins and he currently runs the Amandeep Johal
Golf Academy in Delhi, India, and also coaches the Indian National Golf Team.
(02:12):
So welcome, Amandeep. Thank you very much, Vikram. It's nice to be on this podcast.
Hopefully my thoughts and my experiences are going to benefit some people in
certain ways and obviously going to make it exciting conversation
between us so that you know probably we can make this game more popular in in
(02:35):
Indian subcontinent and around the world. Thanks for that Amandeep.
You know why don't we start from the very beginning. How did you get into golf?
You know we used to I come from a small town called Chandigarh which is about
200 all miles northwest of Delhi.
It's a capital city of Punjab,
(02:55):
And my father was a horticulturist and a landscape architect.
And he was invited to... So Chandigarh is a city designed by a French architect, Le Cabougier.
And my father was invited to take care of the horticulture and landscape of
Chandigarh. So he came into Chandigarh in 1964.
(03:15):
And obviously, he didn't know anything about golf. But because he was involved
in the landscaping and horticulture, So they, in 1970, they invited him and
said, listen, you know what? We need you to build a golf course in Chandigarh.
He says, well, I don't know anything about golf.
So they said, okay, it doesn't matter. So you start playing golf and then you
(03:36):
will be interested in the game of golf.
And then you, so, you know, he read a few books and, you know,
whatever little knowledge he knew, he started building the golf course.
And we used to live right about 250 yards from the golf course.
That's, that's where the house was.
So, you know, my father learned the game and my mother learned the game and
natural progression, my older brother, both the siblings got to the game.
(04:00):
And by the time I was about six or seven, so it became a household hobby,
the game of golf, though we only had a couple of golf sets.
My father had a full golf set and my mother had a half golf set.
So whenever they were not playing, We used to, you know, go and borrow their
golf set and go on to the golf course.
(04:21):
Sometimes, you know, we used to have somebody's old club. We used to cut it down in small.
And, you know, with three golf clubs and a couple of old balls,
we used to go on to the golf course.
So that is my initiation to the game of golf.
So, yeah, my older sibling is about eight years older than me.
So he was already 15 and, you know, playing on the national circuit,
(04:45):
juniors and going to Delhi to play some tournaments.
So obviously, as a little, you know, baby brother, I would, you know,
accompany him to the golf course, watching him, you know.
And he used to be obviously a show-off because he was already playing on the national circuit.
So, you know, me being a younger kid, younger sibling, always wanted to emulate
the older brother. And, you know, so I obviously was, I was going itching to get to the game of golf.
(05:12):
And so that was, that was how, you know, the initiation and the passion and
all of the magic of this game of golf bit me.
That's great. And so you obviously started practicing, trying to get as good as your older brother.
By what point in time, how many years, at what age were you close to scratch?
Well, you know, I really don't remember when I got close to scratch.
(05:36):
But yeah, I do remember that, you know, when my brother was playing,
obviously, we were trying to, you know, emulate the greats of the game at that time.
So by that time, my father had already built a small green in the house.
And a small bunker, a small green. And, you know, my older brother, obviously much older.
(05:56):
He would talk to us about the greats of the game of Nicholas and,
you know, Gary Player and Peter Thompson and Arnold Palmer and all the greats.
And so he would want to be, you know, Gary Player.
And I always wanted to be Nicholas because my father had got this book,
(06:16):
took Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus into the house, a small paperback and,
you know, which he got from the local store.
Because, you know, in those days, getting anything of golf was very limited in India.
You have to realize that, you know, we came at a time where hardly a bunch of
people, I think my father's membership number was 54.
(06:41):
That means there were 53 players earlier who had joined the club before my father joined in.
So 53 and 54 was his number.
And so golf knowledge, anything about golf was very limited.
So I always wanted to be Nicholas and emulate Nicholas.
Golf My Way was the book that he had brought us and we used to try and emulate that. So-
(07:06):
I started playing in the local tournaments at the age of 13.
I still remember, 12 or 13. And I won my first tournament, a club tournament,
which of the memory I have, at age 13.
And that was in 1981.
And that's when I started dreaming of, you know, the next day there was a newspaper clipping.
(07:31):
I mean, you know, my photo appeared in the newspaper, in the local newspaper,
the Tribune, which was printed in Chandigarh.
So I went to the school the next day, you know, beaming with this thing that
I had that, you know, my pictures appeared in the newspaper and everybody congratulated me.
So that gave me a real high and I already started dreaming of playing on the national circuit.
(07:54):
And by the next year, I started playing on the junior circuit.
And that in itself is a story of how I kind of graduated, which I tell you,
But I don't remember when I got to scratch.
Probably say about 16 or so is when I probably started playing to scratch.
Okay. And then you represented India at a couple of international events.
(08:19):
What was that experience like? I know that in 1987, you played in the Nomura
Cup. I believe it was held in Thailand, correct?
That's right. Right. I mean, you know, I think my first thing with playing for India started in 1986.
We, Jeev and me, by that time Jeev had started. Jeev and me were backdoor neighbors.
(08:41):
His house number was 59, sector 7, and mine was 61.
His mom and me, his mom and my mom went to college together.
So they were, they were, we were backdoor neighbors and they were great friends.
And then, you know, we grew up watching Milka Uncle's movies.
So, very inspired, you know, always wanted to play for India.
(09:02):
But then, yeah, Jeev started playing.
And we got invited to play the Doug Sanders Juniors in Melbourne, Jeev and me.
So, that was the first time I represented India and to play a junior tournament. moment.
And from then on, there was no stopping. So, you know, while we were juniors,
we got selected to play for the Nomura Cup, which was 1987.
(09:26):
And, you know, we got playing Jeev, myself, Uttam Mandi and Gaurav Ghai.
That's the team that went to Namuraka.
We didn't have a great outing, but it was obviously a great experience for us
to, you know, be playing, to wear India colors and playing for India in the actual amateur team.
And how was your game compared to the other participants?
(09:49):
Did you match up? Did you feel good about your game? Confident in your ability?
We felt terrible. I mean, you
know, we felt absolutely because we finished bottom of the pack in 1987.
And that was a huge learning for us. You know, that, you know what,
we are way behind the international as far as amateur golf was concerned.
(10:12):
Because we were okay as juniors because Jeev and me did quite well as juniors.
But as amateurs, when we started playing amateur golf, we felt we were way behind.
So we needed to put in much harder work, you know, and become better and better
to at least match what the amateurs were playing.
(10:34):
The top people in that time, I remember, were Japanese and obviously in the
Muro Cup was including Australia as well as New Zealand in those days.
So Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia.
I mean, everybody was better than us. So we really needed to,
it was a great wake-up call and a great learning for us that,
(10:56):
you know what, we need to really pull up our socks and become better and better.
We did. Actually, we did. And also, you know, just to make sure that our listeners
are aware of who Jeev is, Jeev is Jeev
Milka Singh, one of the most famous professional golfers out of India.
Who was a few years younger than you were, correct, Amandeep?
(11:17):
That's right. I mean, you know, like I said, Jeev and me were backdoor neighbors
and Jeev was a couple of years younger.
We went to the same school and
I used to, in fact, my duty was because his mom and my mom were friends.
So, my duty was to actually take him out, go to his house, take him on my bicycle,
ride with him, right, take him to school every day in St. John's in Chandigarh.
(11:40):
So, Jeev and me go back that far back.
So, Jeev is, you know, great golfer that he has become.
I think the genes that he had were world-class and, you know,
the whole country is proud of him, of the feats that he has done and continues
to do. I mean, you know, now he plays on the Champions Tour.
In America, he's invited to play a few tournaments. In Japan,
(12:04):
he did so well. In Europe, he did very well.
Obviously, he won the Order of Merit in Asia.
So, a great, accomplished golfer from Chandigarh. But yeah, that's Jeev Malik Kasing for you.
But you went on to win the National Amateur Championship in 1989.
What was that experience like?
(12:25):
Yeah, it was interesting. You know, like you said, Jeev became,
Jeev went on to go to America and hone his skills in America.
He went to college there while I continued.
And, you know, my father belonging to a middle-class government,
you know, job kind of a person,
never seen any heroics on the sporting world, said that I must continue with my academics.
(12:51):
Academics and so I had to focus
a lot on my academics and I
went on to because I was good in maths and physics so I took on to engineering
and became got my degree in engineering in India which finished in 1989 and
that's the year I you know I gave my degree to my father and said you you know what,
(13:15):
I now need to focus a lot on my golf.
And that same year, I won my national championship, 1989, in Delhi.
So that was quite a year and very exciting. So that was, in fact,
the best time of my amateur golf.
I won the All India Amateur Championship.
(13:35):
I finished fourth at a St. Andrews Lynx Trophy.
That was a very, you know, celebrated amateur tournament.
Worldwide. I think only about 100 golfers were invited to that tournament.
Sanandru's Legs Trophy, it was played two rounds over the old course and two
rounds on the... No, one round on the old course and new course and two rounds
(13:59):
on the old course as the final day.
So two-day event, 36 holes each day. And I beat Ernie Els by two shots.
So that was a biggie for me as far as amateur was concerned.
So 1989 was a great year for me. That's
fantastic Ernie Els went on to win two US Opens so many different tournaments
(14:20):
so that must have given you a huge boost of confidence from finishing as a team
dead last in the 1987 Nomura Cup to here you are in 1989,
competing and holding your own against the best in the world 1989 was a big
point for me I went and finished second in the Singapore Open Amateur.
(14:43):
So, you know, I really did quite well, I thought, as an amateur from where we
were in 1987 to where we went to do in 1989.
So quite proud of what I did with while continuing to follow my academics.
So because as an as an engineering student, it's not easy to combine sport and and and academics.
(15:08):
It's not a very easy proposition. Also, because India's sport is not given a
very favorable, especially in my times, not a very favorable.
So, you know, just to manage between my college times as well as our sport was quite tough for me.
So, but I did it. So, in hindsight, did pretty well.
(15:30):
And then you went on to represent India at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Tell us about that experience?
You know, Asian Games and Olympics, I mean, for us, Asian Games was,
in that time, Olympics was never with golf.
So Asian Games was probably the highest as far as any amateur would dream of.
(15:51):
Obviously, the Eisenhower was bigger in the golf.
But for anybody who's, you know, an Asian, I think the Asian Games was the epitome
of the experience, you know, And getting a gold medal or something like that
was something which everybody vied for.
Unfortunately, I finished, I think I finished fifth or fourth or fifth, I don't remember.
(16:16):
You know, but did quite well individually. India finished, I think,
also fifth in that tournament.
We lost out on the bronze medal, but just because people, China.
Yeah, China was, you know, you were going to, in those days, many golf courses.
We didn't even know whether China, they did host us and we were in Beijing.
(16:42):
Charlotte Golden at that Asian game was a great experience.
Just to be in the Asian Games village with the legends of today,
I mean, sport, Leander Pace, great friend.
You know, you had great friendships at that time.
And now when you go back and you say, you know, Lee is a very dear friend of mine now.
(17:04):
And you say, Leander, you know, how many years do I know you?
I know you since 1990 Asian Games. for 34 years.
So these are the friendships you develop over time, Gaurav Natakar,
you know, things like that.
Those are the people that you meet at various sporting events and you develop
(17:25):
friendships, even though they don't belong to your game.
But P.T. Usha now is the president of the Indian Olympic Association.
You know, girl of that year.
And so it was quite a great experience, I'm sure.
And I look back and say, you know, those are the fun times.
1990 is the year you decided to turn pro. What led to that decision?
(17:49):
Yes, I always wanted to turn pro. I mean, that was the key. And engineering stood in the way.
And the second thing that stood in the way was the Delhi Golf Club.
Because in those days, they wouldn't give membership to professionals in Delhi
Golf Club. So, I got my membership at Delhi Golf Club on the 26th of October 1990.
(18:13):
And the moment I got my membership, I turned pro on the 1st of November 1990.
And there was a tournament happening in my hometown, the Tantyaropan.
And that's the time I turned pro.
So, it was quite hilarious that the committee at Delhi Golf Club wasn't too
happy that I had done that.
But I told them, you know what? I was an amateur when I got my membership at Delhi Golf Club.
(18:38):
Four days later, I turned professional.
That's great. And then, you know, you had quite an early success on the tour.
I mean, you ended up winning three times in a span of three years right after
you turned pro, correct?
Yes, I think I won. My first tournament was the Jetpur Open,
if I can remember. I played 19 under par over 4 days.
(19:04):
That was a very good win. Then I won the Nepal Open.
Then I won some tournament in Bombay. I think it was the Broda Race Open.
Pratap Singh Rao, Gaikwad Opan. So quite a few tournaments I've won in the first couple of years.
(19:24):
It's quite a good start to the professional career.
And what was that winning feeling like when you were coming down the stretch
in your first tournament, which you won?
Were you nervous? How did you keep it together? How did you close the deal? you?
I remember Jaipur was, I played unbelievable golf. You know,
it was almost like I won by seven shots.
(19:47):
So I had, after the first day of 69, I just went on to shoot 69,
65, I think 66 and 68 or something like that.
So I was like on a zone for four days.
I don't even remember how I kind
of of felt that day but it was like almost everything
(20:10):
was on autopilot I mean
it's it's it's one of those weeks where you say my god
golf is very simple not very
complicated you hit short in the fairway you hit your shot in the green you
make a putt and you make a birdie and you move on so it's it was something like
that but yeah in those days you know you feel that much nervous I guess you were young,
(20:38):
you were feeling that, you know, what you can conquer the world.
You don't have a baggage of bad shots.
You don't have a baggage of, you know, near-misses. And you don't have a baggage
of, you know what, I didn't perform so well so many weeks.
So you're just going out there and playing your heart out. And I still remember,
(20:58):
you know, the prize money was so low.
And I called my father and he said, I said, well, you know what?
Dad, I won the tournament. He says, how much money did you make?
So I gave him a silly number and he says, well, you know what?
Your friends are making a quarter of a million dollars in America.
You just go and get a job in America.
(21:22):
I'd much rather do this than play golf, than do a job in America, Silicon Valley.
That's a that's a great story so what was
your game like at that point were you a really long
hitter like for example did you ever measure your
swing speed how how far did you hit the driver
(21:42):
your seven iron just kind of give the listeners a
sense of where you were with respect to your game yeah
it was always a big hitter because you know i
think i was decently big but we never measured
swing speed there were no never any things
which measured your swing speed but yeah
you know i used to i used to be longer than
(22:04):
others with the driver that gave me a good sense that i was 20 yards longer
than whoever was playing with me but i remember in korea once i finished third
in the asian driving competition so obviously i was decently long i think i hit a drive which was
about in those days you know with that equipment it was 287 yards so in those
(22:28):
days 287 yards was a big drive i mean this in this day and age it's considered
short like shorter than short.
But it was a big drive in those days and when did you get on to the asian tour
well asian tour was Because in 1993, I think, I went to play the Korea Open.
(22:52):
Before that, I had gone to play one odd event, you know, on a smaller tour.
But Asian tour, I went on to play the 1993, if I'm not mistaken.
And 1993 is when I started going abroad and playing.
That is the time. And you play? Officially, I qualified for the Asian PGA in 1995.
(23:14):
Before that, I used to play just, you know, on invites or maybe just,
you know, go there and qualify or things like that.
So not really on the Asian tour.
But Asian PGA is when I went to qualify in 1995.
And that's when I started playing regularly. And you continued to play the Asian
(23:35):
tour for over 15 years, if I am correct, correct?
That's right. That's right. Almost 95, I started and until 2008, 2009, I played.
And then you played the European tour for two or three years in between as well in the early 2000s.
Yeah, that's the time, you know, we used to have a good understanding between
(23:59):
the Asian tour and the European tour. and they would allow some of the top players
to go and go to the final stage of Q School.
Some players to go to the second stage of Q School.
So, you know, I took second stage once and then through the finals and then
got a conditional card, played challenge tour a couple of times,
(24:21):
but then got a conditional card.
So, then I played, you know, from the Asian side, play a few tournaments on
the European tour, but not really played the European tour but yeah kind of
on a conditional card played a few tournaments here and there.
You know over 20 years on the professional circuit how did you sustain your
(24:42):
the quality of your play were you obviously practicing quite a bit what parts
of your game really worked for you which which part of the game required work from you?
Well I was lucky I you know, I got introduced to this Italian coach by the name
of Dr. Donato Di Ponziano.
(25:02):
In 96. So he had come to India on an exchange program sent by the RNA,
which was a great program.
You know, he had actually come to set up a program to train the teachers.
So I got to know him, became friends with him.
And I used to go to Italy for almost a month and a year and trained with him
(25:25):
in his academy at Rome, in Turin, in Brescia.
And so I used to go almost spend the summer months, you know,
when the Asian tour was off.
I used to go and spend a few years with him. I mean, you know, a few weeks with him.
So Donato was quite a huge help.
And that was my, you know, first actual real coach.
(25:47):
And till today, he's a great friend. He's a great coach because he was part of the European PGA.
Oh, sorry, PGA of Europe, not the European PGA, PGA of Europe,
you know, and so that was, but my biggest issue always was my short game.
Driving was always good, long game, short clubs were fine.
(26:08):
Putting i used to be pretty good with my
long handle putter but short game chipping
something which always struggled with so little
things i mean you know you always feel that you could do much more what you
achieved uh actually you're never happy with what you've achieved because if
(26:30):
you are happy then there is an end so always felt that you know i could achieve
much more from what I did achieve.
Always regret that I couldn't win. I finished very close so many times in second
and third and a lot of times I couldn't win on the Asian tour. So that is a huge regret.
You know, led many times. Sorry, I mean, you know, the main regret was that
(26:54):
I didn't win but got very close.
So if I could do it again, I would do it again, you know. So.
I'm quite happy with what my career gave to me. Obviously, I didn't achieve
as much as I did, but such is life.
You went to that level. You won four times professionally. You won the national championship.
(27:16):
You played golf at a level for 20, 25 years, which most people only dream about.
So I feel you have a lot to be proud of, Amandeep.
I'm very proud of what I did in my life.
I'm very proud of what I'm doing in my life. You know, I'm adding to this game.
This game is a huge passion for me since I was a little kid.
(27:38):
I continue to add to this game, you know, whichever way I can. I teach people.
I'm trying to bend golf courses. I'm trying to, you know, train great players.
I'm trying to train beginners.
I'm currently at a place in India, which is a place called Ajmer,
which has Muir College, which is a school, which has a nine-hole golf course attached to it.
(28:04):
First time they're going to have a national level tournament.
I'm helping to grow that.
So anything with regard to this game, I think this is such a fantastic game
that everybody should play.
So I'm trying to play my little part in growing this game in whichever way I can.
I've enjoyed being a part of this game right from all the 47 years I've been.
(28:27):
And hopefully, I will be able to be a part of it till my eyes close.
How long have you had your golf academy in Delhi? What gave you that idea to
transition to coaching?
You know, I started my golf academy when I was running a driving range in Delhi.
(28:48):
It was right in the heart of town. That's the idea when I said,
okay, let me have a golf academy.
But you know what, over time, I felt I couldn't cope up with anything which
was requiring a mundane life of,
you know, you arrive there and you coach from so-and-so time to finishing so-and-so time.
(29:12):
So even though you know i
i still the name still exists but in
physicality it doesn't exist anymore because when i when i stopped the you know
because it was a it was at city fort which is a own facility owned by the government
so then we we lost the contract in in in you know about four four, five years ago.
(29:36):
Then we tried to shift to a place in Noida. It didn't work out.
And then kind of gave hope. I mean, you know, I just gave up on that idea.
But it exists on paper. But I mean, I teach all kinds of students everywhere.
So it is called Amadhi Golf Academy on wheels.
(29:58):
So it doesn't have a home, but it's on wheels.
And, you know, over the years of playing professionally and now coaching,
what have you learned to be the most effective way to teach golf and get people
to almost your level of play?
You know, when you teach golf, the first thing that you need to read is the
(30:22):
person's excitement and the passion about the game.
You know, that's something that you can't build.
That's something that, you know, you could ignite, but you can't.
It has to be somewhere beneath the surface or around that. But either a person
(30:44):
is passionate about the game or is not.
So if somebody is passionate about the game and I don't care what age that person
may be, I want to be associated with that person.
And I want him to experience the beauty of this phenomenal game.
So I try my level best to be associated with that person.
(31:06):
If our thoughts meet and if our ideas
meet i will try to make that him or her reach their best potential with the
amount of time they are willing to spend to the game so my idea as far as this
game is about that i've summarized it in in about a sentence and a half that
(31:27):
is my idea about this game.
So I'm happy to help anyone who comes my way in becoming better and enjoying this game much more.
If a person has goals to achieve, I'd be happy to help them achieve those goals.
(31:48):
I'd be happy to be their coach.
I'd be happy to be their teacher.
So short-term, long-term, whichever way they want me to be their part of their
journey, I'd be very happy to be associated.
And that's it. That's my fundamental about this game.
How can people, you know, some of our listeners, If they are inspired to reach
(32:11):
out to you, how do people get in touch with you?
How do prospective students approach you? Do you have a website, an email address?
I can put it in the description of this podcast so that people can actually
reach out to you. They've got my phone number.
Please give them my phone number. Give them my email address.
(32:33):
They can reach out to me by WhatsApp or email. I'd be more than happy to help
them whichever way that I can.
It doesn't matter how, but I will help them for sure.
I'd be happy to help them. Not only just help them, happy to help them.
(32:53):
Just a quick question on over the last 30-40 years you've been playing golf,
a lot of technology has come into the game with track man, video,
slow-mo. So do you use any of this technology?
Does it help? And are there any swing aids you recommend for people trying to get to Scratch?
(33:15):
Okay. You know, if technology helps, of course it helps in every which way.
We have to be continuously evolving and technology is helping us to evolve.
Let me tell you, when we were playing, I wish we had the technology then what we have now.
I always find that there has to be a little bit of marriage between logic,
(33:40):
sense, fundamentals, and technology.
Some people tend to overdo on technology, and some people are shut out to technology.
I'm the in-between. I'm...
Somewhere in between, because I believe that technology should be used,
but you shouldn't be over-reliant on technology.
(34:06):
The human side is very important because unless you feel a player or sense the
player, you can't help the player.
The technology should be used to explain to the player how that player can become
better. And yes, I think technology is phenomenal.
The trackmans and the radar technology and all of that, you know, is phenomenal.
(34:31):
I wish we had it then.
The 3D technology, the pressure plate, the ground forces.
I mean, it's a whole new ballgame. And golf has become that much simpler.
Equipment. I mean, I wish I could get into equipment. I'm terrible at equipment.
(34:54):
But yeah, equipment is such an important factor.
So, you know, we used to hit 287 and at my age, at 55, I'm hitting it 320.
I mean, goodness gracious, this is all equipment and understanding technology,
which is helping you become better players. So use technology.
(35:15):
Don't go crazy on technology because technology can't help you everywhere.
But yeah, the teachers of today are much more equipped now to help you.
But my only thing of advice to everybody out there is try not to use social
media so much because there's a lot of, you know,
(35:37):
thing on social media because anybody who's trying to send you too much information
on social media is not that equipped.
You know, he's trying to sell himself cheap, him or herself cheap.
So try to find somebody who you can vibe with because that is a better person
to learn the game from than from social media. That's great advice, Amandeep.
(36:02):
And just before we let you go, I wanted to ask you about the Golf Foundation,
where you work with underprivileged children to get them into the game of golf.
Can you quickly tell the listeners what this foundation is all about and how,
if somebody did want to contribute money or time, how we could do that?
(36:24):
Well, Golf Foundation is a great idea started by this guy called Amit Lutra.
He started with this at Delhi Golf Club and he had this idea that where he could
help underprivileged kids.
So, he got his friends onto that foundation. I got onto that foundation.
But because of my commitments in the last couple of years, I had to not be directly
(36:47):
involved with it. However, I think it's a great foundation.
We produced a super kid called Shubham Jaglan. You know, he went on to win.
He came from a little village in Haryana.
We got him to Delhi. We trained him. We put him into a public school.
You know, he conducts a press conference better than you and me combined.
(37:10):
Unbelievable. believable, speaks in fluent English, went on to,
we got him in admission into Florida, in Tampa, Florida, University in Tampa,
sorry, University in Eastern Florida.
I'm not sure what the university, he's now a college kid.
So transformed his life completely.
(37:30):
And like him, we've transformed lives of so many kids by the Golf Foundation.
We had another kid, Raksha Dahiya, who was part of the foundation.
Now we've got him admission into university in the United States and in Chicago, a full scholarship.
So great, great stories of kids who have been benefited by this foundation and continue.
(37:57):
Girls and boys included shinjini there's another kid from calcutta she's got
admission in in in the united states so amit lutra is doing a great job i i
hope and wish that everybody contributes towards the foundation it's i think
it's exempt from any kind of taxes,
(38:17):
so please feel free to and and i urge you to donate towards that foundation
i'm sure if you If you go to the website of the Golf Foundation,
you will find ways and means of contributing.
Please do that. You know, it's a great initiative by one guy.
And he has got a lot of people together, including Bollywood artists and all of that and shebang.
(38:40):
So he's doing a great job. Thank you for that, Aman. And Amandeep,
you know, we will, for our listeners' benefit, put links to the Golf Foundation
and also your contact information,
Amandeep, in case somebody wants to reach out and solicit your help to improve their golf games.
Clearly, you have a great appreciation and love for the game.
(39:03):
It comes out in every word you say.
And as we leave, is there any parting advice you have to the listeners about golf or life in general?
Well, my advice, thank you very much for having me on this show.
And this is the last words that I'm saying.
Please play this game. This is the most wonderful game I have known.
(39:25):
This game teaches you everything that you want to know of life.
You can play it alone. You can play with two people. You can play with three.
You can play with your friends. You can play with your enemies.
You can play with somebody who doesn't speak your language. You can play with anybody.
You can be 85 years old. You can play with a nine-year-old kid.
(39:46):
It is the most fantastic game. This is the only game where amateurs can play
alongside professionals.
Kids can play alongside grandparents.
It's a game for the family. It's a game for the kids. It's a game for the old.
You cannot find a better game. So let's everybody play golf.
(40:06):
That's very well spoken, Amandeep. Thank you so much. And that,
ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap for today. Thank you for listening.
Music.
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