The healing power of golf
Many golfers, both amateurs and professionals, have described golf differently. Some say it is a game of life,. They have in their own way vividly captured the importance of the game that is seen as an elitist game. According to some of them, golf reveals the character of a golfer:
former IGP
If a golfer likes to cheat, it would reflect in his game, because he would try to alter his scores or try to cheat. If he is hot tempered, it will be revealed as well. But very few have spoken of its healing abilities.
Over the years constant playing of golf has been said to be good for some ailments but nobody has come out boldly like the former Inspector General Of Police Sunday Ehindero to say that golf helped him cure his blood pressure and high cholesterol level.
The Golf Course caught up with the former IG of Police at the IBB Golf and Country Club in Abuja during the 15th edition of the Total E&P Nigeria Limited Golf tournament and he revealed how playing golf for six months helped cure his High Blood Pressure problem.
“When I was in active service, I had high blood Pressure and I used to travel to the United Kingdom for check up and treatment. A friend told me about the healing power of the game of golf, stressing that if I play the game for a while that my blood pressure will come back to normal. I struggled with the idea but eventually I decided to give it a trial.
“First of all, I joined an early morning group, we played in the morning from 6.30am to 7.30am every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and sometimes on Sunday, at least four or five times a week when I was still in service.
Even during the election day, I was on the golf course and Mr President called me to find out the security situation and I called my men who were on ground and they gave me the situation report. And I called the President and relayed the reports to him. That was the beauty of communication. After playing golf I resume at the office. We play regularly,
The beauty of if is this, apart from playing here in Nigeria, we go for International Bar conference. I recently came back from a Conference in Vancouver, Canada, where we had a great time and seized the opportunity to play golf with other lawyers from other parts of the world. Golf gives you the opportunity to network. After a round, a lot of them said they will be referring their cases to me in Nigeria. Golf is a way of socialization.
Back to my blood pressure issue, after playing for six months, I travelled back to UK for another round of check-up and upon examination by my doctor, he was shocked and asked for the kind of medication I had used for the ailment. I told him, golf and he was surprised. So he told me to come back in six months for another check up.I can tell you that my BP has been normal ever since. That is the healing power of golf”, he said.
For people who see golf as that small ball being played around a large expanse of land, It is when they take up golf that they will know the importance and I will encourage the present IG to ensure that policemen take up golf.
