I hit my first golf balls when I was nine years old in Kharian but that was it,” says Sarah Mahmood, a senior golfer from Lahore. “Coming from a family of golfers, it may seem strange to you that I was never encouraged to play golf. I did play a bit when I was 16 but then I was threatened by my mother of dire consequences if I failed in my exams.

“My mother had found my report cards, which I had hidden from her under my mattress,” she laughs. “I only started playing again a few years back when my son became interested in the game and started playing himself. I have won several local championships but not the nationals. I play for fun,” she says.

Tehmina Ali, also from Lahore, and daughter of former national champion Yasmin Mubarak Ali says that she only started playing at 18. “I was studying at the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Murree and golf was out of the question until I was through with my senior Cambridge exams,” she says.

Although internationally a number of women golfers are beginning to make their mark and develop a following, in Pakistan golf is generally still considered a male preserve. But the sport is slowly catching on among women as well

Tehmina says that Sarah used to play golf with her mother “but we also became very good friends. She would coax me while playing to study and carry on with my education. It is thanks to her that I became a lawyer,” she says.

Meanwhile, Tehmina’s mother, the legendary Yasmin Mubarak Ali who is now settled in Islamabad, started playing golf at 13 and has won almost every golf tournament played in Pakistan, with several wins abroad as well.

“My father was a golfer and we children used to accompany him to the golf course every evening,” recounts Yasmin. “During summer vacations we would be there from morning till evening.”

“There used to be small weekly tournaments for ladies then, which I would win. That got me wanting more so I practised hard and kept on winning. To date, I have won four national championships, seven President Cups, several Punjab Open Golf Championships and the President of Pakistan Gold Medal Golf titles,” she says.

In between she also took a break. “That was when I got married. I didn’t play for 12 years then but came back to the game and won in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well,” she says.

“My daughter Tehmina, too, when she was on a break from school in Murree started playing with me. That was when she met my friend Sarah Mahmood and the two became good friends despite the age gap,” she smiles. Though her health doesn’t allow her to play as much golf as she used to, Yasmin can’t be found too far from a golf course. She is available for any advice or help when it comes to her favourite sport.

Last year, Dr Asma Afzal Shami — a Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) committee member — was one of the people to have initiated the all-women golf championship. “The first thing that I was asked was if such an event was even going to be of any use with so few women playing the sport in this country,” she says. “Where we were expecting 12 to 15 women to show up, 68 turned up. That was last year. This year at the championship’s second edition in Karachi, we had 63 women competing in three handicap categories,” she smiles. “Of course, as organisers, we, too, have had to do our bit such as accommodating the late entries, but that’s what has led to our success in holding this event, and next year we are planning to hold the third edition in Islamabad,” she shares.

Tournament or no tournament, the ladies, with golf bags bursting with drivers, irons, wedges and putters loaded on golf carts or being carried by caddies in tow, practice regularly. They are out on the course both mornings and late afternoons.

“We are all a little sensitive about our handicaps,” laughs the lady captain of the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) Fawzia Naqvi, who also happens to be a PGF committee member. “We want to improve so we meet up at the golf course at least four days a week for the purpose. Of course, it is also a lot of fun. And having so much fun, we don’t even feel the summer heat.”

Fawzia’s work as the lady captain of KGC involves organising tournaments and activities for women, bringing in new members and getting the young interested in the game.

Tournament or no tournament, the ladies, with golf bags bursting with drivers, irons, wedges and putters loaded on golf carts or being carried by caddies in tow, practice regularly. They are out on the course both mornings and late afternoons.

Other than golf, Fawzia is editor-in-chief of an art magazine and a senior media professional. Golf came to Fawzia some 12 years ago. “I was in Islamabad with a friend visiting from London. She was a golfer who wanted to go to the golf course, and she dragged me along with her. I had seen several golf courses all over the world but never picked up a golf club until then. An instructor in Islamabad that day got me to do that,” she smiles at the memory.

For golf there is no age limit. “Your handicap is your criteria. You play within your handicap range. It’s competitive and yet lots of fun. More and more women are playing the game now. There are lady pilots, academics, CEOs, housewives and foreign nationals playing golf,” she says. “And as they do, the golf clubs are also becoming more accommodating, like at KGC we have a state-of-the-art ladies lounge to give them a place to rest between games.”

According to the KGC captain, the club formed in 1888 had women playing golf there even then. “But of course, they weren’t local women. They were the English wives and daughters of British officers posted here in those days,” she says.

Durdana Soomro also started playing after watching her friend play. “We were in London and she played so I started playing, too,” says Durdana.

“Then in 1999 I moved to Pakistan and continued playing here as well. Golf is a great way of keeping fit because it involves walking in the middle of nature. And the elements of competition makes it interesting and challenging,” she adds. “You use your head when playing because the right contact with the ball is important. It has to be hit with the centre of the club. Then every shot doesn’t have to go to 200 yards. You hit small shots, too. Putting can even mean hitting the ball from three inches away from the hole.

Tahira Raza, another woman golfer and a banker by profession, says that she wakes up early every morning to reach the Defence Authority and Country Golf Club at 5.30am. “I play till a little after 7am before getting ready for office,” she says.

Tahira doesn’t play alone. “My husband accompanies me,” she says. In fact her husband had a lot to do with her playing golf. “It was 2005 and my husband’s golf kit was getting to be a bit of annoyance at home. It was just lying around and always getting in my way. And so I warned him to either use it or let me chuck it out,” she says, adding that her husband’s response to that was that he would start playing again if she’d accompany him to the club. “And so I did,” she says. It’s usually the two of them together with their golf clubs unless their 13-year-old grandson is visiting from America. “Then it is the three of us.

“I registered for coaching with the Sindh Golf Association and here I am. It is a great way to start your day. It keeps you fit and your capacity to perform at work increases as you compete against yourself. You get to meet so many people who share your love for the sport. You learn to care about others too, like waiting for your turn to hit the ball and not doing it when someone else is at it. You also stay silent when someone else is concentrating on his or her shot,” she counts out the benefits for you.

“It is also a great way for networking. Actually, being an expensive sport [because of club membership fees and expensive equipment] it also provides a chance for networking. Discussing things in a informal setting becomes more meaningful than talking about such matters in a business setting,” the banker claims.

The writer is a member of staff

She tweets @HasanShazia

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 30th, 2017