In Students Shoes
As always, in the interview section of our magazine, we are talking to the students about their free time activities. This time our interviewee is Luka Jovanović, a brilliant student who doesn’t spend all of his time studying – his main out of school activity is golf. Here is what we have learnt from him about this sport:
PI: Luka, golf is not so popular in Serbia. How did you come to the idea to practice golf?
Luka J: That is an interesting story. I used to play tennis before, but one day I saw my friend playing golf and when I tried it, it was really interesting, but I have never thought that this sport is going to become more important than tennis in my life. However, as the time passed by, I realized that golf is something I was really passionate about. I was still playing tennis, but eventually golf took over. We discovered that I am actually very talented for golf. I was getting better and better and I even won the championship at the very beginning of my golf career, which was a shock both for me and my father.
PI: Could you tell us something more about this sport?
Luka J: The point of the game is to get the ball in the hole with as few shots as possible. Golf is viewed as a sport now, even though it was viewed as a game earlier. And indeed, it is a very serious individual sport, that demands a huge mental strength, because of its unpredictability. You never know who is going to win a tournament, there is no domination of a certain player in a certain period of time as in tennis or basketball, the best player today can be bad tomorrow. I would say that golf reflects life in this sense. You have to be ready for everything. You should have an ambition, but you shouldn’t expect to win at any price. That is hard and that’s why many people give up.
PI: Which age are your co-players? Young people? Old people? Teenagers?
Luka J: I would say youngsters, people who are about 20 years old. Of course, there are older people, who play for enjoyment, but the ones that are serious players are younger.
PI: Golf doesn’t look like a sport in which one can get injured. Is that actually a possibility?
Luka J: Yes, you can get injured. Back, knees and shoulders are the body parts that are mostly affected. Many golf players had more than one serious surgery. I was close to an injury once. I remember my dad telling me that I was walking funny, so I had to go to the therapy. It was all fine in the end, but it is not always like that. The support of the personal therapist is therefore crucial for a professional golf player.
PI: How often do you go golf training?
Luka J: I don’t really have a timetable. I go to gym six time a week and I play golf almost every day. Sometimes I make one day break, in order to finish all my school work, but I have to be in good shape and have the feeling of my own body. Those two things are essential for this kind of sport.
PI: Does golf offer opportunities for traveling?
Luka J: Yes, I am always on the road. I played all around the world, but since preparations for the tournaments are extremely demanding, I don’t actually have a lot of time for sightseeing. Anyway, I believe that you can feel the atmosphere of a country only by being there, accompanied by its people.
PI: Is golf an expensive sport?
Luka J: Golf is as expensive as any other sport. If you train it professionally, it can be a big investment. Otherwise, a person with average outcome can afford himself or herself to play golf as a hobby. I have sponsors, so I don’t actually think a lot about the costs. I have to mention that golf is the most popular individual sport in the USA, which tells us that it is really affordable.
PI: At the end, since you have probably awaken some interest in our readers: where can we play golf in Belgrade?
Luka J: Unfortunately we have only one golf course in Belgrade, it is in Ada Ciganlija. That is sad, because there are smaller cities with 40 golf courses and in this big city we have only one. There is the golf club, where you can ask for any information. And, let’s make a little promotion – last year and this year as well it is possible for children to play golf during the whole summer for only 90 euros.
Thank you from all of us in PRIMA Inspirer for making us familiar with the sport, that we were only watching on television and thank you for inspiring our dear readers!
Till the next issue, we want you to stay inspired!