World golfing number four Ernie Els has been there and done that, and a “lucky” R5 coin has accompanied him throughout his golfing exploits on the world stage.
The big South African revealed a superstitious side to his game during a clinic at the driving range on the sidelines of the Indian Masters.
As well as the lucky coin, Els will only hit his golf ball off white coloured tees.
“I am a bit superstitious. I only use white colour tees [and] I have been keeping a R5 coin in my bag since 1995; it’s lucky for me,” said Els,
With a rapt audience in a country where the sport is starting to take off, the advice to budding golfers from Els, known as the Big Easy, was to “keep it simple” and “relax”.
“Keep it simple when you play golf,” he told the fans.
“Don’t try and scoop the ball, just swing through and the results will be great. Most of the newcomers to the game are too tense when addressing the ball.
“Just relax and visualise your shot before striking the ball.”
The 38-year-old is one of the world’s truly global golfers with more than 50 victories worldwide, including three Majors.
And of all the places he has played, he has been massively impressed with the Delhi Golf Club’s Lodhi course.
“I have great respect for this club. You have a wonderful golf course, an old fashioned course. You should be proud of it,” he said.
“I have played a lot of courses around the world obviously and this course for some reason reminds me a little of South Africa. The vegetation and some of the trees are very similar to what we have in South Africa. — AFP