The legendary golfer reflects on his path and purpose outside of the game, sharing his life lessons on the green and supporting Rising Star Outreach.
Shiv Kapoor brings his experience and mission to the Marriott Bonvoy Golf Tournament.
At the JW Marriott Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire Resort & Spa, Shiv Kapoor, 2002 Asian Games gold medalist, will host the Marriott Bonvoy Golf Tournament in 2024. His journey into professional golf, his thoughts on mental resilience, and the significance of this year’s partnership. Join us in this exclusive conversation with Rising Star Outreach. Kapoor also discusses golf’s enduring appeal and its ability to develop character in ways that range from promoting integrity to promoting lifelong fitness.
Excerpts from the interview:
Your golf career has been remarkable, starting with your gold medal at the Asian Games in 2002 and continuing with your international recognition. What inspired you to play golf, and how has your perception of the game changed over time?
So like most kids growing up in India, my first love was always cricket. Golf kind of happened by accident. I am a big fan of cricket till date. Golf is what I do for a living. But I was about 12 or 13 years old and I was selected to play for the Indian national team at that time. And it was a great feeling where you get to represent your country. And I got my blazer with all these badges on it. And I thought that was the best thing any kid could do. And thus began my golf journey. I think I was like a big fish in a small pond because there weren’t many kids my age back then.
So I kind of started and played in the Indian national team and then the senior national team. And then, there was no turning back. I wasn’t one of those kids that, from a very young age, thought golf was going to be a career. I thought I would just play golf as a hobby. Got good at it and really fell in love with the game. And I would say when I won the gold medal in the Asian Games in 2002, that was a turning point for me where I said, I won a medal for the country. It’s probably time for me to think about playing professional golf and I think I’ve turned the page from here.
Are there any specific tips or advice you’d like to share with attendees of all skill levels as a celebrity presenter of the Marriott Bonvoy Golf Tournament?
I think it’s a great opportunity, being at a Marriott event, you get to meet new people, you introduce people to the game of golf. I think I just finished a clinic with some media personalities and it’s great for me to be able to travel around the world and share my golf experiences, to teach them the game. And the first message I always tell everybody, the great thing about golf is that you can start it late in life. In many other sports, you need to pick it up as a kid, but golf is one of those sports where you can play well into your life. You can, I can still play with my dad, play with my grandpa, all that stuff. So it’s great to be able to bring new people into the game.
I always feel that the more you increase the fan base of a game, the better it is for the growth of the game. And I think the one tip I always give everybody is golf is a simple game played by complicated people. So I think we make the game more complicated than it is, but really, it’s great to be here to share that insight and that knowledge and get new people started on the game.
Golf often requires mental toughness in addition to physical prowess. Would you mind sharing any personal tips or academic strategies that will help you stay focused and composed throughout the course?
Yeah, I think you hit the nail right on the head. I think golf is more of a mental game than a physical game. I think at a high level, we always say it’s 70% mental and 30% physical. And to maintain your concentration for five hours over four rounds of competition over the course of a season, I think mental toughness is what separates the good from the great. And I think at the end of the day, it all boils down to self-confidence. I think if you believe in yourself, you push yourself, have the ability to go out there and perform, I think if I look at the skill level across the board, maybe 10,000 golfers will be as good, if not better than me in this world.
But if I’ve managed to win, it’s because of my belief that you’d almost be fooled into thinking you’re the best. are And I think it’s a lot, I’m not saying that necessarily, but I think all the top athletes in the world benefit from that. Have managed to find a way to lift, you have, this is a positive self-talk. You can’t get down on yourself too much. You know, bad breaks always happen, whether it’s in golf, whether it’s in life, whether it’s in business. And I think it’s the people who are the most resilient who can take a knock and come out stronger. I have always felt that I learned more from my losses than from my wins. And I think that’s something that I’ve always taken on board, which is mental toughness, just believing in myself if I want to break through. is
and stress, where people talk about stress in all aspects of their lives. I think stress is the fear of failure. And when you can come to it and say, you know, I’m not afraid to fail. Then you don’t feel pressure. So I think in life, you just have to go out there and not be afraid to fail and push yourself to succeed.
When you look back on your career, are there any significant events or challenges that taught you something valuable about the sport or yourself?
I’ve had a career that spans two decades now, and there’s been a lot of good and a lot of bad at the same time. And like I said before, I think I’ve learned more from my losses or my failures than from my wins. One that comes to mind was leading the tournament on the last hole in India at an Asian Tour event I was going to, winning back-to-back times, the first time anyone had done that in India. And I lost the tournament on the last hole because of a mental lapse in concentration. And I think that kind of taught me a lot. You know, it took me a few days to get over it. But I think I came back from it a lot stronger and a lot more, mentally tough to say when I put myself in a position like that, again, I know what not to do.
And I think that’s very important. You know, if you win, things go your way, things all go to plan. But when you lose, I think that was my biggest thing. I think in that position, I already started thinking ahead. I let my mind wander and didn’t stay in the moment. So I think there’s a big lesson, everybody talks about whether it’s meditation, whether it’s yoga, it’s about living in the moment. It’s about being in the moment. And I think that’s one of the times that I got away from being in the moment and I let my mind wander to the future. And that’s something I don’t want to repeat.
I was lucky enough to play golf with Sadhguru a few months ago. And one of the great things he said to me at that time, when you can remember in life that you can’t control the outcome and you don’t have control over the outcome, you just have to be, which means That you will concentrate. Action As they also say in the Bhagavad Gita, be a karmayogi, right? You have to focus on your process and what you are trying to do and don’t try and get attached to the results.
Well, again, it doesn’t just apply to golf, but I think it applies to life, which applies to friendships, to relationships. You cannot control another person. You cannot control the outcome. You can only control the effort and action you put forward. And I think that was a very beautiful thing that he said and has always resonated with me.
So this year, apart from celebrating golf, you are also raising funds for the Rising Star Outreach, again an initiative by the Marriott India Business Council. What do you think about this collaboration?
I think it’s fantastic. I’ve always felt that I’ve been lucky enough to play golf around the world and that’s what I do for a living. I have been successful. And you always want to give back. And I think it’s a wonderful way to give back. You are bringing people together for a cause. A cause that I think is a wonderful cause. You know, Mother Teresa was big on leprosy and highlighted the fact that if you don’t want to be treated, you’re going to be normal with these people. People want to be treated with respect and dignity. And I think the Marriott Business Council initiative and the charity and the house and everything they do around that is absolutely fantastic. And if golf can help in any small way to raise funds or awareness for a charity. I think this is a very good thing. It gives me a lot more purpose as to why I’m here, rather than just coming and playing golf. We are actually making a difference in children’s lives and people’s lives. And I think that’s where the message is today. And if I’m able to contribute to that, even 1%, I feel like I’ve done a great job. Yes
Finally, what do you think are the most common myths surrounding golf, and how would you encourage someone who has never played the game?
So I would say if I go back to my childhood, all my friends always said that you are playing an old man’s game. Why don’t you play real games? ok And as they all got older and into their twenties and thirties.
Every single one of them is now begging me to teach them to play golf. So I would say sometimes early in life, golf is not a game that has a lot of action. As a kid, you want to run around, you want to kick the ball, you want to hit the ball. In golf, it’s more of a steady and mental game. But I think if I look back on my life, golf has taught me many important life lessons. If I play golf with someone, I can tell you all about that character.
I think there’s a reason to do business deals on the golf course. You spend four hours with that person, you get a real insight into them. And in golf, you are your own referee. And I think that’s a great thing to learn in life, that you learn very early in life that honesty, integrity, manners, there are so many beautiful life lessons that they learn. And I think it makes you, if you start playing golf as a kid, I’d like to think it made me.
I don’t think many of my friends would agree, but I just think you’ve learned a lot of life lessons. I think you learn, like I said, integrity, being your own referee in life, manners, and above all, it’s a game that you can play well in your life and it’s outside. It’s a great way to live. You know, you’re walking 10,000 steps a day. Better yet, you know what other sport you can play in your 70s and 80s?