It’s easy to say, but I have been immersed in tourism for a full 40 years. During this time, I have mediated for thousands—yes, you heard that right, thousands—of people to play golf in Turkey. I have transported people from all over the world to the vast green courses of Belek and organized their events.

But as the saying goes, "The candle does not illuminate its own base." In 40 years, it was never my destiny to step onto the course and hit that ball even once for myself. The world's most prestigious, most beautiful courses are right under our noses, yet we only pass by them...

Can a "Heavy" Athlete Play Golf?

The funny thing is, I am not an inactive person. I love walking; I am in love with sports. And not just light workouts, I actually engage in heavy sports. I lift weights, I walk for kilometers, I don't get tired easily... But when it comes to that tiny white ball, whether it was the fear of "I wonder if I can pull it off?" or the satiety of "We see it every day anyway," I just couldn't pick up that club for years.

A Coffee Break and the Inevitable Confrontation

This streak of bad luck continued until I coincidentally ran into my old friend Volkan at a cafe.

Those who know Volkan know; he has swallowed the dust of golf tourism for years and has been cooked in the kitchen of this business. One thing led to another, and I learned that he is currently the Marketing Director of Belek Golf Academy. The conversation deepened, coffees were sipped, and that inevitable question arrived:

"So Mehmet, do you play golf?"

I paused for a moment. I've been a tourism professional for 40 years, hosted thousands of golfers... I scratched my head with an embarrassed look and said with a slight smile, "No."

Of course, the condemnation I expected didn't come. As they say, the tailor cannot mend his own rip. This is the unfortunate fate of us tourism professionals. We sell "paradise" to thousands, but it never occurs to us to eat a fruit from that paradise. (Anyway, this "drama of the tourism pro" is a deep subject; we can discuss it at length in another article.)

Persuasion Sessions

Volkan put on his "Marketing Director" hat and started his persuasion tours. He described it in such a way that you would think if I didn't play golf, one of my vital arteries would snap!

"Look Mehmet," he said, "You are already an athlete, you are strong. You love walking. Well, golf is just a quality walk on the grass, interrupted occasionally by touching a ball with a club!"

Of course, he didn't mention at that moment that the "touching with a club" part wasn't that simple. He invited me to the peace of the courses, the sound of birds, and that elite atmosphere so effectively that I said, "Okay, there is no escape this time."

Beating the Air and Molehills

And finally, that day arrived. I had one or two feeble attempts in the past, having held a club before, but this time I was ambitious. We went out on the course. I looked at that tiny ball in front of me. I said to myself, "I have lifted such heavy weights, am I not going to be able to hit you?"

First swing... Whoosh! The club, which I swung with tremendous power, served no purpose other than beating the air around the ball.

Second swing... Thud! This time I took my anger out on the soil. The ball stood where it was, but there was now a pit (divot) belonging to me on the beautiful turf of the course. I literally riddled the ground with holes.

But I persisted. At this very point, I owe a huge thank you to the instructors at Belek Golf Academy. They approached my "war with nature" so professionally, so patiently, and calmly... If it weren't for their attitude, I might have thrown the club and ran away. They made the learning phase both fun and permanent.

I was Raw, I became Cooked, I Burned...

As Rumi said; "I was raw, I became cooked, I burned."

This process developed much faster than I expected. After I stopped beating the air and digging the soil like a farm worker, I succeeded in the main goal: hitting the ball!

That sound the moment the club touches the ball (at the right spot)... That moment sent me over the moon. Of course, hitting the ball without missing is just the alphabet of the business. Making that ball go where you want is the subject of a completely different novel.

For now, I am experiencing the justified pride of "being able to hit." Whether it goes where I want it to, let's keep that between us for now.

My amateur but enthusiastic adventure on the golf courses will continue. We learned how to hold the club; let's see when we will learn to make the ball listen to us?

Stay tuned! :)