Coming from nowhere, rank amateur proves he's up to par on the golf links
April 30, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TWENTY-NINE-YEAR Wang Yongqiang held the putter firmly, adjusted his body position to make it parallel to the target line. With an intense look of concentration, he gently hit the ball into the hole.
It's hard to imagine that Wang, a professional golf coach, was once a cleaner. His story is an interesting one of talent uncovered.
Coming from nowhere, Wang took only three years to obtain a certificate as a golf coach, thanks to a natural talent for the sport and his determination to succeed. Wang began working as a cleaner of the Qizhong Golf Club in Minhang in 2002, after graduating from a technical school in Henan Province. When living in Henan, Wang said he had no particular ambition in life and moving to Shanghai was simply an opportunity to improve his prospects in a bustling big city.
So he spruced up fairways, picked up stray balls, cleaned balls. And for his labors he earned 500 yuan (US$74) a month, the lowest of the club's pay scales.
"I have never heard much about the sport of golf at that time," Wang recalled.
But his work put him in proximity of the game and opportunities emerged.
Because golf wasn't as big then as it is now, the club offered an incentive to its staff: Those who did their jobs well were allowed to play golf free on their time off.
Wang worked very hard and racked up a lot of time on the course. Since he had no training, he simply watched other golfers and read newspapers and magazines about the sport.
"I simply got addicted to the game, which has now become part of my life," Wang said.
As interest in golf picked up, the club found it was short of coaches. It hired a coach from South Korea to train its staff. Wang was among the lucky students.
The game of golf tends to look easy to the uninitiated, but it's really a tough sport and success never comes easily.
Wang said he couldn't even hit the ball at first and had to work extremely hard to improve his skills. He spent 14 to 15 hours a day at the club, learning how to play golf after his eight-hour shift ended. To improve his physical fitness, he ran 10 kilometers every day, accompanied by rigorous exercises like sit-ups and chin-ups.
In 2004, he participated in the Shanghai golf tournament for amateurs, but didn't perform well. The poor showing steeled his determination to work even harder at the game.
The managers of the club were impressed by Wang's flair and efforts, so they finally agreed that he could quit his cleaning job and devote all his time to practice. They recommended he try competing in nationwide competitions to improve his nerves.
Wang's wife, who works in the catering industry, spared no effort in supporting him. Her income, around 1,000 yuan a month, kept the household afloat while he practiced and entered tournaments. Accommodation, transportation and meals for an out-of-town competition could cost up to 7,000 yuan. Those were hard times for a household that really had no savings to speak of.
"The support from my wife was my greatest impetus." Wang said. "No matter how tired and frustrated I became, I was determined not to give up."
Surmounting plateaus in his game proved the most difficult. Wang said he would lie awake at night thinking about how he could improve his skills and even dreamed about golf.
"I told myself that I couldn't give up," he said.
His grit paid off.
He received his certificate of a professional golf coach in 2005, and grabbed the championship of the Tianma lag of the Shanghai golf tournament as a professional golf player last year.
His success changed his personality. The former reticent cleaner became an extrovert.
"I was shy when I came to Shanghai, but as a coach, I must communicate with confidence to people," he said, with an engaging smile that must help in that effort.
Wang remains busy. He plays golf every day and spends the rest of his time teaching others the game. As his reputation spread, more and more wannabe golfers search him out as a coach.
"I feel happy because the job makes me healthy, and more importantly, I am making much more money than before," Wang said.
Indeed, though they had no deposit, the couple was able to purchase an apartment last year in the Zhuanqiao area in Minhang, thanks to Wang's increased income.
Wang is currently preparing for the national golf tournament to be held in Shanghai in September. He is among the four players selected by the Shanghai Golf Association to participate in that event. But Wang has his sights set even higher. "Golf will officially become a game in the 2016 Olympics," he said. "Now wouldn't that be a goal to strive for?"
It's hard to imagine that Wang, a professional golf coach, was once a cleaner. His story is an interesting one of talent uncovered.
Coming from nowhere, Wang took only three years to obtain a certificate as a golf coach, thanks to a natural talent for the sport and his determination to succeed. Wang began working as a cleaner of the Qizhong Golf Club in Minhang in 2002, after graduating from a technical school in Henan Province. When living in Henan, Wang said he had no particular ambition in life and moving to Shanghai was simply an opportunity to improve his prospects in a bustling big city.
So he spruced up fairways, picked up stray balls, cleaned balls. And for his labors he earned 500 yuan (US$74) a month, the lowest of the club's pay scales.
"I have never heard much about the sport of golf at that time," Wang recalled.
But his work put him in proximity of the game and opportunities emerged.
Because golf wasn't as big then as it is now, the club offered an incentive to its staff: Those who did their jobs well were allowed to play golf free on their time off.
Wang worked very hard and racked up a lot of time on the course. Since he had no training, he simply watched other golfers and read newspapers and magazines about the sport.
"I simply got addicted to the game, which has now become part of my life," Wang said.
As interest in golf picked up, the club found it was short of coaches. It hired a coach from South Korea to train its staff. Wang was among the lucky students.
The game of golf tends to look easy to the uninitiated, but it's really a tough sport and success never comes easily.
Wang said he couldn't even hit the ball at first and had to work extremely hard to improve his skills. He spent 14 to 15 hours a day at the club, learning how to play golf after his eight-hour shift ended. To improve his physical fitness, he ran 10 kilometers every day, accompanied by rigorous exercises like sit-ups and chin-ups.
In 2004, he participated in the Shanghai golf tournament for amateurs, but didn't perform well. The poor showing steeled his determination to work even harder at the game.
The managers of the club were impressed by Wang's flair and efforts, so they finally agreed that he could quit his cleaning job and devote all his time to practice. They recommended he try competing in nationwide competitions to improve his nerves.
Wang's wife, who works in the catering industry, spared no effort in supporting him. Her income, around 1,000 yuan a month, kept the household afloat while he practiced and entered tournaments. Accommodation, transportation and meals for an out-of-town competition could cost up to 7,000 yuan. Those were hard times for a household that really had no savings to speak of.
"The support from my wife was my greatest impetus." Wang said. "No matter how tired and frustrated I became, I was determined not to give up."
Surmounting plateaus in his game proved the most difficult. Wang said he would lie awake at night thinking about how he could improve his skills and even dreamed about golf.
"I told myself that I couldn't give up," he said.
His grit paid off.
He received his certificate of a professional golf coach in 2005, and grabbed the championship of the Tianma lag of the Shanghai golf tournament as a professional golf player last year.
His success changed his personality. The former reticent cleaner became an extrovert.
"I was shy when I came to Shanghai, but as a coach, I must communicate with confidence to people," he said, with an engaging smile that must help in that effort.
Wang remains busy. He plays golf every day and spends the rest of his time teaching others the game. As his reputation spread, more and more wannabe golfers search him out as a coach.
"I feel happy because the job makes me healthy, and more importantly, I am making much more money than before," Wang said.
Indeed, though they had no deposit, the couple was able to purchase an apartment last year in the Zhuanqiao area in Minhang, thanks to Wang's increased income.
Wang is currently preparing for the national golf tournament to be held in Shanghai in September. He is among the four players selected by the Shanghai Golf Association to participate in that event. But Wang has his sights set even higher. "Golf will officially become a game in the 2016 Olympics," he said. "Now wouldn't that be a goal to strive for?"
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