It was forbidden to leave the hotel or the golf course. Any movement had to be made accompanied by a military escort. You had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the clubhouse. One day we asked to go for dinner at a shopping centre next to the hotel, even with an escort, and once there they told us no, that we could only go to the supermarket and return quickly to the hotel.
Alejandro Cañizares and his caddie César Chesa recount to Ten Golf the strange and tough experience of playing golf in Pakistan.
Cañizares travelled last week to Multan, a city located just over 500 kilometres south of Islamabad, to play the ADT Rumanza Pakistan, a tournament on the Asian Development Tour, the second division of the Asian circuit. However, he barely saw Multan beyond the airport, the golf course, and what little he could distinguish through the dust-covered windows of the vans that transported them from one place to another. “Upon our arrival at the airport, a tournament transport picked us up and took us to the hotel escorted by the military. Once there, the order was clear. We could only go from the hotel to the golf course and back, nothing more,” explains Alejandro. In reality, everything is intended for protection, but it feels strange.
The hotel seemed to have been opened just for the tournament, with facilities reminiscent of 1970s Spain and a closed kitchen. The strangest thing was the dinners, as golfers usually have breakfast and lunch at the golf course. In Pakistan, for dinners, you also had to go to the clubhouse, about ten minutes from the hotel. They took you by van and brought you back. Always escorted. “You could also order food delivery, and they would bring it to the hotel, but we only did it once,” he explains. Basically, because of the look and taste, it was quite inadvisable.
It’s really like playing golf in a ghetto, under a state of siege. Both the hotel and the golf course are located in an area called Defence Housing Authority, a residential territory within the city with real estate developments managed by the army, where mobility is protected and controlled. Initially, these areas were created to house retired military personnel in the 1970s, but now most of the properties are owned by civilians, while a portion of the total is allocated to armed forces officers, families of martyrs, and other government employees.
“I didn’t see anything of the city or the country, I can’t say much, to be honest. We couldn’t even go out to buy fruit. Between not being understood and not being allowed, there was no way. The impression I got, though, is that there are very poor people, many sand streets and roads, families living in tents, and a strong presence of religion. Every day at half-past five in the morning, you were woken up by the call to prayer from the mosques, it’s not that they don’t serve you a gin and tonic, it’s that the waiter didn’t even know what it was, and women are somewhat marginalised. They offered us a kind of gala dinner before the tournament, and the few women there were at a table and didn’t get up with us to get food from the buffet, instead, it was brought to their table,” explains Cañi.
The food is very different and can be a problem. In fact, it was for Cañi and his caddie. “Even the napkins are spicy,” says César, a retiree living between the Val d’Aran and Cambrils, who decided to lend a hand last year to Emilio Cuartero and through this relationship became good friends with Cañi. He already accompanied him at the Asian Tour school and has now repeated in Pakistan. “I wouldn’t say I’m his caddie because that seems very serious to me. I would consider myself an intruder. I simply carry the bag and accompany him. Life is short, and I like to live different experiences. Fortunately, my family situation allows it, so as long as Cañi is okay with it, I’m happy to go with him,” he notes.
As we say, the food took its toll. In fact, before going out to play the last round, Alejandro had to go to a pharmacy to try to sort out a tremendous gastric upset. He played as best he could. If the tournament had been in Spain, he probably would have withdrawn. “I couldn’t handle the clubs, I was dizzy, it was very hot, I finished as best I could,” he explains. And so his scorecard reflected. He shot 71, 71, 72, and 79 in the final round. He went from being on the verge of the top 10, even slightly better, to finishing in 28th place.
Regarding the organisation of the circuit and the golf course, few complaints. “It’s a great course,” assures Cañi. “Designed by Nick Faldo, wide, with very good maintenance and more than decent greens. The truth is the course was very good. The only strange thing was when you missed the fairways by a lot, it was full of small sand mounds, and it was very easy for it to become unplayable. That was a bit strange, but otherwise, few complaints,” he assures. As for his golf, he still doesn’t feel comfortable with the driver from the tee, and that ends up affecting the rest of his game, but he feels he’s on the right track, he’s eager to train and improve, and he’s willing to put in the effort. He has recently started working again with sports psychologist Ricardo de la Vega, and the feelings are getting better and better.
In principle, the Asian Development Tour has about 20 events planned for the entire season. Cañizares wants to play the full circuit. It’s his investment to earn the Asian Tour card (top 10 in the final ranking). The next event is in Vietnam in mid-March. He doesn’t qualify by category, but he has requested an invitation and is waiting for it to be granted. If so, another adventure, although surely that won’t be a state of siege.
