Tuesday 24 November 2015 17:58, UK
In our latest edition of Why I Love Golf, former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain tells us about his experiences on the course, and how he came out of "retirement" to play at Woburn ...
What is your earliest memory of playing golf?
I didn't ever play till I was about 19, 20, and then when I got into the Essex side we used to play in loads of benefit games. I remember playing with the Essex lads, teeing it up, giving it a whack, having a bit of a laugh, and not really worrying about how you did. I was actually probably a slightly better golfer when I started to where I am now. I used to keep it so simple, and I look back at those days now and realise they were good days and they have now definitely gone.
How long did it take you till you were hooked?
It's that first moment you hit a good shot. It took me a long time, but it's when you hit that one, really good shot, and you get that feeling that really good golfers must get. You walk up with the ball near to the hole, with a swagger and a putter in your hand, rather than hacking it all the way. That's the way it is sometimes, you can play 90 plus bad shots, but you go back because of that one great shot.
How often do you play?
I've retired. It's a terrible, annoying game. Well, I tried to retire but then Sky rang me up and said 'do you want to play in the Pro Am at Woburn?' I thought why not, let's give it a go but then I turned up and there are stands packed out, and I'm playing with Darren Clarke, the Ryder Cup captain. There are people watching and the voice on the PA says 'on the tee, Nasser Hussain!'. Clarke has just nailed his shot 300 yards and I duffed it. I don't think it passed the ladies tee, and you can imagine what Clarke shouted at me.
What do your Sky colleagues think of you on the golf course?
They think I'm a bit of a cheat on the golf course, which is a little bit harsh. I am only good as my partner I'm playing with. I need a steady golfer with me. If it is someone a bit volatile, or a bit all over the place, that is no good, because that's what I'm like. I need a calming influence. On tour, like this winter in South Africa, I will probably take my clubs and play against some of the production team. You see them under real pressure then, and they often choke. So I give them a bit of stick.
Which golfer do you admire the most?
Seve Ballesteros got me hooked on golf. Growing up, I loved everything about Seve. Watching the way he played in Ryder Cups, his never say die attitude to the game. And a real character. I absolutely loved him.
Do you have a favourite golf course?
I have been a bit spoilt. I have been lucky enough to play in a couple of the Dunhill Links Pro Ams. To play at St Andrews, was brilliant. It was a great thrill. Don't worry about the rough or the bunkers there - if I'm finding the rough or bunkers, at least I know where my ball is. Also playing the road hole there, with all the history and the memories of that place. I played it with Colin Montgomerie and Jamie Donaldson before he was winning-putt-holder of the Ryder Cup. It was my first Pro Am up there and we came third or fourth I think. I had the bug for golf back then, I was playing ok, and it doesn't get much better than that, playing St Andrews with Monty. A dream come true.
Do you suffer from first-tee nerves?
Definitely. With cricket, you're in control, you know what you're doing. With golf, half the time you're just pinging it around hoping for the best. And if people are watching you, thinking he must be good because he is a cricketer and have decent hand-eye co-ordination, but I get on there with my little three-iron off the tee, it is really daunting. It's fine for Ian Botham who pings it 300 yards, or Ian Ward, Ricky Ponting - they all play - but the silence when you're over the ball and the embarrassment when you've duffed it is tough.
What is your biggest achievement ever in golf?
No-one will believe me, but Beefy once invited me to his course - which is where England go now for training - in a place called Desert Springs in Spain. One evening I went and played a few holes of golf on my own and on the 16th there - a par three - I holed my five iron off the tee, hole in one. But no-one apart from me witnessed it. I was looking around the green to find my ball, and incredibly it was in the hole.
Who would be your dream playing partners in a fourball?
Seve. I would have loved to have played golf with him. Can I pick non-golfers as well? Nelson Mandela… And I'll pick another golfer, Tiger Woods, when he was at his absolute best. In his pomp.
