Diksha Dagar takes the quiet fairway in quest of sporting dream
Diksha Dagar is the only Indian golfer (U-18) to be ranked in the top 500 at global level.
The young girl aspiring to savour the freedom of a sporting field would have struggled taking up most sports due to a hearing impairment.
However, golf is providing the healing touch for Diksha Dagar, a Class 10 student based in Delhi, and helping her climb the initial steps of achievement in the game.
Diksha Dagar, 15, has been using a hearing aid since she was six, but accompanying her father, Col Narinder Dagar, to the course helped soak in the peaceful environs of the course. Seeing it transform his daughter’s outlook, he helped her pursue to game. “Overall, she has become more active,” he says.
The teenager may not respond to a question promptly, though she does makes her point with clarity. But her ability to take decisions swiftly on the course, and her skill, has enabled her to stand tall among others, becoming the No 1 ranked junior in the country in the amateur ranks.
Of the eight tournaments she has participated at domestic level, she has won four and finished runner-up in two.
She has also taken part in four international meets, including the World Ladies Amateur Golf Championship.
Her achievements this year helped earn a place in the national team for the Usha All India Amateur Golf Championship, which turns 100. She is the only Indian golfer (U-18) to be ranked in the top 500 at global level.
Confidence is her forte, and she is determined to top the field. “I am keen to exhibit my skills in the event,” she says.
The competition gets under way at the Delhi Golf Club on Monday and Diksha is hoping that she can play a part on the narrow fairways of the Delhi Golf Club to win the individual and team honours.
Col Dagar was passionate in sports and wanted his daughter to pursue some physical activity, but forced into use the hearing aid as a young girl, golf was a perfect choice.
With father as her guiding force, Diksha has already logged seven years of playing experience. Women golfers are happy to turn professional even in their teens, and she has a great example of Aditi Ashok’s rapid rise.
However, Col Dagar wants her to taste success at amateur level first. “Our aim is a podium finish in the 2018 Asian Games. Then we will think of the next move,” the Army officer says.
