GOLF IN CYPRUS The history of golf is not known clearly but we have some information about it. In the 1400s, golf was first seen in Holland, where people played it on frozen canals. Golf was also played in China, Belgium and France. In the course of time, it spread over to Scotland. The Scottish internalized that game like a national sport. Early on this sport had minor competitions and the first golf tournament was held in Dublin, Ireland. In 1895, the British ambassador was permitted by the Ottoman Emperor to start playing golf in Turkey. However, even though golf is very popular all over the world, Turkish people are still not very interested in that sport. This is a pity, as there are many top notch golf courses in Turkey. Golf can be played by people of all ages and genders. This competition is not between people who are competitors; rather it is each individual player against the course. It can be played not only as an individual but also with teams which can consist of two, three or four people in a group. There is a system known as ‘handicapping’ which means players of different abilities can play competitively together. There are several reasons why METU NCC students should learn to play golf. First of all, students can have cross-cultural experiences. When you go to the golf course in order to practice, you can meet foreigners because most of the golf players in the TRNC are British, Canadian, Chinese or American. Therefore, you can learn some information about their culture, traditions, etc. Moreover, you can practice speaking. That’s a good advantage for students, especially those in the preparatory school. The final reason is that METU graduates gain some advantages in knowing how to play golf. After graduating, they can build better relationships with people who work in multinational companies,
because golf is generally seen as a way for colleagues or their business partners to get to know each other. Moreover, when feeling tired, they can just go to the golf course and hit a few balls to relax and unwind.
Cengiz Topel Hastanesi
CMC Club House
To sum up, if you are a METU student and you want to play or learn golf, you have some great opportunities that most university students don’t have. There are two golf courses in Cyprus. One of these is the Cyprus Mediterranean Coast Golf Club (CMC) which is oldest golf course in Cyprus, having been established by the Cyprus Mining Corporation in the 1930s for its employees. It is only 20 minutes away from our campus, next to the Cengiz Topel Hastanesi. You can practice there easily because it is not too crowded, except on Sunday mornings when there are weekly competitions. There are golf lessons available at reasonable prices, so it’s a very good chance to learn how to play golf. Also, there are second-hand clubs, so you don’t need to buy any equipment. Furthermore, if members of the public want to join the CMC golf club, they must normally pay a nonrefundable fee of 600 TL. However, for METU students, there is no joining fee. So what are you waiting for? Contact the Captain of the CMC Golf Club, Hasan Garabli, if you are interested in taking lessons: captain.cmcgolfclub@gmail.com
Steve Neufeld, İpek İrem Köse and Levent Doğan from Preparatory School Middle East Technical University