Have you always firmly believed that golf is a game for the super-rich? Take a look at this 11-year-old double world junior champion, who, every day after school, takes the local bus to Delhi Golf Club, where he puts his head down and practises for hours. He’s accompanied to the course by his father, who acts as his caddy because the youngster can’t afford to hire one. The family lives not too far away in a tiny 225sqft room in Dhobhi Basti near the city’s Ashram area.

The young ace golfer is Shubham Jaglan, who etched his name in India’s sporting history recently by clinching the coveted IJGA World Stars of Junior Golf in Las Vegas and the prestigious IMG Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego just a month ago. Unsurprisingly, Shubham is ranked No.1 in the country in the 9-10 age category. It sounds almost unbelievable but Shubham has accumulated over 100 titles in his achievement-filled four-year career.

“I took part in the US golf tournaments last year as well and finished in the top 10; so I understand the courses pretty well,” says Shubham, looking up for a minute, as he tries to take a shot in a ploughed field in Israna village, his birthplace near Panipat, Haryana. When he takes a swing the young boys who cluster round him clap happily.

From Israna to the US, this young prodigy has made huge strides in the world of golf and has made everyone sit up and take notice.

“I remember struggling to get a US visa for both Shubham and his father since their requests got rejected twice in a row,” reminisces Asian Games gold medallist Amit Luthra, who runs The Golf Foundation that sponsors the young lad. He adds: “The family doesn’t have any assets and the parents are illiterate. Everybody said that the father wouldn’t come back, but, finally, after much convincing, the authorities relented and issued both of them 10-year multiple-entry visas.” 
 

Shubham’s kit is now sponsored by Ping, an American manufacturer of golf equipment based in Phoenix, Arizona, while his other gear, including shoes, gloves and balls, are taken care of by Callaway. “He was recently flown to Phoenix by the company so that it could customise the kit for him,” says Jagpal Jaglan, his father, who used to sell milk door to door before giving up his livelihood to help his child follow his passion.

Shubham’s victories have not only made him famous but also won many hearts. “After his recent win, a golf enthusiast whom Shubham knows gifted him an iPhone and an iPad,” says Jagpal. “He was very happy but didn’t think twice before giving it to his daji (grandfather) so that he could Facetime with him while he’s abroad.”

After all, daji played an important part in Shubham’s golfing story. He was the one who took the young boy to the newly-launched golf academy in the village five years ago.

“Unfortunately, the academy shut down very quickly,” recalls Jagpal. But Shubham’s luck held. “Surprisingly, the caddy who used to work there dropped his golfing equipment at our home and asked me to continue Shubham’s training since he felt he was really talented,” adds Jagpal.
 

Despite the setback, Shubham kept practising at a field in the village. And Jagpal would take him to the Madhuban Golf Course in Karnal once a week so that he could get the feel of a proper golf course. His luck held once again when he was spotted by India’s former top golfer Nonita Lall Qureshi, his current coach, who was awestruck by the youngster.

“It’s very surprising to see such talent produced in his environment,” says Qureshi, who has trained Shubham for three years. “He has an amazing ball-striking ability. At that point, most of what he knew was self-taught through YouTube videos and, frankly, it didn’t take much time to teach him most of the things.”

She adds: “He has developed a good swing and his hand-eye co-ordination is superb. Of course, nobody can predict his future since he’s very young.” The plan, according to Qureshi, is that once Shubham finishes school, he will be packed off to the US. “We plan to put him in a US college to give him good exposure,” says Qureshi who has coached youngsters for almost two decades.

“I remember a time when he kept trying to hit a target while practising a shot and it would miss just by a few inches,” recalls Qureshi. “I tried to encourage him by saying ‘good shot’ each time. He finally turned around in disbelief and asked if it was really a good shot since it wasn’t hitting the mark! He seeks perfection, which is a good thing.”

“Sometimes I would keep a target on the ground and ask him to hit it as many times as possible and I would give him some money as a reward for every hit,” recalls Jagpal. “Then there are times when I borrow money from him for household expenses and he feels really proud.”

Luckily, Shubham finally got backing from Luthra’s The Golf Foundation that has taken him under its wing. “The one thing that has impressed me most about him is his positive attitude. The boy has the capability to excel under pressure even at this age and is really talented,” says Luthra.

Luthra’s foundation spends around Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh annually on Shubham and that includes travelling, training and accommodation, among other things. “We also got him free entry at the Delhi Golf Club so he can practise whenever he wants. Apart from this, we’ve given him a Honda Brio and release monthly emoluments to the family since we’ve asked them to move to Delhi,” Luthra adds.
 

Today, the young champ from a Haryana village meets film actors, spends almost three months abroad playing tournaments, and is treated like a star everywhere he goes. But all this is the result of a long journey fraught with struggle, sleepless nights and sometimes nights without meals.

“Before meeting Amit sir (Luthra), we both used to have one samosa and a cold drink during tournaments since we didn’t have enough money to spend on eating,” recalls Jagpal.

In fact, moving to Delhi was tough for the Jaglans as Jagpal had to quit his job and Shubham had to find a new school. “After weighing the pros and cons I decided to fold up my business while Shubham left his school and, in 2011, we came to Delhi.”

“He used to call me all the time when he moved to Delhi,” recalls Shubham’s mother, Anjana. “So I used to tell him to write ‘Ma’ on a piece of paper whenever he missed me just to keep him focused,” she says. “Look, he still scribbles Ma on all his golf balls,” says his father proudly as he takes a clutch of golf balls out of Shubham’s kit.

Once they had shifted to Delhi, the Jaglans faced other problems. “I couldn’t cook and Shubham wouldn’t eat. After a year I decided to call my wife,” says Jagpal.

There were also days when the parents cut back on meals so they could buy fruits for Shubham. And there was one greater problem that kept the parents, especially, Anjana, on the edge. “We had been in Delhi eight months and he still hadn’t got into a school,” says Anjana.

“He comes from a family that has produced national-level wrestlers, but I didn’t want him to follow in their footsteps,” she says, adding: “I wanted him to finish his studies and speak well, unlike the others who can’t speak a single word in either Hindi or English.”

It was almost a year before Shu-bham got a place at Laxman Public School for free. He plays around 35 tournaments annually, including about eight overseas events, and tries to maintain a fine balance between golf and academics. “His school grants him leave during tournaments,” says Anjana.
 

And yes, the young kid is aware of the hardships his parents have had to endure. “I know what my parents went through,” says Shubham in a matter of fact tone. “I was with them all the time. But I try not to think too much. Stress is bad, both in life and sport,” says Shubham with a maturity beyond his years.

Shubham, on his part, leaves no stone unturned in order to realise his dreams. “Golf requires both mental and physical strength, so I make it a point to remain fit,” he says. “I do reverse push-ups, core strengthening exercises, groin area stretches and Surya Namaskars every day,” 

he adds, sounding like a much older person.

“Sometimes I go to my physical trainer in Chandigarh who teaches me flexibility exercises,” says the young golfer demonstrating a tricky position called the downward facing dog. “Earlier, it hurt, but I have got the hang of it.”

He sounds like a thoroughly mature professional one moment and then like a 11-year-old the next. So does he like to explore the places he travels to abroad? “No, I go abroad only to do what I am supposed to. Everything else can wait,” says Shubham, who then decides it’s time to rush off and play with his friends.

It’s said that some people only dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it. Perhaps, Shubham has understood that at a very early age.