It has been a dream year for professional golfer Jeev Milkha Singh. For six years he has struggled from one tournament to another and always falling just a little short. This year, in a blitzkrieg of winning strokes, he has made up for it all and returned home for a year-end break, with four titles under his belt.

What happened? Jeev has a clear answer. “The only difference this year has been that I was not that much into result but more into routine and process. That’s helped me quite a bit.” Jeev may have stopped worrying about the results, but they now speak for themselves. His career graph which was faltering, has now shot through the roof. He has zoomed from 376th position to 37th in the Official World Golf Rankings. Also, he has picked up titles in Asia, Europe and the fiercely competitive Japanese circuit. Says Jeev: “Though it was very disappointing for me when I didn’t win for six years, it has taught me to be more patient and work harder which has finally paid off.”

But Jeev has always worked hard at everything in life. Under the watchful eye of his father, Milkha Singh, he has followed a strictly regimented routine from the time he began playing golf. “My dad was pretty strict when I was growing up and always instilled a sense of discipline in me,” says Jeev.

While other teenagers slept the morning in, Jeev would get up early in the morning and go for a jog followed by weight training. Though, like any other youngster Jeev had his share of arguments with his father, at the end of the day he knew his father was his best friend.

He was lucky in other ways too. The Chandigarh Golf Club was a stone’s throw away from his home, which was one reason Jeev became hooked to the game at the age of nine. “I was fortunate that I lived very close to the Chandigarh Golf Club so I could cycle down to the golf club everyday after school,” he says.

As Jeev began to show his talent he started playing sub-junior and junior level tournaments in India. Also, he represented the country at the Beijing Asian Games in 1990.

But what kept the game going for Jeev was a golf scholarship to study at Abilene Christian University in the US. “I was really lucky to get the scholarship,” says Jeev. After that he won the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division II individual golf championship in 1993 and that gave him the confidence to turn professional.

Though the initial years in the US were full of culture shocks he took everything in his stride. “There I had to do everything on my own. As a result I became a more responsible human being and realised that I had to do certain things in a certain time,” says Jeev. “One of the reasons that I’m here today is because of that,” he adds.

Self-discipline on and off the greens has been the mantra of Jeev’s life. The golfer is very particular about his training and practising hours and specially when it’s time to get ready for a circuit he trains eight hours a day. “I do weight training, yoga, practice putting and hitting golf balls and playing a few holes,” says the golfer.

He practices both in Delhi and Chandigarh at places like the Chandigarh Golf course and the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon. “I hate traffic so whenever I come to Delhi I usually stay in Gurgaon which is close to the airport. It just takes me ten minutes to reach there, practice and come back,” he says.

But something which has been bothering the ace golfer is the dearth of golf courses in India. He feels both the government and the corporate sector should step into the picture and build public courses, where ordinary people — especially children — can go and play.

Playing the international circuit can be gruelling and Jeev has now done it for six years. It involves constant travel and living out of a suitcase for long periods. But hopping from one destination to other has become part of Jeev’s life. “I’m quite used to it now,” he says. While on the circuit most of his day is spent on the greens practicing till evening. “At the end of the day you are so tired that you just want to go back to the hotel room and unwind,” says Jeev.

And this is when Jeev takes refuge in yoga and stretching. Though Jeev enjoys Thai and Korean food, he has Indian food at least once a week. “There is no time for sightseeing or going out because you need to practise and focus on the game,” says Jeev.

He has one addiction. In the evenings he enjoys watching movies. “What basically gets me off the game is watching movies,” confesses Jeev who’s a big Harrison Ford and Amitabh Bachchan fan. While on the move Jeev usually carries a compact DVD player which he plugs on to the television set in his hotel room.

Over the years, he has also become accustomed to the swift changes and acclimatisation that has to take place. Most importantly he has learnt how to adapt to the weather and different situations. “A professional golfer has to learn to adapt very fast because the weather is different in different places. Singapore, Malaysia would be very hot and humid but if you go to Europe it is cold, windy and raining. It’s part of the game,” says Jeev.

So how much money does Jeev get per tournament? “It varies. Everybody is talking about money but a sportsman, especially a golfer, is more worried about playing well against the big players when he is playing. Money obviously comes when you play well,” he says.

Though Jeev is tightlipped about his personal life and wedding plans he confirms that it’s all about to happen. “Yes I’ve got somebody special in my life and it (wedding) will happen in the near future.”

Quickly getting back to the game he says, “The best win of my career came with the Volvo Masters in Spain and I hope I have some good ones in the near future too.”

So in 2007 Jeev is gearing up for the major championships where he will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of world no. 1 Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson and other golfing biggies.

Says Jeev: “It is going to be a big year. I have to work harder and train harder. I’m looking forward to it and I hope I play good.”

Photograph by Jagan Negi