If you are a fan of golf then you probably would have heard of Deepak Acharya.
Acharya, a leading Nepali professional golfer, has been living the dream as well as carrying the name of the nation for a while now. He has represented the country in many major golf events and now is a Senior Golf Director at Gokarna Resort Forest.
With the two-day Ang Tshiring Sherpa Memorial Golf Tournament scheduled to be held on March 6 and 7 at the Gokarna Forest Golf Course, Acharya explains how the tournament will be held!
He says, “The tournament that is taking place is in the loving memory of late Ang Tshiring Sherpa, the Managing Director of Yeti Group of Companies and a tourism entrepreneur. Sherpa was a keen golfer and the people who knew him would know how passionate he was about the sport.”
Recalling the time he first met Sherpa, Acharya says, “I met him back in 1992 when I was a young boy. He came to Royal Nepal Golf Club as my father used to be the manager there and I was a club member. Around that time I was already a national champion. So when I met him he asked me to teach him as he was only a beginner. He surely was learning from other pros as well but somehow we found a kind of connection through golf. And since then we played together for a long time.”
“I had to explain this because when Sherpa came to the golf course, he came with a vibe that showed how much he loved the sport and how willing he was to help people in the field, especially people with a humble background. He was keen on helping young players and supporting people whom he thought needed it. He always found a way to help others, whether financially or by pushing people in the right direction. It was not just golfers he helped, now I get to know that he has helped swimmers, tennis players or even in snooker. He somehow knew about when to help someone and who needs help.”
While speaking about the tournament, he explains, “We thought carefully about how to best remember him. There are two things Sherpa was passionate about, at least for over 20 years – tourism and golf. So, we thought the best way to remember him and his work was through a golf tournament. We will be having this tournament annually. The registration fee will be going to a charity. Not only will we be paying tribute to Sherpa but we also would be helping people in his name.”
And when asked how the tournament will take place, Acharya said, “It is an open-amateur tournament, so anyone can participate. But everyone has been so supportive about it. Sherpa’s friends have come up to me and asked how they could help. Regarding the tournament itself, on Friday and Saturday, 76 to 80 golfers will play at once and will tee-off within 10 minutes. The registration will start from 7 to 8 in the morning and there will be a briefing followed by a moment of silence in honour of Sherpa. Then the shotgun will start by 8:15!”
He then went on to explain how players will only play 18 holes on March 5 and 6!
Meanwhile, when talking to a couple of friends who were really close to Sherpa and used to frequently play golf with him about the tournament, they all seemed to be very happy about how there is going to be an event that will not only honour him but his work as well.
Bhai Raja Pandey said, “Sherpa’s passion for golf can never be doubted and this tournament is important to remember him for the person he was. He was also an amazing human being and I still admire the knack he had for recognising talent. And when he met a person he trusted, he would go out of his way to help them.”
Smiling, he added, “He had no filter when it came to saying what he wanted to, but he made such an impression that you could never forget. It is very rare to find a person in our country who has his drive and vision.”
“His nature of taking risks was for me the sign of a leader. He knew what he wanted and was not scared of taking the lead. And as he went along he made his own rules and maybe that is why he was able to achieve so much.”
“When it comes to Sherpa, I almost felt like he had a third eye,” says another friend, Purna Shakya. “He could see things in a way no one else could. He was full of surprises! For a man who had the wealth that he had, he was so down to earth and easy to talk to. He did use rough language but was soft at heart.”
“My fondest memory of Sherpa is of the time when we were once playing golf. I made a hole in one. And if you all know what it means, then you will understand how important it is. So what happens is, when someone gets a hole in one, the other player has to sign a card as a witness. So Sherpa had to sign my card. And when he did he wrote ‘A great hole in one’. That day will always remain memorable for me and in fact, I have still preserved that card.”
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