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← GALLERY

ONGOING

The Swing.

The ball does not care how I feel, which is most of why I keep hitting it.

Golf is the same honesty as the mat in a quieter medium. Nobody else touches the ball. I stand over it and either commit to the shot or steer it, and the flight says which.

Some of this is a range at night under floodlights, a bucket and a driver. More of it is out on the course: a grey morning on a tree-lined tee, a hillside in October sun, a valley under weather, a June evening with the light going. Same swing, same question.

Param in a black hoodie and khaki trousers at the top of his backswing on a tee box, a frosty fairway curving away between pine trees
Top of the backswing on a grey tee.
EXHIBIT A — ADDRESS, STRIKE, BALL FLIGHT.
Param on the downswing with the club coming into the ball on a tee box mat
Coming down into the ball.
Param from behind in a high finish, club over his shoulder and his back heel up, looking down the fairway
Finish held, watching it go.
Param in a navy quarter-zip and khaki trousers, hair tied back, halfway into his backswing on a tee mat in bright sun, a wooded hillside and a flag on the green behind him
October. A hillside tee in full sun, the club halfway back.
Param from behind in a white jacket and khaki trousers, club high over his shoulder after a swing, the ball still sitting on the fairway beside him under a grey sky
September. A practice swing. The ball has not moved.
EXHIBIT B — ADDRESS, DRIVE, THE WALK BACK. July, a tee with the woods behind it.
A golf course falling away into a wooded valley under a heavy grey sky, a green in the middle distance and long grass and wildflowers in the foreground
August. The course drops into the valley under a low sky.
Three golfers seen from behind walking down a fairway towards a distant green, one carrying a bag over his shoulder, trees on the left and grey cloud overhead
Same round. Three bags walking to the green, the rain holding off.
A wide spring fairway in sunshine with bare trees casting long shadows across the grass, a golfer mid-swing on the right and a trolley bag in the left foreground
March. Bare trees, long shadows, a warm day on the fairway.
Param from behind in a navy polo and black shorts holding his finish on a tee, a long tree-lined fairway running away under a blue sky
June. Holding the finish on a long tree-lined fairway.
EXHIBIT C — ADDRESS, SWING, OFF THE TEE. A June evening, the sun low behind the trees.
Param in a red puffer jacket and beanie at address with a driver on a floodlit range mat, a bag of irons in the foreground
Floodlit range, driver behind the ball.
EXHIBIT D — FLOODLIT RANGE, DRIVER, ONE SWING.
Param at the top of his backswing under the floodlights, scarf pulled up over his chin, the ball still on the tee peg in front of him
Top of the swing under the lights.
Param from behind in a full finish with the driver over his shoulder, the floodlit range stretching out into the dark
Finish, the ball already out in the dark.
EXHIBIT E — ADDRESS, STRIKE, WATCH IT OUT.
Param standing on the range mat in a red puffer jacket, beanie and scarf, holding a driver and looking off to the side
Minus one degree, according to the phone.