Nadaraja Thangaraja

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Fitness & Sports is proud to put the spotlight on Nadaraja Thangaraja who recently won the 2017 Royal Colombo Golf Club Open Championship. Raja as he is fondly known ventured into golf as a caddy at the former golf course at Water’s Edge. He took to playing golf at the late age of 27 and has accomplished much since. Here is his story…

Fitness & Sports: Describe your journey in golf and how it has changed your life?

Nadaraja Thangaraja: I was a caddy at the former golf course at Water’s Edge when Mr. Sumal Perera the Chairman of the Access Group and his wife Mrs. Shyama Perera encouraged me to take up playing golf. They gave me access to play on the Water’s Edge golf course and sponsored my expenses. I am very grateful for their support that helped me come up in this sport. I had no coach, I learnt from observing others play and practicing what I saw, as well as experimenting on my own. When the golf course at Water’s Edge closed down I moved to the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC). This was convenient for me as I lived near the course. I have played as an amateur in the Sri Lanka Golf Team for 4 years and this is my 5th year as a golf professional. I have won 4 amateur tournaments while playing in the national team. I won the 2011 Sri Lanka Amateur Championship held in the Victoria Golf Course in Kandy and in 2012 I won the same tournament that was held in Colombo at the Royal Colombo Golf Course. In 2012, I also won the Pakistan Amateur Golf Championship held in Lahore and also the NCR Cup held in Delhi. I became the Runner Up in the Thailand Championship in 2011 and the Runner Up in the Singapore Golf Championship in 2012. In 2013 I turned professional and I won the Professional Golf Tour of India Players Championship in India that same year. In 2015 I won the Sri Lanka Open Golf Championship. This year I won the 2017 Royal Colombo Golf Club Open Championship. In the Indian Pro Circuit I am ranked 20 and in the Asian Tour I was ranked 71 last year.

F&S: What are the fitness and mental requirements for golf?

NT : When I was in the Sri Lanka Golf team I met the fitness and mental wellbeing coach, Mr. Jagath Caldera and my eyes opened to the importance of fitness and mental awareness for the sport of golf. Mr. Jagath got me into a fitness routine and I saw how my game improved. Golf has not been seen as a sport that required much fitness but this preconceived notion has changed dramatically over the recent years due to the top international players like Tiger Woods whose exceptional fitness and mental focus dominated the sport. The mental aspects of golf are visualization, course planning and an overall sense of focus. Fitness improves one’s mental ability. The mental and fitness components are both very essential to be successful in golf. This is what makes this sport so unique.

F&S: Give a description of your fitness routine & diet?

NT: A round of golf takes 4 hours. Practicing techniques takes 1 hour. And my gym sessions at Mr. Jagath’s gym is 2 hours.

I control my diet by observing what I eat. I cut down on rice especially at night. I tend to eat more fruit. My protein intake comes primarily from chicken and fish. Breakfast is usually manioc, and sweet potato which is prepared lovingly by my wife Achini.

Playing golf competitively requires a very high level of fitness. My fitness sessions were key to my improved performance in the sport. My gym workout is as follows;

Cardio (10 minutes)

• On the spot running
• Skipping
• Jumping

Ab Training

• Lying down single leg raises (20 reps per leg, 3 sets)
• Lying down both leg raises to 45 degrees (20 reps, 3 sets)
• Lying down toes touch (20 reps, 3 sets)

Strength Training

• Dumbbell squat and press (20 reps, 3 sets)
• Dumbbell front raises (15 reps, 3 sets)
• Standing Knee raises (30 reps, 3 sets)
• Dumbbell rotator cuffs (10 reps, 3 sets)
• Dumbbell side bends (30 reps, 3 sets)
• Standing pole twists (100 reps, 3 sets)
• Bent over pole twists (15 reps, 2 sets)
• Pole side bends (50 reps, 3 sets)

F&S: Who do you wish to appreciate that have helped you get this far in your golf career?

NT : I wish to thank the Access Group for sponsoring me by looking after my expenses that I incur as a proffessional. The Access Chairman Mr. Sumal Perera and his wife Mrs. Shyama Perera first got me into the sport and continue to encourage me. Mr. Premadasa who runs the golf shop at the RCGC gave me free equipment for which I am very grateful for. The Sri Lanka Golf Union, Mr. Jagath Caldera (my fitness and mental well-being coach), Mr. Ana Punchihewa (Past President Sri Lanka Golf Union), Mr. Dilhan Abhayaratne (Honory Treasurer for the Sri Lanka Golf Union), the Royal Colombo Golf Club and all its members, my friends and neighbours who encourage me, my mother for her encouragement and my dear loving wife Achini for all she does to help me in my career.

F&S: What are your goals in the sport and how do you plan to achieve them?

NT : My short term goal is to win a medal at the 2018 Asian Games. I want to perform well at the 2020 Olympics. My ultimate goal is to get into the European Golf Tour and the Professional Golf American Tour (PGA).

I believe that my fitness and mental focus will be key to helping me achieve my goals. I found that when I missed my gym sessions my game dropped and when I resumed my training with my trainer Mr. Jagath my game improved vastly. Working out put me in a very good frame of mind and let me develop in the mental areas of my game.

Fitness/Physical Training, Visualization, Course Management along with working on my techniques will be key to my preparation for the future.