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Golf as a passionPEOPLE AND EVENTS Marco Hofer, a professional golfer and instructor, was born in Novara (a city in northwestern Italy) in 1983. He has been playing golf professionally for over fifteen years and trains both beginners in the golf world, as well as experienced players, as well as %u00abhigh-level%u00bb players. In particular, he was a mentor for an athlete who participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.Marco works and teaches at the Cavagli%u00e0 Golf Club, located in a picturesque area near the province of Biella, in the Piedmont region. Octopus magazine interviewed Marko, and is pleased to share with you, dear readers, the secrets of this fascinating game.Dear Marco, did you practice any other sport before golf? If so, how?As I always say, I was lucky enough to play many sports as a child, both individual and team sports. I consider myself a %u00abson of art%u00bb, my father won a silver medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics in water skiing in the jumping category. So sports have always been present in my house, as well as bread.I have been playing tennis for a long time, taking part in many competitions and, for a short time, in volleyball. But above all, as for many Italian children, football was my main sporting passion. I played for the football team of my city for several years. Those were wonderful years that I spent with my friends.Also, since there were always skis in the house, I went skiing in the mountains in winter, and one summer my grandfather had the patience to take me and my brother on a water ski trip to Lake Maggiore, which is located near my city.When and why did you start playing golf?I got to know the world of golf in 1996, when I was thirteen years old. Many of my parents%u2019 friends played golf and had a hard time convincing my father to try it. Soon we started studying with him together. Playing golf was not one of my favorite sports back then, but I regularly attended training sessions.What were the biggest difficulties you faced at the beginning?There were various difficulties, but the main one was the ability to maintain concentration throughout the competition. This is important because golf competitions last 4-5 hours. However, the main technical difficulty concerns the typical golf swing movement. This is a very difficult gesture to repeat, requiring many hours of constant practice. One week of class break is enough to erase, at least partially, the automatisms created during daily practice.www.osminog.pro 43