On #SwamiVivekananda's 159th birth anniversary, today we take a look back at some of his sports exploits. Vivekananda’s love for sports and physical activities is quite well documented (1/n) 
He exercised regularly, was adept at wrestling (kusti), horse riding among others and was also an admirer of football (2/n)
According to a recently circulated picture on social media, one might even conclude that his bowling action may have provided inspiration for Hedley Verity! (3/n)
While the last bit is to be taken with a pinch of salt, he did appear with distinction as an opening bowler for Town Club even claiming 7 wickets on one occasion (4/n)
But there is definite proof that Vivekananda had developed an interest in golf. During his 1893 USA visit, Swami Vivekananda made the acquaintance of the Hale family who with time became very close to him (5/n)
He was particularly affectionate of Mary Hale and regularly exchanged correspondences with her. In one such letter, written while he was staying at Ridgely Manor, New York, Swami Vivekananda wrote to Mary Hale about his experience at golf (6/n)
He felt it was not a difficult game to master, but needed a lot of practice. In an editorial published in the Indian Nation magazine of 1895, there is a reference to Swami Vivekananda’s attempts at golf (7/n)
The article narrates how he shocked his American hosts by achieving a hole in one in his first attempt, an extremely rare occurrence in the sport and one generally considered more of a lucky incident than an exposition of skill (8/n)
While it is difficult to objectively validate the veracity of this incident, his letter to Mary Hale does show that even if briefly, Swami Vivekananda did have a stint at the Greens (9/n)
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