Not a Master Golfer

Golf Equipment (image courtesy of Wix)

I am a useless golfer. I used to claim for a long time that I was a beginner. However, the reality is that I got my set of golf clubs for my 40th birthday, so that is 'some time ago' now. The standing joke was that I refused to allow my golf handicap to go below my bust size. I still hover in and around it all these years later!

However, I did miss my golf when I lived in Helsinki. If I'm honest, it was probably more the camaraderie, the chats, the exercise in the outdoors, as much as the game itself that I missed. I contemplated bringing my clubs over there, but the hassle of not having them when I might need them when I came home won out. Instead, the one time I did play in Tapiola Golf Club, close to where we lived, I rented a set of clubs and hacked my way around what turned out to be quite a nice parkland course.

Golf is a relatively new sport in Finland. The Helsinki Golf Club (Helsingin Golfklubi) was founded in 1932 and the Finnish Golf Association was founded in 1957. The sport is growing in popularity all the time. There are now 135 courses in the country and the golf seasons runs from April to the start of October. During the winter months I noticed many people walking around our nearby shopping centre, Aiona in Espoo. I was intrigued and discovered there was not one but two indoor golf venues with golf simulators and putting practice areas and, anytime I peered in, they were always busy. I wasn't tempted, which probably goes to show that, to my shame, I have no real interest or motivation in improving my game if there is not a fun or social element to it.

During summertime it stays light until very late in the evening in Finland and this allows people to play a game of golf after work. In most parts of Finland the summer sun generally shines for up to 20 hours a day, with a few hours of twilight after sunset. That means you can play golf for almost 24 hours a day, particularly further north. Apparently, on quite a few golf courses, there are midnight golf tournaments that start or end around midnight. I do regret that I didn't try to play more while we lived there, but perhaps I don't love the game enough to tackle the logistics of booking tee times, organising transport and equipment, not to mention the cost.

And now the cost. In my social circle, many of us women play a bit of golf and it is, in the main, not seen as exclusive or elitist. Our annual membership is probably around the same cost as a gym membership and, the more you play, the better value it is. However, I am noticing that in clubs around us in South Dublin, the 'joining fee' has re-entered the vocabulary and many of the established clubs now require someone to recommend you and, if you are offered membership, you pay a hefty joining fee. Of course, I understand the economic reality of supply and demand, but I really hope the game of golf remains affordable to the 'common woman.' When I played my usual Tuesday round in our beautiful Beech Park Golf Club yesterday, it was heart-warming to see so many women in their seventies and eighties going out to play nine holes for two hours and then coming in to chat, laugh and gossip over coffee and a scone for another two. Since I fractured my ankle last September, and found it so difficult over the past few months to get back my mobility and confidence, I now appreciate every day on the golf course, every walk in the park, every workout in Curves (which I re-joined two weeks ago). I look forward to the first outing with Ballyboden Golf Society in Luttrellstown GC next week and applaud the society for opening its doors to female golfers a number of years ago. Society outings make golf so fun and affordable.

Having played very mediocre golf yesterday, I will now appreciate the skill level and talent that will be on display at the Masters in Augusta National this weekend and hope to be glued to it in Sunday evening cheering on the man from Clara. Go Shane!

My Writing Life

I was delighted to learn that South Dublin and Killarney libraries are now stocking 'Love, Lycra and Tattoos.' If you see it on display or available for loan in any other library, please let me know.

I am also gratified that one of my favourite bookshops, Charlie Byrne's in Galway, is stocking my book. Please support your local independent bookshop if you are a book buyer.

I have booked my flights to and from Amsterdam in case the prices go even more sky-high (pun intended) in the coming days and weeks and I am looking forward to my reading there on the 7th of May. Thanks to Ilsa and Elizabeth of the IWC Amsterdam for providing me with this lovely opportunity.