I was off last week because I needed some time to recharge before a very busy period of women’s golf - the Olympics, AIG Women’s Open and Solheim Cup. I was pleased to be able to join a society day - the Parakeets, established as an offshoot for those women that are not members of the Magpies, it all gets very complicated!
I realise that many of you probably fill your Summer calendar with golf days, and so you should, but this was a real treat for me. Yes, I get to play golf through work every now and again, and I play on Saturdays at my home club when I can, but this was a fun day out in the sunshine, relaxing with friends.
The scores were ridiculously good as we had two mulligans and two grenades each, plus we could ask another member of the team to play our shot if we didn’t fancy it. Grenades were new to me, being able to throw the ball out of a bunker without losing a shot, but I soon decided that this is my type of golf! Can you believe a total 101 - two best scores from four - 101 - was six short of the winning score? Perhaps you can, based on what I’ve explained!
The day was not about the prizes, nor about the golf really, but simply a group of women coming together for a good walk, a chat, a few drinks, and if you did happen to play well, that was a bonus. I came home feeling very happy, I suppose because these days are a novelty for me, but it was definitely a reminder of one of the biggest reasons why I love the game and how we should all appreciate our golfing communities as much as hitting a fabulous tee shot or sinking a birdie putt.
On a separate note, it seems like Olympic golf has turned a corner since attracting most of the world’s best players this time around. The men put their heart and soul into winning a medal, and it was an exciting finale when you could actually get to watch it. I found it so frustrating when I couldn’t access the golf on BBC iPlayer. Rory Mcilroy, despite missing out on a medal, even said that the tournament has the potential to be right up there with the Ryder Cup, so that is saying something.
The women's golf starts today with team France’s Perrine Delacour (pictured) hitting the opening tee shot, although Le Golf National’s Albatros course will play a lot shorter. For the men it was set up as a par 71, reaching 7,174 yards, but for the women’s event it’s a par 72 measuring 6,374 yards. On the home front, Charley Hull joins America’s Rose Zhang and Australia’s Hannah Green for the first two rounds, while Georgia Hall begins her campaign paired with Ireland’s Leona Maguire and South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai. I’m definitely taking out a short-term subscription for Discovery+ so I don’t miss it!
I realise that many of you probably fill your Summer calendar with golf days, and so you should, but this was a real treat for me. Yes, I get to play golf through work every now and again, and I play on Saturdays at my home club when I can, but this was a fun day out in the sunshine, relaxing with friends.
The scores were ridiculously good as we had two mulligans and two grenades each, plus we could ask another member of the team to play our shot if we didn’t fancy it. Grenades were new to me, being able to throw the ball out of a bunker without losing a shot, but I soon decided that this is my type of golf! Can you believe a total 101 - two best scores from four - 101 - was six short of the winning score? Perhaps you can, based on what I’ve explained!
The day was not about the prizes, nor about the golf really, but simply a group of women coming together for a good walk, a chat, a few drinks, and if you did happen to play well, that was a bonus. I came home feeling very happy, I suppose because these days are a novelty for me, but it was definitely a reminder of one of the biggest reasons why I love the game and how we should all appreciate our golfing communities as much as hitting a fabulous tee shot or sinking a birdie putt.
On a separate note, it seems like Olympic golf has turned a corner since attracting most of the world’s best players this time around. The men put their heart and soul into winning a medal, and it was an exciting finale when you could actually get to watch it. I found it so frustrating when I couldn’t access the golf on BBC iPlayer. Rory Mcilroy, despite missing out on a medal, even said that the tournament has the potential to be right up there with the Ryder Cup, so that is saying something.
The women's golf starts today with team France’s Perrine Delacour (pictured) hitting the opening tee shot, although Le Golf National’s Albatros course will play a lot shorter. For the men it was set up as a par 71, reaching 7,174 yards, but for the women’s event it’s a par 72 measuring 6,374 yards. On the home front, Charley Hull joins America’s Rose Zhang and Australia’s Hannah Green for the first two rounds, while Georgia Hall begins her campaign paired with Ireland’s Leona Maguire and South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai. I’m definitely taking out a short-term subscription for Discovery+ so I don’t miss it!