GOLFMADCHICK

Win 1-2-1 Personal Tuition with World Golf Trick Shot Champion

Golfmadchick — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:12:00 +0000

Get up close and personal with the current World Golf Trick Shot Champion…

Interactive, educational and totally enthralling, Geoff Swain’s must see act is coming to Surrey Quays in London next Saturday.

And DECATHLON is offering you the chance to win a one-two-one 30-minute session with the trick shot champ.

Geoff is hosting DECATHLON’S Golf Day on Saturday 3rd March 2012 to celebrate the launch of the store’s new-look showroom, interactive simulator and custom fitting centre.

Armed with a vast array of unusual and seemingly impossible to use equipment, Geoff will astound you with his incredible shot making ability during a fun-filled family day at Decathlon’s flagship Surrey Quay’s superstore.

Not only will you learn from the master technician of golf with dazzling skills and near impossible tricks, you’ll be thrilled with his uncanny skills in golf tuition, mind-blowing shots and a thumping good line in banter.

This is a must see event for all. Entry is FREE and activities kick off at 11am. Good luck and hope to see you next Saturday.

COMPETITION:

To win a personal 30-minute session with Geoff Swain, the current World Trick Shot Champion on Saturday 3rd March 2012 at Decathlon, Surrey Quays, simply answer:

To the nearest square meter, what is the size of DECATHLON’S flagship store at Surrey Quays in London?

Click here to send your answer.

Competition closes Friday 2 March 2012.

Now watch Geoff Swain the current World Golf Trick Shot Champion in action:

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Competition, Decathlon, Geoff Swain, Golf, sport, Trick Shot

London’s New Golf Simulator & Custom Fitting Centre

Golfmadchick — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:57:35 +0000

Calling All golfers,

Are you desperate for your golfing fix but averse to tackling the fairways during the winter months or constantly faced with a Course Closed sign? If so don’t despair, I’ve found a solution. Sports giant DECATHLON has come to our rescue with what promises to be a fun-filled family day out.

The flagship Surrey Quays branch is hosting an action packed golf day on Saturday 3^rd March 2012 to celebrate the launch of their new look golf showroom complete with a state of the art simulator and custom fitting service.

Activities kick off at 11am with the current World Trick Shot Champion Geoff Swain and his unforgettable golf show demonstrating a variety of mind-blowing skills and offering one-to-one tuition throughout the day.

Entry is FREE and there are loads of prizes to be won with competitions for budding young wannabes, casual golfers and even those serious types for whom golf is a religion. The day is being hosted by INESIS, DECATHLON’S exclusive golf range and also features a wide range of discounted junior, ladies and men’s top quality branded golf equipment and clothes including Mizuno, Callaway, Taylor Made.

This week I was allowed a sneak peak in DECATHLON’S new golf showroom in London’s Canada Water. With the help of their passionate golf team who readily share expertise and free golf tips, I put my rusty swing through it’s paces on the new simulator. I might be in need of a bit more practice but I’m certainly geared up for the golf season ahead.

DECATHLON aims to make golf accessible and fun to more people from all communities and all budgets. At a time when golf has never been more popular, please support your local community, help spread the word and do come join us … it’s going to be fun.

WHAT’S ON OFFER AT DECATHLON’S SURREY QUAYS GOLF DAY:

Trick Shot Champion – Watch Geoff Swain performing his amazing skills with personal tips and tuition for Decathlon customers.
Golf Simulator – try out the brand new interactive golf simulator with real-time ball flight and enter the nearest the pin challenge for your chance to win a golf break.
Custom Fitting – Get made to measure top brand clubs and let the pro’s take care of the complex issues of the custom fitting process.
Physiotherapy – Visit the sports health stand for specialist help with any troublesome pains and tips on avoiding those golfing aches.
Join a Club – Chat to the on-site team from Shooter’s Hill Golf Club about their discounted membership deals exclusive to DECATHLON customers.
Competitions – Take part in the Y-Golf indoor course challenge and earn your official Y-Golf certificate – prizes for adults and children.
Golf Amnesty – Bring in your old woods & irons and exchange them for 10% off any new clubs.
Golf Voucher – Print off the DECATHLON voucher below and get £10 off when you spend £50 or more on golf equipment.

For more info:

DECATHLON Surrey Quays

Address:

DECATHLON Surrey Quays, Canada Water Retail Park, Surrey Quays Road, London SE16 2XU Tel: 0207 394 2000 Tube: Jubilee Line

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Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Decathlon, Discount, Golf, Promotion, Simulator

A Lovely Day For It

Golfmadchick — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:04:50 +0000

Those who follow this blog will be well versed with my regular rants on the perils of winter golf. But also aware that topping my 2012 new years resolution scroll involves less whinging and more embracing the chilly elements. So you can imagine my disappointment, especially after a week of gearing myself up for the sub zero elements to be faced with a Course Closed sign. Not to be defeated, the only remaining dilemma is how I spend my Saturday. Water the grass, venture out on a bike ride, spot of gardening or invite a few chums round for a BBQ? Who says this embracing business isn’t working?

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Golf, humour, Photography, Snow, Winter

Embracing the Elements

Golfmadchick — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:04:54 +0000

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Funny, Golf, humour, Snow, Winter

Early Golf Years

Golfmadchick — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:33:59 +0000

I first played golf at the age of twelve. It wasn’t something I volunteered for, more an enforced lesson in parental discipline following an unfortunate incident involving my mother’s beloved Fiat 124 Sports Coupe and a brick wall. After a strict two-week curfew, my reprieve came in the form of caddying for my dad. Not quite what I had in mind when celebrating my lifted sanctions, but I jumped at the chance to get out the house.

By the 2^nd hole even my dad could sense I was bored out of my tiny mind. He handed me a 7-iron, a tee and ball. I swung wildly and like a fired up cannon ball my Dunlop 65i spurted forward an impressive 35 yards. I was ecstatic and instantly hooked. And so my caddying career ended and my love for golf began. My spirits were uplifted, even if my ball was not for the remaining holes.

I grew up in the stunning city of Mutare located in the picturesque mountains of the Eastern Highlands on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Despite the fragility of the economy, it was and remains a breathtaking country rich with stunning championship courses and homegrown talent. Zimbabwe has produced some of the best golfers in the world including Nick Price, Tony Johnstone and Mark McNulty. It was every kid’s dream to follow in those footsteps. Hero worship combined with industrial strength fearlessness and naivety.

My very first set of clubs belonged to my Grandmother. A vintage half set of hickory shaft irons and a battered 3 wood with an intriguing leather grip. They would merit pride of place in the Natural History Museum today, but during the late 80s in third world Africa, they were all I needed to get a handicap. Everyday after school I threw my golf bag over my shoulder, jumped on my BMX and raced down to the club for a practice round with the boys before sunset. Much to my parents’ dismay the back garden of our house was converted into a large putting green. The roots of the lemon trees below ground made for interesting contours and challenging breaks. They drew the line at pitching golf balls into the swimming pool.

Then one day my kind Mum did the unthinkable. She gave me her own shiny steel shafted Lady Ram golf clubs complete with rubber grips. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. And so my passion for the game took on new levels. With the exception of school, a real buzzkill, most waking hours were spent at Hillside Golf Club. Pocket money changed hands like a professional betting syndicate.

For several years the boys and I continued to compete regularly. We took on the pros, rival clubs and travelled together to the capital representing Manicaland in the annual Junior Inter Provincials. It was exhilarating. And amid the drama of winning and tension of competing, great friendships were born. Not much has changed over the last quarter of a century. Today my Titleist clubs may have graphite shafts, but my passion for the game is unwavering and no matter where in the world our destiny has taken us, those friendships remain as strong.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Africa, Friends, Golf, Titleist, Zimbabwe

2012: Year of the Cold War

Golfmadchick — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:06:36 +0000

There’s something about the start of the pro golf season that sparks new realms of excitement in me.

Notwithstanding my juvenile crush on the G-Mac, it is more a yearning to dust down my clubs and follow in the footsteps of Tiger’s comeback after a lengthy period in hibernation. Inspired by involuntary chunks of free time and watching the golfing greats lock horns under an Abu Dhabi sun, I decided it was time for a seasonal revival of my own. It’s no secret that my lifelong passion for the game is all consuming, only not during mid winter months. Unashamedly a fair-weather golfer, I generally hold out for eternal sunshine which is a staggeringly pointless exercise given my residence is well north of the equator.

But not so the case in 2012, I summoned a few valiant chums and braced myself for a transcendent experience. Resembling a modern day Mitchelin Man’s trophy wife bulked up on base layers and unsightly thermals, my mind perpetuated a tropical fantasy like some supercilious fool.

Cutting a less than dashing figure, I set off down the fairway floating in the soup of my own random thoughts. A heady feeling of tranquility eclipsed only by the emergence of a certain numbness in my limbs. Plummeting temperatures and icy winds played havoc with my fragile circulation. My face developed a curious yet radiant glow, five ungloved fingers turned a shade of mauve and I sensed a fading heartbeat. With a rusty back swing and shy follow through it felt like a matter of time before my arms snapped off like a twig.

Not dissimilar to a scene from a Coen brother’s film, my carcass experienced its very own urban unrest. It was all I could do to putt out on the 18^th securing a pyrrhic victory. A hollow satisfaction which left me bruised and bemused by the whole arctic experience.

My first round of golf this year was a bust, but I’ve since had time to regroup in the warmth of my centrally heated lodgings and here’s my theory. With the big freeze sweeping into Britain today, it is either embrace the elements or embrace the Middle East.

Anyone for golf?

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Abu Dhabi, G-Mac, Golf, humour, London, satire, Tiger Woods, Winter

Poll: Who Will Abu Dhabi Do?

Golfmadchick — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:29:29 +0000

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Abu Dhabi, Darren Clarke, Golf, humour, Luke Donald, Poll, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods

My Perfect St Andrews Fluke

Golfmadchick — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:55:39 +0000

I had worked at the News of the World for all of two days when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself. A chance to fulfill a childhood dream playing golf on the Old Course at St Andrews.

But how do you tell your editor you’re taking off for a few days when you’ve been employed for, well, a few days? Fortunately my resourcefulness kicked in and after a string of tortured hearts and minds type metaphors on how our readers expected a little bit more, I was soon heading towards Scotland’s most cherished slice of common land.

I was just a girl from the colonies with a giddy obsession for all things golf. When you throw in the words ‘where the game was first played 600 years ago’ and follow that theory through to the end, you’ll appreciate this was an occasion worth augmenting.

With a new job underway and a prosperous tabloid career ahead of me, I stepped into Tom Morris, the world’s oldest golf shop and walked out with a shiny new set of Titleist clubs.

It was time for the golfer in me to step up. The starter called my name. It was show time. My hands shook like a plucked guitar string, either nature’s way of expressing deep-seated feelings of exhilaration or the aftermath of too many fruity Chardonnays the night before.

Like a long lane that has no turning, the opening holes were peppered with hazards, gullies and double greens. Par, par, par, it was positively dreamlike. As I paced the revered fairways, I prayed the ‘Old Lady” wouldn’t let me down.

It was so far a scorecard too good to be true. Heather, gorse and sand traps had yet to register on my radar. Here I was taking on the boys like a president of the Smug Club whilst playing the birthplace of golf. Will this show never end? But even I knew maintaining this score was an impossible dream.

And then I stepped up to the 11^th hole. I once read in some esteemed journal that this was one of the most celebrated par threes in the world of golf. To me it seemed just like any other plucky 150-yard par three.

The hole played directly into a harsh prevailing wind off the Eden Estuary. Falling temperatures and lashing rain did little to deter my enthusiasm. Teeth chattering and saturated I struck my 7-wood with perfect pitch. The ball soared through the air clearing the Strath bunker like a Kentucky show horse and disappeared onto the large elevated green.

“That’s in the hole,” shrieked my partner looking on blindly. I knew it was good, but how good exactly demanded instant inspection. I grabbed my bag and sprinted 150-yards down the embankment and up towards the green. And there it was, my precious battered Callaway wedged neatly between the flagstick and the cup.

A perfect fluke. The heady feeling of euphoria was dizzying. A Tornado F3 fly-past followed. Admittedly it was returning to nearby RAF Leuhers but I appreciated the personal touch.

I tiptoed over to a discreet corner of the green, pulled out my mobile phone and phoned Zimbabwe. “Hi Mum, guess what, I’ve just had a hole-in-one on the Old Course at St Andrews.” The line crackled. There was a pause. “I’m sorry sweetheart, it’s a bad line, can you speak louder,” she screeched. “MUM, I’VE JUST HAD A HOLE-IN-ONE ON THE OLD COURSE AT ST ANDREWS.”

Suddenly a fearless band of green-keepers appeared from nowhere, “Sorry lass, but no mobiles allowed on the course.” I hung up the phone. Thanks chaps, you really threw some sunshine down on that one.

But it was the twitching of the seagulls descending like locusts in their multitude overhead that seemed to spell out that my goose was cooked. Adrenaline raced through me and my body shook like some wired partygoer at an 1980s beer fest. No matter, seven holes to go and I was determined to continue with cunning, guile and whatever shreds of talent remained.

After many celebratory hugs and high fives, we eventually moved onto the 12^th hole, a great tactical challenge and home to a host of unpleasant bunkers. I teed up, gripped it and ripped it. As I scoured into the distance for my ball, someone pointed out a small white blob trickling down the footpath. I didn’t see it, but I’m told the ball barely made contact with my driver before it scuttled over the edge of the tee box.

I won’t bore you with a shot by shot analogy of the remaining holes, but suffice to say either someone was looking down over me or a serious dose of humble piety kicked in. Save for the odd challenging pot bunker, I pulled it off. I really did get to dream my dream.

Who knows how many Zimbabweans have achieved a hole-in-one on the Old Course. And who cares, because for me those 18-holes were the epitome of life on a 5 x 3 played out in almost perfect unison at the historical Home of Golf.

Twelve years on, I’m still that same girl from the colonies. Only now I carry the News of the World in my heart, a P45 in my pocket and a hole-in-one from St Andrews on my scorecard.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Callaway, Golf, Hole in one, humour, News, News of the World, Old Course, Scotland, St Andrews, Titleist, Writing, Zimbabwe

Signs of the Times

Golfmadchick — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:36:53 +0000

Ever walked past a sign that stopped you in your tracks? Some leave you in stitches while others require an immediate double take. Here’s a collection spotted during my travels from Mozambique to Manchester and beyond.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Funny, humour, mozambique, Photograhy, Random, Signage, Travel

Sydney Harbour Through A Lens

Golfmadchick — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:17:36 +0000

In 2007 I was fortunate to spend several months on a work exchange in Australia. I spent evenings and weekends exploring the city and waterways with my closest friend, a Canon EOS capturing it’s unique beauty. And I’m sure you’ll agree, few cities in the world showcase a more spectacular backdrop than the magnificent Sydney Harbour.

Filed under: Photography, Uncategorized Tagged: Australia, Photography, Sydney