GOLFMADCHICK 
England is under water. My golf course resembles a swamp and it’s been over three months since I’ve swung something called a golf club. Until that moment returns when I have worked out which end of the stick to hold again, my blog is venturing into new areas. For now I’ve abandoned the sodden shores of the UK for sun kissed Isle Maurice. Mauritius to you and I. Read More
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They say all good things must come to an end. And what an end it was too. The annual dinner at the Frontline Club to round off an incredible year being captain of the wonderful Press Golfing Society society.
SKIPPER’S SPEECH – BY HAYLEY BARLOW
Something happened on the way to dinner tonight. Jon Snow phoned me from Sri Lanka. It’s too late Jon, I told him, you had your chance to perform in front of my guests … and you blew it. Royally. Listen to me, he says, this is a really bad line and I can’t speak for long but I wanted to tell you something really important …
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It’s not often you receive an email with the words: “I work with Ian Poulter and his golf clothing line IJP Design … and we would love to invite you to join our exclusive testing panel for his new women’s golf range ahead of the full launch in spring summer 2014.”
Well, that’s exactly what I did receive. Read More
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It was dubbed the Maul in Porthcawl, but after a fierce first day battle, Whitewash in Wales had a certain ring to it too.
It took five long and painful years of defeats to the French, but the Wryter Cup is finally back on British soil and firmly in the arms of the Press Golfing Society.
Veterans, rookies, wild cards … champions … I salute you all. Read More
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Franco-British entente cordiale is once again set to go head to head for the XXIII Wryter Cup at Royal Porthcawl in Wales on 6 & 7 October 2013.
Qualification is a gruelling do-or-die selection process resulting in this year’s golfing crème de la crème of the UK media industry.
The record books currently stand at an level pegging 11-11 between the Press Golfing Society and Association de la Presse et du Golf.
Watch this space as the PGS attempt to wrestle the silverware back from our determined French rivals.
Follow @PressGolfSoc on Twitter for live #WryterCup action updates.
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The latest sexism storm brewing over Muirfield and its cretinous male-only policy would be far less troubling if the wait for women’s membership hadn’t been 269 years and counting.
But any hope that, all these decades later, men in starched blazers are softening their stance on membership has been hit once more into the deep rough. Read More
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Why did the Oscar-winning actress have to choose that day of all days to announce to the world that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy? The same day I was to find out if I had cancer.
I was doing just fine up until that point and largely successful in blocking out my uncertain fate. Denial may not be a river in Egypt, but it floated my boat when it came to dealing with the complexities of cancer. There’s a thin veneer between the dream and the reality and that suited me just fine too. Read More
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When I first started this blog in 2011 after a somewhat tumultuous period in my life, I concluded the About Me section by saying: ‘I’m not sure where my story ends, but short of a graphic in HD choc full of pithy insight, I think you’ve just captured the start of it.’
Well, today I’m thrilled to say that a new chapter is about to begin …
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As a persistent observer of potential talent for our epic golf battle against the mighty, yet glacially-paced French, the quality of golf in the Press Golfing Society has never been stronger. The annual Wryter Cup tournament is the journalist’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup between the Press Golfing Society (PGS) and Association de la Presse et du Golf (APG). Franco-British entente cordiale are set to go head to head once again for Wryter Cup glory at Royal Porthcawl in Wales in October this year. The competition to land a coveted place in the PGS Wryter Cup team has kicked-off. Let the games begin …
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It has been a long Baltic winter and three tortuous months since I last swung a club, but this week saw the start of the 2013 Press Golfing Society season with the curtain-raiser at the magnificent Worplesdon golf club. With Arctic conditions and 40mph gales, it was supposed to see us dust off the cobwebs – not de-ice them! Read More
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I want to hear about the story of the greatest golf shot of your life.
When, where and how did you pull off the perfect fluke? I’ve been lucky to have had two revered golfing moments. The 11th at St Andrews and a couple of years ago on the 134-yard 14th at Muswell Hill Golf course, in North London (below). I’m holding out for a third golf miracle. Admittedly more in hope than expectation. Read More
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Much of LONDON was brought to a standstill today by the heaviest snowfall of the winter. With most of Britain covered in white stuff, the country is set to freeze overnight as temperatures plummet to a chilly -6C. On the other side of the globe, SYDNEY sizzled as it endured its hottest day ever. Records were smashed across the city with the mercury hitting 45.8C.
Click below and spot the difference… Read More
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A land of lore and legend encircled with its ancient 45ft walls should be at the top of your must-see list when visiting Portugal.
Fifty-five miles north of Lisbon, the fortified town of Óbidos is considered one of the jewels of Portugal’s national heritage. It is known as the “Wedding Present Town” because it was a gift King Dinis gave to Queen Isabel on their wedding day in 1282. Recaptured from the Moors in 1418, it’s like stepping back in time as you walk through the narrow cobble stone streets lined with colorful houses, gothic doorways, dazzling tiles and whitewashed churches. Read More
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I currently have two doctors navigating me towards some priceless lifestyle advice.
First up is the Daily Mail’s dishy doc, who this week informed his readers that giving up alcohol for January will do you more harm than good. What a load of self-deluding drivel. Yet another rehashed, alarmist, new year article wheeled out during a slow news month. Read More
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Picture the scene … you’ve hit a belter down the 18th. Split the fairway perfectly with your driver. Ball is perched on a lush tuft. Sun threatening to make an appearance too. Everything is going in your favour. This is going to be one hell of a round. Feeling a tad smug you walk up to the ball. It hasn’t quite reached the 150-posts. You squint into the distance towards the green. Pin is tucked away back right. Or so it seems. There’s a cold northeasterly blowing. Green looks ridiculously far away. Maybe it’s an optical illusion. Read More
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Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve. Really? Perhaps that’s a plus because as the 2013 starting line approaches, it spells out a month on the wagon coupled with a January Dukan diet regime. Read More
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I kissed a boy in Copenhagen last weekend.
It wasn’t one of those “Congratulations, you’ve pulled a Viking” moments, more a lightly touch cheek with cheek ritual by way of introduction to a friend’s cousin. “Since when have the colonials started kissing?” asked the bemused Zimbabwean recipient of my warm greeting. I was about to launch into an animated compilation of my romances through the decades when a lively debate erupted on the evolution of greeting etiquette over several large Tuborgs at Nyhavn Harbour. Read More
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When the Captain of the Press Golfing Society asked me to be his vice-captain two years ago, I must admit, I hesitated. Not because the thought of addressing a bunch of delightfully cynical journalists a dozen times next year scared the hell out of me. Or knowing I would have to humiliate myself with a speech in French during our annual Wryter Cup clash given my questionable grasp of the language. The reality was that my newspaper was going through a somewhat trying period and playing any golf, let alone captaining a prestigious society seemed ridiculously ambitious.
But after some thought and several Pinots, I thought, why ever not. Read More
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Golfmadchick has teamed up with our friends at The London Golf Show to give you the chance to win 5 PAIRS OF TICKETS and see some of the biggest names in golf. Read More
GOLFMADCHICK 