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If only the Solheim Cup ladies had hunkered down together in a dark tavern before this weekend’s tournament in Germany with a bottle or two of classic Riesling and watched the video below. They well may have avoided the worst act of bad sportsmanship I’ve ever witnessed in 29 years of playing golf.
I have a friend. He is a veteran golf writer, master of the English language and one of life’s fiercest critics when it comes to all things clichés. Not surprisingly this makes for dangerous ground since he not only frequents Golfmadchick.com, but as regular readers will know, this is a blog positively riddled with these vulgar, over-used, meaningless fillers. According to him I am forbidden from using the words: picturesque, shrouded, idyllic, must see, etc…. Read More
Hearty congratulations to the 2014 Centenary Bowl champions: Wimbledon Park Golf Club. Despite some tight matches and tough competition against the Leatherhead ladies, our girls in green waltzed in with a storming 5 – 0 victory to take home the silverware. The final of the scratch knock out team competition took place at Kingswood Golf Club in Surrey and produced a day of thrilling performances on and er, off the course.
It all started off so promisingly as the young man in a bow tie rushed up to me in the car park. “Miss Barlow” he shrieked, arms outstretched in my direction. “Welcome to Mid Ocean Golf Club, the jewel in Bermuda’s golf crown.” Wow! What a welcome I thought, looking startled and vaguely bemused. I tried to deduce if this was the typically friendly Bermuda way, an over excitable PR executive or… Read More
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… Read More
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…
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… Read More
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… Read More
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.
There is something of the unreal about Le Golf National in Paris. The course is host to the 2018 Ryder Cup, annual French Open and now the unfolding epic of the Wryter Cup. This week it was time for the golfer in us all to step up as my great and worthy Press Golfing Society teammates battled it out against our mighty French APG rivals.
Seve wasn’t the only golfer to blast his way round uncharted territory in search of a historic win. What began as a bold experiment in 1991 to foster good relations between the French and British media has developed into the backbone of two societies. The annual epic golf battle of the Wryter Cup is the journalist’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup between the Press Golfing Society (PGS) and Association de la Presse et du Golf… Read More
Most lady golfers will relate. You walk into a pro shop in search of golfing happiness and end up sleepwalking your way through the never-ending isles, rows and shelves of shoes, clothes and clubs … for men. Finally, weary from the journey, you reach the ladies section, a cubbyhole if you will. Stocked to the rafters with two pairs of nasty daisy-embroidered shoes, a handful of lycra hugging size zero tops, a ghastly rainbow… Read More
The call came in 9.43am. “They’ve arrived,” said the man with a gravel voice. And indeed they had. The packaging left little to the imagination. No bells, buckles or bows. Just 100% recyclable cardboard wrapped securely with industrial strength masking tape. My fingers tingled with excitable anticipation as I tore gently at the tape to little effect. It took kitchen scissors, three subtle moves and less than sixty seconds for the packaging… Read More
You’re flying back from your summer hols, that last leg of a tedious long-haul flight, bored, restless and generally yearning for solid ground beneath your feet. Suddenly the clouds part and you catch a first glimpse of Blighty. It’s only been two weeks, but how you’ve missed it … You strain your eyes through the fingerprint-smeared window. Hello, is that London in the distance? Yes, I believe it is. A warm feeling of… Read More
Gorkana caught up recently with News of the World’s former head of PR Hayley Barlow to find out what her 12 year long reign entailed, what she did next after the paper closed, and her part in the attempted rescue of ‘Wally’ the Thames whale in January 2006. Firstly Prince Harry, would the News of the World have published those pictures? Undoubtedly yes, if the story had broken in our time…. Read More
Sunday nights don’t come much better than this … an extravaganza of flames in London’s Olympic Stadium bringing down the curtain on a month of thrilling competition. From my seat up in the Gods with 80,000 grateful fans, a positively mind-blowing experience watching Coldplay and Rihanna rocking to a sensational summer of sport alongside Mad Max characters and a colourful parade of nations. What a fitting end to an extraordinary Games, a… Read More
A severe snap hook is a thing of awesome power and beauty. Just ask my foresomes partner! Share your best captions below or tweet to @Golfmadchick using the hashtag #CaptionThis to send your submission. Check back to see if you’ve won a sleeve of Press Golfing Society Srixon golf balls.
I was playing golf in southeast London last weekend with a former lady captain when conversation turned to the history of our course, Shooter’s Hill Golf Club and the local area. Dick Turpin, Hitler’s doodlebugs and Bobby Locke, in no particular order, but it turns out Shooters Hill is positively steeped in history. I was captivated and immediately consulted Google on my return home. The name ‘Shooters Hill’ was first recorded in 1226… Read More
It was six years ago I walked into my editor’s office and boldly requested a work transfer to Australia. He looked at me quizzically like I’d lost the plot entirely and snapped a robust NO before returning to his newspaper. “I’m so glad you thought your answer through” I sighed. “Isn’t this supposed to be a caring sharing company that delights in offering global exchange opportunities to staff?” “Get out” he barked… Read More
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