Golf Blog: A very different story of golf

Golf Blog

With the other writers

on this section providing their thoughts on the latest news in golf, I thought

of producing something a bit different to that. This is my journey with golf

until now, as I begin my career in sports journalism.

With my parents

divorcing when I was young, my mother brought me up by herself, and I would

only see my father every two weeks.

Whenever my father's name was mentioned she

would describe herself to others as a ‘golf widow', especially to other women,

some of which would laugh, and nod intently in agreement.

It pains me to admit,

but I did understand why she would say that. My father does indeed have a

colossal obsession with golf - which she saw as unhealthy.

Personally, being a

huge sports fan myself, I would describe it as very passionate.

Not only did the

description of how he played every hole that morning receive no interest from

my mother, after a while, she became rather irritated by his obsession. The

annoyance was mirrored.

Calling the contents of his golf bag ‘sticks' did not

go down well with my father, and it still winds me up, the non-player, whenever

she says it today.

There was always a

mild interest in golf from a young age but perhaps that extra push might have

transformed me into a driving machine, or an accurate chipper that I most

certainly am not, now at the age of 20.

After taking a handful

of lessons when I was nine-years-old, my development came to a standstill as

football, my main passion, took over my life.

From playing, to watching, to

reading and then watching even more, admittedly it really was, and still is, an

unhealthy obsession.

As much as my parents

didn't push me to play golf more, you have to look at society and the media for

not giving golf the attention it deserves.

There is a reason why we don't have

enough world-class English golfers and tennis players coming through the ranks,

but that is an entirely different argument.

Occasional trips to

the golf range whilst visiting my father renewed my interest in the sport, if

only for a short time.

Once again I just needed a small push, but that was to

become even harder than it was before once I moved away from my hometown and

away from a good friend who was just beginning to play golf properly, which was

a huge shame.

Despite playing

football at college, I decided that my professional career was over before it

had started; simply because I had two left feet and not only would I miss the

barn door, but the entire barn completely.

My passion of watching

and writing about sport greatened, so much so that I decided it would be my

career path. Ever since, my interest in golf has only risen, as it naturally

does as you get older, and the ‘Miracle in Medinah' ensured that.

In my small rented

house in Preston, my friends and I embraced, before proceeding to jump around

our box like living room as Martin Kaymer sunk THAT five-foot putt to confirm

one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever seen.

Up until now, the range is the closest I've got to playing a full

18-hole game. Hitting the ball consistently well is something I'm getting a lot

better at, and with the poverty that is student life almost over, I may

actually be able to join a club to begin my love affair with the joys of playing.