The competitive spirit never leaves us, and former Dublin Ladies Football maestro Niamh McEvoy might have caught the golfing bug as she looks to get back into sport.
The five-time All-Ireland winner retired from Inter County football in 2022 and after taking a year away from all sport while she was pregnant she is strongly considering returning to the sport she played as a child, golf.
The St Sylvester’s star wouldn’t be the first sportsperson to take up golf after retiring and she won’t be the last and judging by the glimpses she showed during the second annual Golf Ireland International Women’s Day event supported by KPMG at Druid’s Glen, it could be another sport she is gifted at.
“I was literally saying to the girls, I played this event last year and I was actually six months pregnant and I have a baby now and on maternity leave and not playing inter county sport,” explained the 2019 All Star. “I was thinking this would be a great sport for me to get back into and it’s really social and really enjoyable to be out in the fresh air and not putting the body through as much stress as Gaelic.
“It’s something I am really going to consider getting back into. I had a handicap back in the day, I was chatting to Jacqui (Hurley) about how I could go about getting back into golf again. You only need one good shot over the course of the day to feel like you should get back into it and give it respect.
“It’s a funny sport like that, one good shot and you get hooked back into it. I really enjoyed today and it always gives me a great taste for it.
“Being pregnant I had to give up all sports last year so I went to the driving range this year to prepare for today so it’s gone a bit better than last year!”
McEvoy was drawn in quite an exciting group which included Golf Ireland Development & Club Support Officer and GB&I Vagliano Trophy captain Maria Dunne.
“We had a great day today. Maria gave us some great tips, I haven’t had a golf lesson since I was about 12 so things are definitely looking up and it’s a change from last year that we avoided the rain so it’s great!
“I really enjoyed Maria’s tips. Gaelic football is my background and I would have played a lot of golf growing up but not having had a lesson in years I was in desperate need of some tips from her and she made a massive difference to my golf game.”
The former Australian rules player was delighted to feel the competitive juices flowing and she found herself to be quite the driver of the golf ball!
“It’s a really accommodating format and a really friendly format for beginners and those who maybe haven’t played for a good few years. The format lends itself to everyone contributing to their team even if you’re only hitting a good shot now and again so it’s been great for sure.
“It’s a great day out to play a bit of golf and have fun where nobody is worrying too much about the score, saying that we are very competitive.
“It was early in the day but yeah happy to outdriven one of the more seasoned golfers but I took a hop off a bank in the rough so there was a bit of luck involved so I’m happy out with that.”
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