Mistletoe Mansion, my 2014 Christmas bestseller, features a celebrity golfer and his wife. What fun it was writing about this sport. Oh the jokes about balls and holes in one and... er, okay. Perhaps I won’t go there today! And for the very first time in 2016, in Rio, golf has become an event at the Olympics. I have a kind of love/hate relationship with this sport but whether I like it or not, it’s part of my life.
You see, I grew up with a dad who is FANATICAL about golf. I used to caddy for him – eighteen holes – and get paid fifty pence. Talk about less than the minimum wage – I was robbed! And whilst I enjoyed the fresh air, well um... let’s just say it’s not the most dynamic of sports. You don’t get to see many hunky young men in shorts, as for tennis, and the most conversation you’ll get from anyone else is them shouting “fore!” And I still find the detailed analysis about pars and chips and slices slightly mind-numbing. In fact, hands-up, it drives me crazy!
Having said that, I really enjoyed golfing holidays my family and I spent in the spring, up in Scotland. My dad and brother would play a round whilst Mum and I accompanied them, carrying binoculars to spot birds of prey. We even went around a snowy Ben Nevis course – that was a visual challenge with white balls! A golfing holiday meant we spent the week out and about getting close to nature, spending quality time together chatting as we completed the eighteen holes. And when I was younger, hands-up, I’d enjoy the responsible job of scoring and the very important task of announcing the winners in reverse order.
As I’ve got older, I’ve never played, myself, although do enjoy crazy golf. There’s a great indoor course near us in Manchester, set out as a jungle and it always makes for a couple of hours of family fun. However, as I’ve matured I can appreciate what an all-round beneficial sport it is and seen how my husband enjoys it too. My dad’s in his eighties now and spends his days at the club still playing and socializing. Plus over the years, the whole family would attend social evenings in the clubhouse. Becoming a member is a great way of meeting like-minded people who can become friends for life. Especially as it’s a gentle sport than can be played for years and years. Lots of Dad’s friends, like him, are in their eighties, and are still going strong - even if it sometimes means using an electric buggy.
Thank you Samantha for yet again getting on board with one of my random ideas for a feature! I love Crazy Golf myself, but unfortunately the main memories I have of it are playing with a family member who is a sore loser and I recall one of us got his by a golf club!
Dreaming of the perfect man?
Kate Golightly needs to move forward and what better way to do that then with a trip to the Cornish coast with best friend and boss, Izzy.
The sea wind is just what Kate needs to finally relax and begin to let go of her past. Except she’s suddenly got one big reason to panic! She RSVP’d ‘yes’ to the Queen Bee of her high school’s wedding saying she’s bringing her boyfriend (she doesn’t have one) who looks just like Ross Poldark!
With only two weeks to find the Poldark look-alike of her dreams Kate is under a lot of pressure for the Cornish coast to deliver…
A hilarious and moving romantic novel from bestselling author, Samantha Tonge. A must-read this summer!
Available from all good ebook retailers from 28th July and in paperback from 25th August
Available for purchase on Amazon UK
About Samantha Tonge
Samantha has sold over 80 short stories to mainstream women's magazines. Her debut romantic comedy novel from HarperCollins (CarinaUK), bestselling "Doubting Abbey", was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction Best Romantic Ebook award, 2014. The bestselling summer novel, Game of Scones, won the Love Stories Awards 2015 Best Romantic Ebook category. Her new novel, Breakfast Under a Cornish Sun is out July 2016!
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