SPORTING PASSIONS MARY GOODE: Johnny Wattersontalks to the Ireland hockey goalkeeper who, because of such a busy schedule, has little time to indulge her passion for golf

MARY GOODE is an international hockey goalkeeper, who loves to play golf. During the summer she competed with the Irish hockey team that came fifth in the European Championships.

I’ve played golf from a very young age and have always really liked the game. I still watch a lot of it on television, the PGA Tour and the majors. I really love the Ryder Cup and usually take the Friday off work to just sit down and watch the whole thing. Unfortunately I missed the ladies’ Solheim Cup this year because we were playing at the European Championships in Holland.

Although I haven’t been able to play as much as I would like over the last five years because of the commitment to hockey, I play off a handicap of 11. I find it really difficult to get the time now to go out, although, I’ve been able to play more this year than in previous years. The hockey now just seems to take over your whole life. I’d say I’ve only averaged about two games of golf a year for the past five years.

I was one of those kids who had a set of cut-down clubs when I was eight years old and played most of my early golf in Howth, where I am still a member. But before that we used to swing clubs in the garden and then maybe wander up to Deer Park over in Howth and play the par threes.

I suppose I formally started playing the game at around 16. Every Sunday in the golf club John McGuirk used to give us free lessons. It went on for about an hour and a number of girls would turn out. Because of those hours I had my swing and my grip “well educated”. From there I played under-age club competitions.

I also played a lot of golf with my granddad, Martin Whyns, who took up the game when he was 63 and played off a handicap of nine. When he was 87-years-old he shot an 87 gross. He played in Ballinasloe and I played with him a few times. It wasn’t until he died that I eventually had a better score than he had and he was 90 when he passed away.

I suppose I drove for show but he was better around the chipping and putting.

I think golf is very different to playing in team sports. The game is all about you. The day you think you have mastered the game, you lose it. You can go out on the course and swing the club beautiful and not get a score and you can go out and play rubbish and have a great score. It is never a game that you can say you have truly mastered.

I can see some similarities with what I do in hockey. As a goalkeeper I don’t do a lot but when I have to do something, when you face those few critical moments, it is a position where you have to do what you have practiced. It is the same technical approach. You have to be able to get those instances correct and try to be technically perfect in both games.

Even now I’d feel more nervous standing on the first tee than I would lining out for an international hockey match. For now though hockey has taken over. We train a lot and there is a lot of fitness involved with playing. When you are on a team it is easier to tune up because you have other team-mates and friends involved with you, doing the same thing.