Since the very first time she played golf, Catherine was hooked. At the time, she had never played the sport before, because, as a youngster, she excelled in others. Her passion for the sport became such that she soon passed it on to her husband and two children. Catherine was able to further promote the sport when she founded the Women Golf Network Europe, a yearly tournament which attracts lady golfers from different countries. This year, the event will be held to coincide with the International Women’s Day, on 8 March.

At the time when Catherine became a member of the Marbella Golf Country Club, there was no ladies’ group. Little by little, she was able to put together a team and set up a league so they could compete on other courses. Seven years on, she is still the captain and, although she has given other ladies in the group the chance to take on the role, nobody has wanted to take her of-fer given the difficulty of doing the job as well as her. In addition, she sometimes takes on the role of course marshall, showing how va-luable she is by taking the place of one whenever needed. “I like being a marshall because I meet lots of new people and, at the end of the day, it gives me some ideas for improvement. I love this club”, Catherine tells us. However, the Irish woman’s greatest achieve-ment has been founding the ‘Women Golf Network Europe’; a group of players who visit Marbella every year to represent their country in a tournament. “I love it because they come from Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, and many more countries. This year, it will be held on 8 March and I’m expecting around 40 players from all over Europe”, Catherine tells us. “Up until now, it hasn’t been sponsored, I’ve just provided the prizes myself. After playing, we have a meal and an awards ceremony”, she tells us. However, one Sunday a month, we hold a tournament for players who don’t belong to any golf club. “There are many women who are here but aren’t members of any club. So, one Sunday a month, we give them the chance to play golf. Many of them are beginners and don’t feel up to playing in tournaments. I tell them to come with me, that I was also a beginner once and I understand how they feel. You open yourself out too many women because those who have a low handicap don’t want to play with beginners. Therefore, even if it’s just once a month, it gives them the opportunity to play. I also love the fact that someone who has never won a tournament before can win. That gives me great happiness”, she tells us, showing her compassionate side. Married with two children, she was the one who got her family involved with golf. A friend invited her to play in a Texas Scramble and, when she realised that she could hit the ball, she decided it was a sport worth taking up and that she would play lefthanded.

After retiring from her job as an estate agent, she decided she wanted to continue doing something, which is why being captain gives her great satisfaction, despite the amount of work involved. “I don’t earn anything organising tournaments, but it gives me happiness to see other people enjoying them”. She’s been living in Spain for 20 years now; she originally came with her family to try for six months. Right from the start, they knew that the Costa del Sol was where they wanted to be. She would join Marbella Golf Country Club later, but she ensures us that she is now deeply involved with the club. “It’s my second home. I love the club and above all, the people, the staff and the members. As soon as you set foot inside, you feel welcome”, Catherine tells us. She also highlights the quality of the course, due to its design and different tee-off and hole positions, which provide a different and stimulating challenge every day.