Today's Golfer - Issue 335 Preview

MY LIFE IN GOLF
Bradley
Walsh
The 15-handicapper loves
the game – but never wants
it to become his obsession
WORDS KEVIN BROWN PICTURES JAMES CHEADLE
e’s one of the most famous
H faces on TV, a comedianturned-actor
who’s done
everything from Corrie to serious
drama like Law & Order. But when
he’s not in front of the camera, Bradley
Walsh loves nothing more than a
round of golf with his mates.
He’s also a regular on the celebrity
golf circuit, teeing it up with the likes
of Mrs Brown’s Boys star Brendan
O’Carroll and comedian Rob Brydon
– against whom he played in last
year’s Celebrity Cup at Celtic Manor
on the victorious England team.
He’s been described as Britain’s
greatest ever gameshow host, with hits
like The Chase and Keep it in the Family
to his credit. Right now he’s team
captain opposite Manchester City star
Frank Lampard in the new Saturday
night sports quiz, Play to the Whistle.
Someone once told me that the
original game of golf only covered 14
holes. Sometimes I wish that was the
case today. I tend to get tired over 18
holes, mentally as much as physically,
and as a result tend to lose the plot
over the closing stages of the round.
It’s frustrating!
At the end of the day I’m a pretty
contented 15 handicapper who plays
out of Woolston Manor in Essex,
which conveniently happens to be at
the bottom of my road. I know my
limitations and I’m under no
pretensions: I deal in reality and deep
down I’m not a great player. I’m just
not consistent enough. One day I’ll
play two shots adrift of my handicap
From The
Street to The
Chase... via
Brentford FC
● His first big TV
breakthrough came
in 1994 when he
became a presenter
on the National
Lottery show.
● The previous
year, he got a big
break when he
performed on the
Royal Variety Show
as a result of being
spotted supporting
Shirley Bassey in
concert.
● He is a former star
of long-running
TV soap Coronation
Street – he played
the role of Mike
Baldwin’s son
Danny between
2004-06.
● He’s rarely off the
TV, being presenter
of popular ITV game
shows The Chase
and Keep it in the
Family plus playing
lead character DS
Ronnie Brooks in
drama series Law &
Order: UK.
● He left school
at 16 and started
working in a factory,
but was spotted
by Brentford FC
and started a
pro career at the
age of 18. Injury
forced him stop.
only to blow it big time next time
out. It can do your head in, but I try
not to let it get to me.
Of course I’d like to play below my
handicap all the time, but realistically
at my age (54) I think I’ve gone as far
as I can. I play off 15.2, and I’ve never
been any better than that. The people
I regularly play with will tell you I’m
nowhere near that good, even though
I’ve been playing since I was 19!
I belonged to the Rolls Royce Sports
& Social Club Golf Society a few years
back. We used to meet on Monday
nights and I managed to win the
Rabbits Cup playing off 24. That
remains my one and only win. But I
love the game: it’s so relaxing – as long
as you don’t take the phone on course
with you, and I just can’t understand
those who do. They’re mad. You’ve got
to be able to switch off.
I’m impressed when I hear people
say they play three times a week –
you’ve got to do that if you’re going to
get better. But that’s not for me
because golf then doesn’t become an
event to me, more of an obsession.
I like to prepare the night before, get
my shoes cleaned and my clothes
packed and I’ll make sure my clubs
are cleaned as well. I’ll get up at the
crack of dawn, arrive early at the
course and get a bit of practice in
before going onto the course for four
or five hours and having a bit of
dinner afterwards before going home.
The funny thing is, I’m probably only
playing with my mates in Chigwell –
I’m not trying to qualify for The
Open or anything like that. I just
want to go out there and enjoy it.
One of my highlights of 2014 was
representing England in the
Celebrity Cup at Celtic Manor.
I love having fun playing
with the crowds. That’s the
way golf should be; lots
of banter.
Strengths and
weaknesses? My driving
is not too bad – I’m pretty
straight. I’ll often be the
shortest length-wise by a
country mile. But I’m pretty straight
and that’s the bonus. You’ve got to use
your shots. I get 15 so I try and take
them all.
Funniest moment on the course?
I was playing in a pro-celebrity event
and this well-known singer – who
shall remain nameless – was in a
bunker. He played a shot and it went
straight in the air and as it came
down he just launched himself at it
and headbutted it back into play! He
was rolling around in the bunker,
claiming he didn’t know where his
ball was. But we saw everything,
including the flying header. The lump
on his head was the size of a fridge!
I wasn’t the best stand-up comic.
I got by and was lucky enough to earn
a living from it, but I’ve always
enjoyed drama. I first started as an
actor but there was no money in it,
which is why I drifted into comedy.
Stand-up was kind to me but you
can’t compete with these guys today,
who are much more socially aware
and adept at tailoring their comedy
towards that. I was never political,
I was more of a family entertainer – a
bit old-school. I couldn’t hold my own
against the guys today.
If the timing was right, I would do
another soap – I learned a lot on
Coronation Street. Bill Tarmey [who
played Jack Duckworth] told me:
‘Make sure they don’t kill you off
because one day it might be your
pension.’ I left in 2006.
I love family TV shows. I loved The
Generation Game and Noel’s House
Party. Now, we all sit down and watch
Saturday Night Take Away. If it’s fun
and you can watch it as a five-year-old
with your 95-year-old nan and
everyone in between, then
you’ve got a hit.
I’m still working on The
Chase, while I’ve also been
involved in a new BBC
sitcom called
Woody. Law &
Order has been
good, but I think
it’s time to have a
rest from that.
Hopefully I’ll be
able to get in a
few more games
and more
practice!