BellTime Magazine Spring/ Summer 2016 May 2016 | Page 70

BELLTIME GOLF KEEPS SPORTSMAN’S SPIRIT ALIVE immense and imposing, might have made a Springbok. Wallace is simply trying to rekindle an old sporting flame. “ I played golf from quite an early age but then rugby and kids and injuries got in the way of that for the last six or seven years so I’m just gradually getting back into it. said Wallace after his round. Ireland’s rugby star Paddy Wallace seen here at the Irish Open Pro-Am in 2015. Wallace is just one of many rugby stars who play golf in the spare time. Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Rob Kearney also enjoy the game. Photo by Golffile. P addy Wallace’s rugby career ended two years ago. At the age of 34, Ulster’s alltime record caps holder had to call time. However, one thing is absolute. “The competitive spirit never dies,” says the man who won a Six Nations Grand Slam with Ireland in 2009. Fast forward six years to the eve of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Royal County Down. Wallace is walking the fairways alongside Ernie Els. The Big Easy, 70 “I lived very close to Royal Belfast growing up, I was a walk away from the eighth hole. I got through the juvenile stuff and as the rugby got more serious, the golf kind of ebbed away.” “I was down to nine (handicap) at one stage and that was playing six or seven times a year. I’m playing a little bit more now so I’d like to try and get it down to single figures,” he admitted. “I love golf. It’s the most frustrating game in the world obviously but it’s one of the most enjoyable games you get to play.” ” “ Winning a World Cup with the Ireland under-19s in 1998, Wallace was among a unique group that included future Ireland and Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll. The Ulster out-half won many of his 30 Irish caps in midfield though he was plagued with injury throughout his 14 years as a professional. “Shoulders are a bit stiff and sore but apart from that I’m in decent enough health,” said Wallace at the time of his appearance at last year’s Irish Open pro-am. “This is the highlight of my golfing career. If you get the odd invite to an event like this, you want to be playing well, being competitive and not looking like an idiot.” For that reason, Wallace is keen to get his handicap down. Father of two, Wallace has his hands full off the course. I’ll have a bit more time to play now as the kids get older,” he says. “I’d never really had a solid lesson so I need to address a few bad habits. ” Playing off 12 at Royal County Down, the experience of playing one of the world’s greatest golf courses was a special one. Yet there were moments when he was reminded of his previous life. “It’s a bit like goal-kicking, when everything goes silent,” he says. “You can feel the nerves.” Always alive to the sporting beat.