I took up golf to save my marriage – but then my whole world fell apart

A WOMAN has revealed how playing golf saved her from a difficult time when her marriage collapsed.

Caroline 'Caz' Grant, 39, took up the sport so she could spend more quality time with her husband.

Sadly, their love of golf on its own couldn't save their relationship and the couple, who met while both serving in the RAF, ended their four-year marriage.

But the sport then became part of her ‘therapy’ and helped her to rebuild her life again.

Caz said: "We weren't great together and our marriage just broke down.

“We weren’t growing in the same direction, so we decided to call it a day."

The split in 2022 was difficult and the brand account manager hit a low.

"It was one of the most uncertain, uncomfortable, fearful, emotional, and sad times I've been through", admits Caz.

"One thing I'm very good at is numbing those tough emotions and there were days when I just wanted to sit on the sofa and hide away and not even get up."

Caz had no idea how she was going to move forward but, amid the emotional wreckage, she sought solace in golf.

"Golf became part of my therapy and helped me get through this difficult time,” says Caz.

"Out on the course it became my escape from the difficulties I was going through and allowed me to start the journey of rebuilding myself and has been a big factor in getting through it all."  

Caz, from Lincoln, is telling her story in partnership with Get into Golf, an initiative by England Golf to encourage more women to take up the sport.

It follows a poll of 2,000 adults which revealed 36 per cent of female respondents would like to spend more time taking part in sports than they currently do.

Out of a list of major sports including football and rugby, golf was seen as one of the least male dominated, with only swimming and cycling seen as less so.

And 57 per cent have tried their hand at mini golf, with 37 per cent also having played pitch and putt – and 19 per cent have played 18 holes according to the  data.

Of those who have tried golf activities, 40 per cent had done so because it’s social, while 23 per cent had been encouraged or invited along to try them – with 18 per cent wanting to experience something new.

A spokesperson for England Golf said: “Female sport has certainly taken up more of the spotlight in recent years, with the talent of the Lionesses taking centre stage alongside the likes of Emma Raducanu and the Roses netball team.

“And it’s time to capitalise on this rush of interest in female sports and encourage women to know they can have the confidence to walk into a club house and know they can be given the tools to take on the game.

“There's no better advocate for the sport than Caz who has slowly rebuilt her life with each swing of the club.

"When you've been through something that kind of shatters your world, you forget things that bring you joy," says Caz.

"I pitched up on my own and I was really nervous. I put a post on social media saying how I felt because I thought that if I shared it other women would feel more comfortable if they felt nervous to go and try the sport."

That single post led to Caz forming 'The Swinging Birdies' - a WhatsApp group now flourishing into a "special group" of friends with 62 members.

Caz said: "It was amazing. We had a lot of women who hadn't picked up a golf club before joining the group.

"We just arrange our own sessions down the driving range or our own rounds on the golf course, and there’s always a social element afterwards.

Reflecting on how golf has played a part in helping her navigate her new life, she added: “I absolutely loved playing golf before my divorce.

"I may no longer have my golf partner but I'm not going to be giving up golf because I really love it.

"There'll be times where I'd be crying my eyes out in the morning and then I'll pitch up at the golf course and you just forget all the dramas that's going on elsewhere. It's a really nice, mindful escape.”