Sportswoman of the Month – Her.ie talks to golfer Maria Dunne

Unlike most teenagers, Maria Dunne spent her days on the golf course and headed across the Atlantic to refine her swing. But, also unlike most teenagers, her hard work made her one of the youngest ever winners of the Ladies Leinster golf championship and earned her an international cap. This year’s Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Golf Skills Challenge was officially launched at the GUI National Golf Academy earlier this month and to coincide with our Her.ie Sportswoman of the Month, we caught up with the golf sensation to find out about her career highs, training regime and plans for the future.                                                             Here’s what she had to say about... Getting involved My Dad took myself and my siblings to a local driving range from about the age of eight and I just loved it. I joined Skerries Golf Club as a junior member when I was 11 and played as much as I could all summer long. I then got selected on a junior Irish team at 15 and went on to represent Ireland at various levels from the age of 15 to present. Her achievements I didn't expect the success but I hoped I would achieve success because of my dedication and hard work that both myself and my coach Roger Yates have put in to achieve my goals. Her favourite moment My favourite moment was when I won the Leinster ladies title at 19 in Co Louth Golf Club. It was one of the first ladies tournaments I played and I won. My biggest achievement was gaining my first full international Irish cap. The biggest challenge The biggest challenge for me was when I struggled with a back injury for a few years. I tried to play through the pain but competitively, it was hard to compete at the standard I was so used to playing at. The benefits of the sport There are so many benefits to playing golf but the main ones have to be all the friends that I've made over the years. I have also got to play in a lot of different countries and I get to play the sport not only as an individual but in a team also. Her training regime I try to keep fit for golf so I'm in the gym a few times a week. I do a number of activities including Bikram yoga, running, cycling and the cross-trainer. I also have a strength and conditioning program which I would do at least two or three times a week. The future I'm not sure what comes next for me but I will keep on improving and see what happens! The Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Golf Skills Challenge is a competition to find the most skilled amateur golfers in Ireland.  The competition is open to all golfers aged 16 or over, who have an official GUI or ILGU handicap. To enter or to find out more please visit www.bettergolf.ie.