Kristie Giraldi

I'm taking on Cancer Council's The Longest Day... 72 holes. One very inexperienced golfer. What could possibly go wrong?

If you’d asked me this time last year whether I’d ever play 72 holes of golf in one day, I would have said ‘absolutely not’ and carried on with my life. Actually, if you’d asked me last year whether I’d even play golf, the answer probably would have been the same.

Somehow, though, I caught the golf bug in March this year and haven’t stopped talking about it since (sorry, friends.) But you’ll be pleased to know I’ve now found an even bigger reason to talk about it…

I’ve played a handful of 9-hole rounds, including  overseas, yet I’ve only completed 18 holes exactly three times.

So, naturally, I thought the next logical step was to play four 18- hole rounds of golf back-to-back: 72 holes in one day for charity. What could possibly go wrong?

On the 7th of December, I’ll be taking on Cancer Council’s The Longest Day at Port Kembla Golf Club, teeing off at 5.30 am and playing until approximately 7.30 pm, basically, from first light to last light.

I’d like to think I’m not completely hopeless at golf, my overly competitive and perfectionistic nature hasn’t allowed that to happen. Every now and then, I hit my driver about 200m and briefly look like I’ve been playing for 20 years. Other times, I hit it 2m and look like I’ve only just discovered what a golf club is. Unfortunately, consistency is not one of my strengths yet.

At least playing 72 holes gives me plenty of opportunities to beat my current record of two birdies in one day. No one needs to know that this time, I’ve got 72 holes to do it…

I’ll also be doing this with a group of boys who all have handicaps under 10.

Mine is very much not under 10…

I’ll be joining their team, traditionally known as “Three Slips and a Gully” - a bit of a cricket reference to the three important players and, well… the gully. It turns out their gully position was free this year.

So, naturally, who could be more fitting than me, someone who will have been playing golf for about eight months and has barely made it through 18 holes three times? I’m basically the sporting equivalent of the spare tyre, and honoured to be.

But jokes aside, there’s a really good reason I’m doing this.

Like so many people, I’ve had family members affected by cancer, so I’m really keen to raise money for Cancer Council and support the incredible work they do for people and families affected by cancer, as well as vital cancer research.

So, if you can spare a few dollars, I’d really appreciate your support.

Every donation will help keep me going when my golf game, legs, back and general will to live start falling apart. But more importantly, your support will help a charity doing incredibly important at work around something that, in one way or another, has touched every single one of us.

By 7.30 pm on the 7th of December, I’ll either be incredibly proud of myself or lying somewhere near the 72nd hole, wondering why I didn’t take up a more sensible hobby like knitting.

Thanks so much for your support!