GOLF GRANTS:FOR FLEDGLING tournament players, the world occupied by Tiger Woods and Pádraig Harrington and Lorena Ochoa and their ilk is a stratosphere away.
Yet, for such as Martina Gillen, one of the elite recipients of the Team Ireland Golf Trust grants distributed yesterday - whereby 21 aspiring professionals shared €221,500 - the rocky road to possible fame is worth pursuing.
In announcing the funding, Minister for Sport Séamus Brennan described the move away from the amateur game into life as a professional as "a scary transition".
And for Gillen - who along with another Ladies European Tour card holder, Rebecca Coakley, was awarded the top amount of €20,000 - the grant is what she describes as "an enormous boost" in her bid to make the transition successfully.
In a move designed to provide aid other than financial, the Golf Trust also announced the highly regarded Brendan McDaid had been retained as a consultant coach.
This development came about because of a belief, expressed by the trust chairman, Pádraig Ó hUigín, that some Irish players had not always fulfilled their potential.
Now into its ninth year, the Team Ireland Golf Trust, which in the past helped the careers of such as Harrington, Paul McGinley, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy and Damien McGrane, awarded the maximum grants of €20,000 each to Gillen and Coakley, who have full tour cards on the LET.
The top male recipients were Michael Hoey, Stephen Browne, Colm Moriarty and Gareth Maybin, all players on the European Challenge Tour, who received €15,000 each.
Gillen, for one, is looking ahead to this new season with added enthusiasm.
"I found last year tough and learnt a few hard lessons along the way," admitted the Dubliner, who has a full tour card that will see her play up to 25 tournaments in the season ahead.
"Last year I was well down the pecking order, even though I had a card. I was waiting to see if I got into tournaments or not, but this year I know I am in and can prepare properly." Indeed, Gillen's brother Wayne has taken a six-month career break from his bank job to caddie for her this season, something the player believes will benefit her greatly.
"On the few occasions he caddied for me last year, he made a huge difference and I made the cut in every tournament," she commented.
Gillen's season starts in just over a fortnight when she teams-up with Coakley to represent Ireland in the European Cup, a new tournament confined to 20 two-player teams.
Further down the line, her aim is to contend for a place on the European Solheim Cup team for the match with the US at Killeen Castle, Co Meath, in 2011.
"For me, at the moment, the Solheim Cup would be a massive step up," she said. "This year I'm not worrying about it, I'm just trying to find my feet (on tour) and to be consistent.
"But I don't think making the team is out of my reach.
"I would have to improve a lot. I know where I have to be and I am a long way off at the moment. But that's where I'm aiming to be, trying to get there."
Apart from the financial assistance and access to McDaid, who intends to travel to a number of tournaments throughout the season as well as provide intensive group training at his academy at Rathsallagh, Co Wicklow, the grant recipients also have access to the GUI National Academy at Carton House and to a network of services and specialists that includes sports psychologists, biomechanists, physiologists and physiotherapists.
Financial backing for the Team Ireland Golf Trust is provided by the Irish Sports Council, Fáilte Ireland, the PGA European Tour and, from the private sector, One51 Ltd, the group headed by businessman Philip Lynch.
TEAM IRELAND GOLF TRUST RECIPIENTS:
Rebecca Coakley (Women's European Tour) €20,000
Martina Gillen (Women's European Tour) €20,000
Michael Hoey (European Challenge Tour) €15,000
Stephen Browne (European Challenge Tour) €15,000
Colm Moriarty (European Challenge Tour) €15,000
Gareth Maybin (European Challenge Tour) €15,000
Brian McElhinney (Europro Tour) €12,500
Michael McGeady (Europro Tour) €12,500
Peter O'Keeffe (Europro Tour) €10,000
Michael McDermott (Europro Tour) €10,000
Richard Kilpatrick (Europro Tour) €10,000
Alan Murray (Europro Tour)€7,500
Brendan McCarroll (Europro Tour) €7,500
Niall Turner (Europro Tour) €7,500
Mark Campbell (Europro Tour) €7,500
Clare Coughlan (Women's European Tour) €7,500
Hazel Kavanagh (Women's European Tour) €7,000
Heather Nolan (Women's European Tour) €7,000
Marian Riordan (Women's European Tour) €7,000
Mark Staunton (Europro Tour) €4,000
Paul McDonald (Europro Tour) €4,000
Total: €221,500
