Golf the Game of Kings - The Game That Brings People Together

When Three Generations Play Together - The Game of Kings

With thanks to Phil Thorne for the photos

Golf is one of those games you either love or hate. It is one of those games that either fills you with excitement or sends you to sleep.  Here at LSI Portsmouth, we seem to have quite a few of the first camp; those who really love the game. The wonderful thing about golf, whatever your other feelings about it, is that it seems to bring the generations together.  There are not that many past times where you can find over 40 years of age between the youngest and oldest, with people who are still meeting each other as equals.

In the pictures above you can see Terry Thorne our lovely buildings manager, Alan Daysh one of our fab teachers and the delightful Melinda Vontobel who works with us as an Intern at the moment, they all went out for a day of golf very recently.

Melinda, as the youngest, came to LSI Portsmouth as an English student in October and is now working with us as an intern. As it is a little unusual to find such a young person who plays golf (and so well) we asked her to write a few words.  This is what she has to say:

‘I started playing golf when I was 9 years old. My parents played Golf before me and because of my sister, I finally started to play golf as well. My handicap is 0.4 and my best score up to now was 7 under par on a golf course in Switzerland. I did a sports apprenticeship which allowed me to practise next to my school every afternoon. I played every weekend, national as well as international tournaments. Unfortunately, I had to reduce the amount of time I was able to play due to my studies. Now I am an intern at LSI until the beginning of June. It is very nice to go out on the golf course with Terry and Alan from LSI Portsmouth and play.’

There are differing accounts as to the origins of the game, however, most seem to agree that modern golf was documented in a 1457 act of the Scottish Parliament, where King James II of Scotland prohibited the playing of ‘gowf’ as it was a distraction from the military practice of archery. A little more interesting is that after Mary Queen of Scots’ husband was murdered in 1567, George Buchanan wrote that she had been playing ‘sports that were clearly unsuitable to women’ – we’re not sure Melinda would agree ;-)

At LSI Portsmouth, we understand that in the world of business communication, in the corporate world, golf has a very important place. We know that for professionals, the golf course is where relationships are built, where deals are made and ideas are discussed.  We also know that English has a very important role in this, which is why we offer our students the opportunity to combine playing golf with improving their communication skills in English. What better way to have fun and combine practicing your professional English than on the golf course?  In Portsmouth, we are very lucky because we are very well placed for playing golf. As we are located on England’s beautiful South Coast, we are surrounded by some of the United Kingdom’s most renowned golf courses. 

Whether on the Solent coast or around the South Downs, the scenery is fabulous. Of course, we can’t guarantee the weather, but we can guarantee fun and you can be sure of a totally English speaking environment along with the perfect opportunity to combine the game you love, golf, with practising your Business or Social English.

So, if you are looking to improve your professional English, learn corporate English, network with other professionals from around the world, or just upgrade your everyday English and play golf, LSI Portsmouth has exactly the combination for you.

In addition to this, stay with an English host family, and you can have the complete immersive experience, combining a business English course, good company, a game of golf, fun and improving skills necessary for the workplace.

Click here to see brochure

For more details of a combined Professional English course with golf, see the brochure above or click here