It’s Ladies Day at Stoke Park. Gangs of visored women of a certain age buzz around one of the most recognisable clubhouses in the world in hot pursuit of their power kaddys. A handful of photographer/PR/journalist/stylist-types, noticeable by their lack of colour co-ordinated shoes and sweaters, mill around the lounge drinking coffee and peppermint tea, fretting about the light, the availability of women’s golf shoes and whether there’s a decent-sized room to do hair and make-up. It’s not much of an entourage as it goes, but it’s more than Paul Broadhurst would be used to. As everybody flaps about, Kirsty Gallacher appears unannounced, dressed in a simple chocolate velour tracksuit, hair tied back and minimal make-up, like some kind of tiny, perfectly-formed undercover agent. There’s no fanfare, no parting of the carpet; just a smile and a bit of a sniffle. “No really, you’ll get my cold,” she protests, as we all queue up for hellos and kisses on cheeks.

This is probably just a different-day-same-old-bullshit version of the last two years of Kirsty’s life. In that time, she has become the tabloid newspapers’ Most Wanted and has cemented her position as one of the most popular mens’ mag pin-ups of all time. Since her gladiatorial performance in Channel 4’s The Games recently she says things have gone even more crazy: “I’ve had paparazzi all over the bonnet of my car.” It all seems a bit strange, really.

A couple of hours later, the Cult of Kirsty seems to make far more sense. As sitting-on-the-sofa-chatty as she is, stick the lady in front of a camera and she’s a star. Exuding an irresistibly knowing kind of next-door sexiness while clutching a Mizuno driver is not something you can learn at RADA; it’s even harder when you’re giving it large in a golf bikini in a sharp May breeze. GolfPunk didn’t appropriate the Staunch word without good reason and it would appear that Kirsty Gallacher’s enthusiasm for the way things are changing in golf, matches our own. “GolfPunk? I love it!” she gushes, as we blush. “It’s great that the sport is becoming sexy,

» Kirst Gallacher part 2