The Irons Gay Golfing Society is a friendly club who play at least once a month in the summer at courses in the London area, usually within the M25, and describes themselves as "a friendly and welcoming group". They also organise a knockout tournament and various golfing breaks for members throughout the year - previous tours have been to France, Spain, Bristol, Bath and even Bournemouth!

The society’s open to all gay and lesbian golfers. What’s more, you don’t need to be an expert at the game - though sadly they’re unable to accept complete beginners as a handicap of 36 or below is required.

We caught up with Andrew Griffin, committee member and former captain of the club, to find out a little more about what makes this LGBT club swing!

How did the club get started?
Irons was started in 1996 when an advertisement in the Pink Paper led to a handful of gay golfers getting together for the first meeting.

How many members do you have?
We now have approximately 65 members, with an average turnout at events of around 35 people.

Do you have a typical member?
Not really. Most members are established golfers who already play at a club, but we also have people who have never belonged to a club. It’s important to us that everyone has an opportunity to join in - all you need is an interest in the sport.

How long have you been a member of Irons?
I joined in 1998.

Are all of your members gay/lesbian?
Yes, although we have had some straight people play with us over the years.

What are the highlights of the year for the club?
There are so many! Getting nearly 50 people along to a long weekend event in Bristol was one highlight. Watching the faces of certain club members at a golf club as one of our transgender members teed off  was another. One member winning a medal at the Gay Games has to be another.

Would more ‘out’ players help the sport?
Yes. Golf clubs are not known as being very diverse and tolerant, but that is changing albeit gradually. We are very proud that one of our members became captain of his local golf club last year.

Has their ever been any homophobia towards the team?
Not beyond the occasional 'hard stare' from members of the fustier private clubs.

What are the goals of the club in the future?
We want to continue to flourish and get some new members on board.

What originally made you get involved with the club?
I had played golf in my youth, but given it up when I went to University. When I found out about the club it was the perfect opportunity to get back into it.

So, how good do you have to be to get involved?
You have to have played and know the etiquette. We'd like to accommodate absolute beginners but unfortunately most clubs demand a certain level of competence from societies.

Is the club a good place to make new friends?
Yes, some great friendships have been formed over the years.

What's it like playing other straight teams?
We have only had the one competitive match against a straight team, but it was great.

If you had to pick one, who’s your sporting hero?
Sergio Garcia, a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He’s also spent much of his career in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings.

So, what do you think of the state of 'gay sports'?
I'm not involved in any other gay sports, so I can't have an opinion on that I'm afraid. Judging by the number of mailing lists there are around, it seems pretty strong.

Do you think it's true that the majority of gay men and women don’t like sport?
No. I don't think I know any gay people who don't like sports. I went through a ridiculous stage of pretending not to like sports because sports were inherently homophobic. Thank God I got over that.

What’s the worst cliché about gays and sport?
I have met more gay people who have a problem with gays and sport than straight people who have a problem with gays in sport. That's all you need to know.

How can people find out more information about the club?
You can find out all you need to know at www.ironsgolf.org.uk.

Are you involved with a gay sporting group that wants to be included? Then contact us at editor@gaydarnation.com.

Want to know more? Then why not buy Dinah!: Three Decades of Sex, Golf and Rock 'n' Roll by Michelle Kort and find out all about the sports popularity with lesbians.