"It’s Not A Game, It’s A Responsibility" Legendary Golf Tipster Jeremy Chapman

Jeremy Chapman, who has had some amazing success over the past few weeks, opens up about being a golf tipster

"It’s Not A Game, It’s A Responsibility" Legendary Golf Tipster Jeremy Chapman

After that 150-1 winner (bless you, Mr Cink) on my Golf Monthly debut, I was close to retirement as it would have been a perfect way to end a half-century of sleepless Saturday nights worrying about whether my pick could hang on to a lead or make up the shots he was behind.

I half-expected my two main choices in Gran Canaria and New Orleans to miss the cut and bring me down to earth with a big bump.

Sunday was a marathon Sky watch that left me drained but exhilarated as both first-choice tips did the business at 35-1 and 12-1. Twitter went wild (@jeremychapman3 on Twitter). So many new followers and a gang of old faithfuls took the trouble to say ‘well done and thanks, you’ve just won me £xxxx’.

Related: Jeremy's latest betting tips

I get serious about it because it’s not a game, it’s a responsibility.

People bet with real money out there and when they put their hard-earned on my fancies and they flop, it hurts. There have been years, though not many of them thank goodness, when I didn’t deliver and good people, some of whom have become friends, have done their dough.

The other side of the coin is that it has been gratifying on those occasions when I’ve got it spectacularly right and I get showered with praise and, occasionally, prezzies. Happy punters have treated me to weekends in Paris for the Arc, or sent me a handsome print, a case of champagne or tickets to the theatre or a big fight.

That’s when it makes all the stressful hours of research so worthwhile but the best present of all was the fiver an OAP in Kent kept sending every Christmas without fail with a note saying ‘please have a drink on me, your golf tips and your writing are the only things that make my life worth living these days’.

That lovely gentleman is long gone but not forgotten.

Jeremy Chapman is a legendary golf tipster with 50 years in the business and over 800 winners - check out all his latest picks at our Golf Betting Tips home page.