Three months of development time on my game has really gone quickly, but I couldn’t be happier with the progress I’ve made!
WINTER GOAL: get fitter, get stronger, get faster, increase swing speed and hopefully find an extra 20 yards off the tee….
Results:
Before and after my Trackman average stats and how increased speed and a positive angle of attack have resulted in nearly 20 yards in distance gains!
So firstly, before the season starts, I must thank Mark Pearson (Golf) and Rachael Tibbs (fitness) for their time and hard work, and helping me stay motivated to achieve my goals, especially on the weeks when you don’t feel to be making progress and you really need a kick up the butt!!!
I know many of you will disagree, as you would love to play the amount of golf I do, but it can be a lonely time, spending hours on the range, or hours in the gym training, and practising on your own; so having good people around you really helps when you feel like you’re not quite achieving what you really want!
But the good thing about the work I have been doing is that I don’t have to stop here with it, it’s something that can keep improving and that’s the exciting thing about it!
And for those of you who don’t quite believe that distance is more important that accuracy, then whether you’re a professional or an Amateur, please read this book!!
So, back in the big bird in the sky, and I started writing this blog en route to Madeira for the first event of the year. Again it was a co-sanctioned event with the European Tour so it’s a huge event for me to start the year.
Some of you may remember me playing the event last year in the fog when the tournament was cut to 36 holes and I just missed the 1 round cut by a shot. So hopefully this year it will be a different story … I can only try my best!
The course in Madeira isn’t great, it plays quite short but the greens can be rather interesting and depending on the weather it can keep the scoring quite high.
But it’s going to be fun to get competing again as that’s when you get to put all the practice to the test!
ROUND 1:
Well, if this was not déjà vu I don’t know what is … It again took three days for everyone to finish round 1!
The course again was covered by fog, but this time to add insult to injury, the winds were gale force and the rain that came with it was horrific! You have to check the photos to believe how bad it was, as I know most of you probably don’t believe me when I say we could not play!!
So after another day of waiting and wishing, the weather never improved and they had to cancel the event! As you can imagine it was a huge shame for everyone involved and for the players who made the cut and in contention it was an opportunity lost!
I finished level par (72) and made the cut, and only being four shots off the lead with a possible 1 round shoot out, it was a shame not to have the opportunity to finish high!!
Hopefully players will now get some expenses back from the Tour and the event may get re-scheduled.
Thoughts on the week:
My game felt good, and throug the round I hit some great shots throughout the bag; driver was great too which is a massive confidence boost after the winter work!
A few weeks at home now before Kenya, where the season will hopefully get going with no more delays … Unless it’s too hot out there, haha!
Another THANK YOU this week must go to Carl Johnson; I really appreciate him coming out to caddy for the week, taking the time off work and then putting in 100% effort around the hills of Madeira was fantastic.
Not many people miss work for a week in the wind, rain, fog and lumping a massive bag around a mountain!! Thanks!
Next up:
Back to regular Challenge Tour action and after a week at home I head back out to Kenya for the third year in a row. I quite like the course out there, it suits me well and I’ve had two solid results in the last 2 years so there’s definitely something to build on!