*I am now the monthly columnist in the Yorkshire Golfer Magazine, the below blog is a copy from the February edition*
Hello again…
Well, for me February was all about practice, practice and more practice!
Despite the poor weather, which we have throughout our winter months and always will have, I am lucky enough to be able to spend my hours indoor at Woodsome Hall.
Woodsome really is a fantastic indoor and outdoor facility and not many clubs can boast an indoor teaching studio and a 40ft indoor putting green, and with putting being a major focus for me this winter it’s great to be able to ‘putt’ the hours in.
But being stuck at home battling the elements does have some positives … just looking through the Challenge Tour schedule each week at all the amazing golf courses I am going to play really gets me excited about the season ahead – and visiting a variety of wonderful countries is pretty special.
My main goal this year is to achieve a full European Tour card and with the category I have on the Challenge Tour it really is a realistic target.
And after playing the Nelson Mandela event in South Africa back in December, and having that taste again of life on tour, it only fuels my desire even more and makes all that practice worthwhile.
Since getting back from South Africa I also managed to get down to London to meet my equipment supplier, Mizuno; they are a great company and have now brought out an amazing new driver and 3 wood which have gone straight in the bag!
The driver is the first club I have ever tested and seen immediate improvement in dispersion and distance.
I’ve also managed to put the driver and 3 wood to competitive test a few times in February and winning on the 1836 Tour at Fulford on the 17th was surely a highlight of the month. Looking through my stats that day I hit 13 fairways, which I was very happy with around a visually demanding golf course.
It was also great to have my good friend and caddy back on the bag (Steve Tooby) for Fulford, and I have him in the diary for at least 8 Challenge Tour events this season, which is a huge advantage.
Steve has caddied for me for around four years now and we have had plenty of success as a team, winning numerous events on the Europro Tour! He’s the ultimate professional and having a caddy of his quality on my bag can only give me an advantage over my fellow competitors.
But there are high costs involved in taking a caddy around the world with you, so at times – such as my next event in Kenya – the local club will supply local caddies at a cheaper rate.
We end up paying them around £17 a round plus a tip, which believe it or not is actually four times more than they normally get paid!!
Anyway, that’s it from me for now but hopefully March’s blog will be about a successful trip to Kenya …
Look forward to getting in touch again soon.
Chris
chrishansongolf.thefreshlab.co.uk