By the time you read this I’ll probably have already played at the Gainbridge LPGA, before the LPGA Drive On Championship, both in Florida, writes ASHLEIGH BUHAI in the latest Compleat Golfer.
Which is a good thing as I live in in the state, but I’m in the south and those two events are more central, in Orlando and Ocala.
I took four weeks away from the game at the end of last year and then spent three weeks shaking off all the rust in January in the buildup to the 2021 season. First of all I had to find a golf club to join, which is easier said than done. There are so many professional golfers in the south Florida area that they don’t allow one to practise anywhere for free and unfortunately the courses in this area are also mostly geared for PGA Tour golfers, not those playing on the LPGA or Kornferry Tours.
With the help of some local people, I ended up joining Hobe Sound Golf Club. It’s a member-owned private club situated about a 30-minute drive from where we live. It’s also down the road from the famous Medalist Golf Club where Tiger Woods and a few other PGA Tour players practise.
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The Hobe Sound course was redesigned two years ago by Tom Fazio Jr. It plays fast and it has plenty of run-offs around the greens, so it’s ideal for short-game practice. What I have enjoyed the most about practising there is the quietness. There is also no tee-time policy, so you can jump on a golf cart and play a few holes just about any time of the day that suits you.
I also started working with a new golf-specific personal trainer, Ken Macdonald. It has been great getting back into training three times a week again and hopefully the work will pay off this season.
Although I feel like I have done a good job in finding my feet in Florida it has been quite an adjustment for me. I would normally use this time of year to sit down with my coach, Doug Wood, discuss my schedule, set out my goals and come up with a gameplan to achieve this. We have still been able to do this, but it’s been a little different doing lessons via FaceTime.
With South Africa now also being added to the travel ban list in the US because of the new Covid-19 variant, it has made things a little tricker getting Doug over here. But as he’s essential support to myself and Erik van Rooyen, he was scheduled to come to the US for a week of preparation practice before my first tournament.
All in all, I am really looking forward to the 2021 season and hoping to finally get that first LPGA Tour ‘W’.
