Tournament: Ladies Slovak Open, Talé, Slovakia
Date: 20th - 23rd June 2013
After all the rain which seemed to be following the LET around, the forecast in Slovakia  promised to be very good. I was looking forward to the sunshine and to putting my new found confidence with my game to the test. I didn't have the best of memories of the course from last year, so I was hoping to get my revenge on it.
It's set in the mountains on a ski resort in Talé, Bystrica. A beautiful setting, but as you can appreciate, it's miles from anywhere and a bit of a mountain goat track!
We arrived to a very warm 30 degrees. Unfortunately, none of the hotels had air-con and are all made of wood, so trying to get to sleep in effectively a sauna was particularly difficult. Some nights we resorted to pouring water on our beds, it was the only way we could think to cool down!!
We had a practice round on the Tuesday. I was completely sapped of energy by the 13th hole. A combination of very little sleep and 90% humidity. So I decided just to hit the tee shots and do some putting. I knew the course, so it was just a case of familiarising myself.
I was striking the ball really nicely,  it was just a matter of putting the ball in the right place on these vast and undulating greens and knocking in a few putts.
The hosts look after us very well in The Slovak Open. Every evening we have a huge buffet and every evening has different entertainment too. A great opportunity for all the players and caddies to socialise together.
Wednesday was another scorcher, but storms were expected in the afternoon. We managed to get on the course early for 9 holes before the pro -am. Sure enough, the storm prediction was right. All of a sudden the skies turned black, and the rumbles of thunder surrounded the mountains. It was huge, like something out of Armageddon! We had torrential rain, hail the size of peas and claps of thunder with such force they were setting car alarms off! Incredible contrast from one minute to the next.
Day 1 of the tournament started unusually for me. I was going through my warm up when my left foot gave way! It felt like cramp every time I put weight on it. It transpired that my metatarsal joint had dropped, which gave me a shooting pain. Thankfully Andy our tour physio was on hand; so having dealt with that, I only had 20mins left before I had to tee off. It didn't do me any harm, I played really well, carding a 73. Maybe I should shorten my warm up all the time?!
The following day was a little tougher. The 5 and a half hour rounds in the heat made it especially hard to concentrate. Despite having a brolly up to keep me cool, it's a long time to be out on the course. I was still playing well, but a couple of slack shots put me in wrong positions on the green causing me to 3 putt. I had a bug fly into my ear on another shot, which cost me a bogey. Unfortunately resulted in missing the cut by a shot. This was disappointing for me, as I know I played better than my score suggested.
However, the improvements I've made in my game are definitely coming together. I really feel like I'm on the brink of a break through. I just need to stay positive and hopefully the good stuff is just around the corner.

Tournament: Uni Credit German Ladies Open at Gut Hausern, Dachau, Munich
Date: 30th May - 2nd June

I arrived back home from Amsterdam at 10pm for a quick repack ready to leave for Munich the next morning. The rumours about the weather in Germany were not at all good, so I threw in a couple of extra layers!
We'd been informed that parts of the course were closed, so after being dropped off at the hotel by our private Audi shuttle we ended up snoozing for the rest of the afternoon to recharge the batteries.
Tuesday morning was glorious, bright blue skies and sunshine! We knew this was the last of the good weather this week, so we made the most of it. The 7th hole was still closed and there were a lot of soggy patches but despite this the course and the greens were in great shape. The par 3 course was open too, so I got in some quality pitching practice.
Sadly, the forecast was right and Wednesday was cold and wet. The Pro- Am went ahead but a lot of the holes were turned into Par 3's. I did what I could to practice, but it was a bit of a waste of time. So I spent most of the morning in Gene's Tour Van drinking hot chocolate and getting my lie's and lofts checked!
Round 1 got under way on Thursday, there was still a lot of casual water on the course, but it was playable. I teed off 10, starting with a solid par. I felt good and was really enjoying the moment. I was striking my irons beautifully, hitting it close all day. Could I buy a putt? It would seem not! I got to the half way stage 4 over par! I couldn't understand it, my game felt good. I was determined not to let my score deter me. It wasn't until the 7th (my 16th) where I finally chipped in for birdie. "Yes, come on!" I said. I got onto the Par 3 8th tee, flushed my 7iron to 14ft and rolled in my first putt of the day. Now that's more like it. One more I thought. My last hole; I played it well, hit 4iron to 18ft and just missed out for my 3rd consecutive birdie. I was pleased to have fought back to a respectable score but if only a couple of those putts had dropped, it would have been a different story. I told myself that the putts would drop tomorrow. So I thought....
Friday was a complete wash out. It had rained all through the night and showed no signs of stopping. Half the course was under water and play was cancelled for the day. Having waited for most the morning for the announcements, Al, Hannah, Mallory's family and myself decided we should go to see the Concentration Camp. A truly moving and shocking experience, but we felt we had to see it.
I woke up the following morning, only to receive a message saying that the cut had been reduced to 18 holes. I was devastated. Missed by 2 and no chance to play my way into the top 60.  Unfortunately the rain was still lashing down and they didn't feel they could get the whole field round the course again. The decision was made that they would try to play 9 holes. At end of play, Charley Hull and Carlota Ciganda shared the lead.
The rain continued and on Sunday morning, the organisers announced that play was cancelled due to 90% of the course being under water. However, they still needed to determine a winner. So a play-off took place on the par 3 15th.
It was so sad to have such a great tournament ruined by mother nature but hopefully this won't happen too often. I can't remember the last time I've wanted to come home early to better weather! The worlds gone mad ;)

Tournament: Deloitte Ladies Open at The International GC, Amsterdam
Date: 24th - 26th May

I learned a lot from Turkey about myself and my game. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to put myself or Jake through that again. We had a good chat about things to iron out any kinks and to move forward.
Mum and Dad decided they'd like to come to Amsterdam, see what tour life is all about and probably to make sure I'm behaving too!
On Monday we left sunny Cheltenham and arrived to a rather dismal Amsterdam. Hoping to play 9 holes at least, I hit some balls on the range to warm up. The weather got progressively worse, so Jake and I decided to walk the front 9 with a putter, so at least I could visualise a plan.
A new location on a new course this year, only opened 6 months ago and designed by Ian Woosnam. The International  certainly doesn't disappoint, and at £28,000 joining fee, it shouldn't! Although I have to say, I think Woosy got a bit carried away with undulations, and for a small person, he likes his big greens!
Tuesday was a better day which allowed us to get 18 holes in. The more you're able to play this course the better. I've never seen such enormous greens in all my life, well apart from St Andrews, but those are shared greens and these weren't. Dad likened it to The Oxfordshire, it definitely has its similarities.
Wednesday was Pro-Am day, so there was no chance of getting on the course. A good opportunity to hone my skills and sharpen up my game. In the afternoon, Mum, Dad and I took a tram into the picturesque city of Amsterdam and had a little wonder.
As it's only a 3 day tournament this week, Thursday was our last chance to see the course, however we had to be off the course at 11:45 for yet another Pro-Am, so at 7am with the rain lashing down, we teed off. It turned out to be a beautiful morning and was a great idea to play.
Tournament day and I wasn't having the greatest of warm-ups. My rhythm was off and with all the gear we were wearing to keep warm, my swing was getting short. Nevertheless, I cleared my mind and just tried to do the best I could with what I had.
Only hitting 7 greens in regulation put a lot of pressure on my short game to keep a score going, sadly my efforts were over shadowed by a bad decision off the 16th tee and a terrible swing on 4, which cost me 5 shots. I was +7 for the day, and feeling pretty downhearted. The weather then improved for the afternoon players, so that only poured salt on the wound.
Before round 2, I extended my warm-up to see if I could find something to work with. Any confidence I could find was good news. I felt ready for the challenge.
Before I could blink, I'd dropped 3 shots in the first 2 holes. Followed by a double on 5! I know it was windy but this wasn't what I'd planned at all. I was shaking my head in disbelief, gave myself a good talking to and finished -1 for the last 13 holes. It was great to finish on a positive note, but the disappointment of another missed cut when it could have been prevented was very frustrating.
I spent Sunday on the range, looking ahead to Germany, then watched a couple of my friends play their last few holes before heading home.