Charlotte Ellis Tour Professional
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Lalla Meryem Cup

10/4/2013

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Tournament: Lalla Meryem Cup, Agadir, Morocco
Date: 28th - 31st March 2013
Since returning from Australia, I made the decision to commit to some swing changes. The reason being that I want to improve but also because I had been suffering from pain in my forearms.
To understand why this was happening Stuart Little (my coach) and I  went to Reigate to see Mark Bull, who specialises in Biomechanics. It was extremely informative and helped us to understand exactly why I've developed forearm pain. Stuart and I have been working together to implement these changes. It's a slow process but I can already notice the difference in my forearms.
Morocco was the first event on the European Calendar and I was looking forward to escaping the frankly disgusting weather we've been having. I knew it was going to be a tough week, as up until a week before I had only managed a half swing with an 8iron!  There's never a good time to make swing changes, it just takes a lot of patience.
Arriving at Golf de L'Ocean and being able to hit balls with less than 5 layers on was very refreshing. You forget what a bit of blue sky and sunshine does to make all the difference! I was also keen to work on my putting as I haven't been able to practice this properly. They weren't as smooth as I'd hoped but they were a world away from the winter greens and the carpet at home.
On Wednesday I had an unexpected and rare treat. I played a practice round with the legend Laura Davies. Apparently I'm on a short list of people who have ever done that as she normally uses the Pro-Am as her practice round. It was so lovely. She really is such a wonderful and approachable person. I asked her how many swing changes she's had to make in her career, she said "None, I've never had a lesson!" So then I asked if she's had help with the mental side of the game, she said, "it's all just common sense, you can't go far wrong if you use common sense." Got to love her. Hehe
Day one of the Lalla Meryem Cup and we were greeted by some fairly breezy conditions; at least a 2/3 club wind with strong gusts. I hadn't really done much wind practice and keeping the ball down proved to be difficult. My short game was going to need to be good. Unfortunately, not only was my long game off kilter, my putting wasn't great either. I kept leaving myself 5-6 footers and I missed every single one, which wasn't like me at all! I felt good over the putts, but they decided that going round the edge was more fun! I tried to stay positive but it became more and more demoralising the more I made bogeys. There was no doubt about it, it was a tough day. They weren't easy conditions, but I never expected to miss quite so many putts. Thankfully I was part of a very friendly group, and we all got on like a house on fire, otherwise I would have been beside myself. Tomorrow was another day.
Day 2 was a lot less windy, so I was able to find a bit more connection in my swing. I was hoping I could get some putts to drop and start making the all important birdies that had eluded me the day before! Sadly, it was a similar story on the greens but on the plus side I gave myself a lot more opportunities for birdie, I just wasn't taking them.
As I had the weekend off, it meant that I could spend some quality time working on my swing. After a spot of lunch, I popped next door to watch the men at Golf du Palais for bit. I caught up with fellow Gloucestershire player Chris Lloyd, he was just coming to the end of his 3rd round, and he recognised me prancing outside the ropes! It was great to see him doing so well. What a beautiful course, tough but very picturesque, fit for a king you might say! 
Glad to be home for a few weeks to continue the hard graft on the swing in preparation for the next event. Lets just hope Spring arrives soon.
Enjoy the Masters this week. I've got my money on Rose and Kuchar, but I can't help but think Tiger's got something special up his sleeve. Very exciting!


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First event as a rookie

2/4/2012

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Tournament: Lalla Meryem Cup, Agadir, Morocco
Date:March 22nd - 25th 2012
   Preparations for my 1st tournament in Morocco were slightly disrupted due to a stiff neck. In the 10 days leading up to the event I wasn’t able to hit full shots. However, this didn’t stop me working on my short game!
Sunday 18th: Phil (my brother) and I are packed and ready for an early flight on Monday morning. Airports are normally boring places, but it was great to catch up with some old friends that I hadn’t seen for a while. :)
  Ten hours of travelling and a terrifying taxi transfer later, we finally reach our hotel, where we were greeted by some very friendly hotel staff who looked after our bags, while we checked in. After a much needed sleep by the pool, to lower our heart rates, we decided to go and walk 9 holes around the Golf de l’Ocean. The course was about a 10 minute drive away. Shuttles were provided for us every day, running every half an hour to take us to and from the course.
Tuesday 19th: Gaining access to the course and areas within the complex were very secure. We had to display our ID badges to security wherever we went. i.e.: The players lounge or the toilet; so if you forgot your badge, you weren’t let in!
  This was also the 1st practice day for the majority of the players, so it was a great opportunity to see the course, make some good notes and get a feel for the place. I arranged to play with a couple of good friends, Hannah Burke and Lucy Williams who had also brought their own caddies. We had great fun, and lots of laughs. Chris (Hannah’s caddy) had been told that ‘Goats climb trees’, so we spent most of the day joking about that! And no we didn’t see any goats up trees!
  Getting used to the local food is something you don’t necessarily take into consideration until you arrive. Some players were quite ill in the first couple of days, so it made you quite nervous about what you should eat.
Wednesday 20th: In the morning, I had what’s called ‘Rookie Hours’. This enabled the Players Council to welcome the new kids on Tour and explain what goes on; Rules and regulations, fines, tournament entries/withdrawals and Media stuff. There’s a lot more to being a pro than you think. One thing that did stick in our minds from the meeting was the 800euro fine if your caddie doesn’t rake a bunker properly! Ouch
  Thursday 21st: Round 1.
  8:00am off the 1st. The alarm was set for 5:30am. If you weren’t a morning person, you will be by the end of the week!
  As to be expected, I was a little nervy over the first couple of holes, but I soon settled down after I all but holed my 3rd shot into the Par 5 2nd. It also helped having my little brother on the bag, he’s not done much caddying for me before, but I think he had a lot of fun. He wasn’t bad either ;)
  I thoroughly enjoyed my 1st day, my only disappointment was making double on 17, otherwise I was pleased with how I had coped in a new environment.
Friday 22nd: Round 2
 The second day of the tournament threw up all sorts of problems. There were very high winds, sandstorms and thunder. This lead to a 5 hour delay. I eventually teed off at 5:20pm, but could only squeeze 6 holes in before the claxon went for bad light. Unfortunately this meant a very early start the next day, as 85 players needed to complete their rounds to find out what the cut was going to be.
Saturday 23rd: Round 2 cont.
  We were up at 5:00am and on the range at 6:15am, where it was still dark and the mosquitoes were out in force. We were all shuttled to position for a shotgun start at 7:30am. I restarted on the 16th hole (my 7th), which was a Par 3 over water, slightly unnerving, but I managed to get my head down and start with 5 straight pars. Despite not hitting the ball particularly well for most of the week, I managed to keep the mistakes to a minimum, with my putter doing a lot of the work. Having made an unlikely birdie on my 17th hole, I hoped it would be enough to make the cut. After an anxious wait, I sadly found out that I missed the cut by 1 shot. Of course, I was very disheartened, and Phil, was also disappointed for me. To think that out of 147 shots I could have easily saved 1 shot is very frustrating.  
  All in all, it’s been a great experience. I already love my new job and I can’t wait to tee it up at the next event. 

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First up Morocco.

8/3/2012

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Tournament: Lalla Meryem Cup, Golf de l´Ocean Agadir, Morocco
Date: March 22nd - 25th 2012
Looking forward to my first event on the Ladies European Tour in Morocco! Finally beginning to realise the significance of it all. With my little brother on the bag, we will be teeing off in some pretty idyllic sunny weather, I hope. Best take the sun-cream.. :)
Follow my progress via the links below.
Event Details: [http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/tournament.php?id=56813]
Tournament Website: [http://www.lallameryemgolfcup.com/]
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