Hi Everyone,
It certainly looks good for us to return to golf at the end of March and let us hope for only weather interruptions for the rest of this year and beyond.
Lockdown has been tough for all of us, none more so than the players on the Ladies European Tour who had a truncated season in 2020 along with uncertainty as to whether the Tour would survive. Well, good news came last week with the announcement that a partnership with the LPGA had been finalised. The players can now look forward to 27 events across 19 countries starting in May with 200 hours of live broadcast. Moving forwards the Tour is financially secure, and these great players now have somewhere to ply their trade with decent rewards on offer.
I took the opportunity to catch up with our very own LET Professional, Hannah Burke to see how she is preparing for the upcoming challenge.
Q. How has Lockdown III been for you and how has it affected your preparation for the upcoming season?
A. Well clearly not ideal and certainly going away for some warm weather training would have normally been on my list! However, during November it gave me the chance to do extra strength training, which when you are playing is difficult mainly because of how sore you feel afterwards. During the week now I do 3 strength sets which involves squats, jumping, skipping and using the stretch bands. I will then do cardio too which is mainly cycling, although when I am able to acquire a machine instead, intend to join the Peleton craze 😊 Ideally, I like to split my long and short game practice, and in normal times I am a player who uses playing golf as practice, so certainly looking forward to April and getting back on the course to sharpen up.
Q. How do you feel your game is all things considered?
A. As it is an Olympic year the Government put rules in place so that Elite Athletes were still able to practice. So, I have been able to hit some balls on the range at Mid Herts, which I am very grateful for and like everyone else I have been putting on the carpet at home too!
Q. What goals do you have this year?
A. Well, I finished the last full season in 25th place on the Order of Merit which qualifies me for all the events, and I would like to push towards the top 10 and look to win an event, which qualifies you to play in the Evian, which is an awesome event.
Q. I believe there are some events on home soil this year?
A. Although not confirmed as to where, there are a few events in the UK this year, so I am hoping that, if spectators are allowed, as many of you as possible can come along to support. I really appreciate all the support Mid Herts and its members have given me over the years and feel so fortunate to have played my junior golf here. Really looking forward to a great year and wishing you, your families, and your golf all the best too.
Q. And finally, who has inspired you most in the ladies game?
A. Growing up for me a great inspiration was Laura Davies. I always enjoyed her free wheeling and positive style of playing golf. Since I came out on tour she has been really encouraging and a brilliant role model to me and a lot of the ladies. It was a great endorsement for ladies golf when she received her DBE (Dame Laura Davies) for her service to golf.
It was good spending some time with Hannah and I thought I would include this sequence to see how good Hannah’s swing mechanics are and give us all something to aspire to when we return.
At the time of writing this, it is unclear if the Rose series, one day events for the LET Professionals to play in, which was such a success last year will happen, as clearly demand on the courses will be high. Hopefully, a few can be organised for the players as it would be useful to have some competitive golf to play in prior to the season starting. The rebirth of the LET is terrific news, and I am so pleased for Hannah and women golfers like her as the future looks brighter than a year ago. We look forward to following her progress and seeing her at the Club. Keep an eye out for some playing and clinic opportunities with her that we intend to fit into her schedule.
Stay Safe and Stay Sane
Barney
Fellow of the PGA