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Writer's pictureRonan Kleu

Work needed after first four events…

Updated: May 6

The wait is finally over, and we are out competing again, a feeling you do miss in the off-season. SwissGolf kindly organized a pre-season Swiss Golf Team camp in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi during which we practiced and played with the other top players from Switzerland and had the opportunity to work with our various coaches at a great venue. We hosted our own little self-financed three round tournament which I won at -9, giving me some confidence going forward. I then headed to South Africa for my second stage of preparation at the River Club to get acclimatized to golf in South Africa again. Different grass, different altitude, different weather. I stayed with a close friend, Tim Bean, whom I hadn’t seen for about 10 years. His dad played an instrumental part in motivating me to chase my dreams as a professional golfer as he himself was a Sunshine Tour player and an inspiration. A great way to start my time in SA.

 

The first event was at Zebula Golf Estate about 2 hours North of Johannesburg in the “bush”. Animals roamed freely around the estate giving the tournament a very unique feel. I struggled a bit with consistency and ended up shooting a 72, 72 level par 36-hole total to miss the cut by four shots.

 

I did not feel comfortable with my long game at the second event in Cape Town. A tight course and swirling winds left me signing a 77 for my first round. Knowing that I would have a lot less wind being first out at 6:30AM on the Friday, I set out to enjoy the round and shot a great bogey-free 67. This still left me outside the cutline by two shots as I had too much ground to gain after my first round.

 

After that tournament I unfortunately was left searching for my swing a bit, a situation which can be tough to balance. I need to practice enough to instill me with confidence that I have prepared accordingly for a tournament, yet I need to make sure that I don’t tinker with my swing to much or tire myself out pre-event. Similar results ensued as I saw more missed cuts in the third and fourth week, each by a few shots a round. It stings and it definitely was not the South African swing I was hoping for, all I can do though is reflect on the weeks and then look ahead.

 

Reflecting on the four events, I need to be more proactive in recognizing swing and mental tendencies that may creep in when I play a lot of golf. This stretch was a first for me that marked 5 weeks of golf away from home without a coach. Previously, I always had the luxury of having a SwissGolf or college coach onsite to keep my tendencies in check. Now, it’s up to me to develop a proactive model with my coach and mental coach, which will allow me to play with confidence each week. The season is still young, and I can draw some positives from a few solid second round scores, however I recognize that there is work to be done and the time starts now.

 

I finish up my “Spitzensport-RS” with the Swiss Army in a few weeks before heading to Calcutta, India for the Kolkata Invitational. It will be held at Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the oldest golf club outside of the United Kingdom!


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