Hi there,

So I haven’t been very good at writing about the season- but it’s only because my season has been pretty much non-existent until recently. I played my first Futures Tour in Kentucky and missed the cut by 1. My next event after that was in Harrisburg, PA, again I missed the cut by 1. I then went on to play in Richmond, VA and I played very well but my short game let me down and in the end missed the cut. So I played 3 Futures Tour events and was close to being able to play on Sunday but not close enough!! It was all good experience and I learned a lot. Overall, considering the surgery I had in late April and the long lay off with no competitive golf, I’m really not too far away.

Last week I flew out to Phoenix, AZ. I have decided to play in some Cactus Tour events to get some more rounds under my belt and some more experience. I played at Southern Dunes last week and shot 74,72,70. I finished in 2nd place. The wind was howling and scoring was not low because of the weather, so I was really happy with my finish. I have not played in wind like that since my amateur tournaments in England, except it was about 50 degrees warmer at Southern Dunes!!! I carried over that momentum and played this week at Legacy Resort. I shot 69 in the first round and was tied for the lead. I then had a 72 on day 2 and fell back a few shots. Then today I had a 76 and ended up in 4th. I tripled #2 (tee shot OB) and from there on it felt like I had a mountain to climb.. I did get it back to even after 10 holes, but my short game failed to save me on the back 9 and I made a couple of stupid mistakes on par 5’s. Still though, I’ve had some great experience these past couple of weeks playing in the final group for the tournament. Next week I’m playing at Ocotillo Golf Course. I’ll let you know how that goes…. Once I’m back in Atlanta I hope to get my things together and move down to Florida in preparation for the Futures Tour qualifying school. I’m also going to enter European Tour qualifying school. I’m excited!!!! Now I’ve got to work to do… :0)

Last week in Kentucky was a good experience despite missing the cut by one shot. I had rounds of 73, 74.. which I was satisfied with considering I have not competed in 18 months. I’ve had the past 5 days in Atlanta working on my wedge game mostly and organizing for the 5 weeks in a row coming up. Tomorrow I’m flying from Atlanta to Cincinnati and then I’m driving from Cincinnati to Bloomfield, Connecticut! It’s a 14 hour drive so I’m going to stop somewhere in Pennsylvania on Saturday night!! On Monday I’m playing in a pro-am on the course that the tournament is on, so that seems like a nice way to see the course for the first time I have to get going now and fit some practice in too Oh, and I probably should mention that my arm/shoulder is feeling better every day and the physio that I’m doing every day is helping me to gradually get stronger!! I’m so happy to finally be feeling the benefits of the surgery bye for now.

I’m in London, Kentucky this week for my first Futures Tour event.. I’m excited and nervous at the same time.. Ready to get the ball rolling!! The course is nice- Crooked Creek Golf Club. You need to make sure you hit the right parts of the fairways and greens… because of the crooked creeks!!

London is basically country side… Sunday is July 4th.. A BIG day over here in the USA, so on Saturday night I think there are going to be fireworks going off all over the place..

I’m off at 8:50am in the morning from tee #10. You can follow on www.duramedfuturestour.com - the link for live scoring is in the top right hand side…

Wish me luck!

Hi there.. Two weeks from today I’ll be in Kentucky for my first event on the Futures Tour- EXCITED!!!

Last time I updated here I was planning on playing in Mexico- unfortunately I couldn’t play because of the broken rib… While in Mexico I had a lot of thinking time (in the sunshine). I have not been able to get over my thoracic outlet syndrome (for more info on TOS visit http://www.ecentral.com/members/rsanders/) for 4 years now. Throughout my college golf career I was forever in different doctors offices and physios etc. I followed all the programs and did all the exercises. Also, if you add up the amount of rest time i’ve had off golf in the past 4 years it’s probably close to 50% playing, 50% resting. Despite all of this it’s not got any better. I always had pain in my neck, shoulder, upper arm, fore arm, hand and fingers. It’s hard to describe the pain- it’s not super painful, but if i’ve been feeling it for more than 2 days and it sticks around for more than a week- it’s so draining!!! I have trouble sleeping, my left arm is basically useless from being so weak and I get headaches from the neck pain… Last year when I was supposed to play on the Futures Tour I was told about the option of having my first rib removed on my left side. This would free up the nerves and artery that are compressed between my collar bone and first rib. Since I was unable to play golf because of the pain, I decided to take the year off and not have the surgery- I wanted to try one more time to see if physical therapy could help. It didn’t. This is why I decided to have the surgery!!!

Thanks to connections from a good friend in Cincinnati, I was had the surgery 7 weeks ago. I would have updated sooner, but It seems every time I get excited about being fit and healthy I’d get another set back!! This time I’ve waited to make sure I know I’m good to go!! I can’t tell you how frustrating it has been over the past few years.. The surgeons Dr. Vester and Dr. Larson are both very happy with the result of the surgery and Dr Vester told me that I had “the most pronounced case of TOS” that he’d ever seen. I know it’s not what you’d want, but I was relieved to hear that I was not crazy and that all my complaining of pain etc the past few years was more than just tendonitis!

I recently got back to Atlanta from a much needed trip home to England. It was so good to see my family and friends. I feel refreshed from my trip home and I’m now ready to work hard. It’s now the first week in June and I have just under a month to get my game in good shape for my first tournament which will be in London, Kentucky. I aim to play in every remaining Futures Tour event after that. As I work on my game and get into competition I will be taking good care of my left shoulder. Every day I am working on strengthening the area and I have to stretch throughout the day. My body will slowly adapt to the surgery and soon I should be feeling like a new person :):) At the moment the back of my left arm is still numb from the surgery but it’s nothing that should keep me from doing anything.

I will let you know how my practice goes over the next few weeks… I hope this is the start of a long healthy career!

Before I write about my plans with Mexico I’d like to share my condolences with family and friends of Jenna Bonas, a friend that I went to school with in England. Jenna passed away on March 15th, one week ago. When I heard the sad news I was in total shock and I have been thinking about Jenna and her family all week. Jenna was such a lovely person and it’s such a tragic loss of life at only 23 years old. I’m remembering all the good times from our school lives at Shotley Bridge Junior School and Blackfyne Comprehensive in Consett. Jenna’s funeral is on Wednesday March 24th- I send my apologies that I will not be able to attend. I will be thinking about Jenna and her family from thousands of miles away in Mexico. I wanted to write a few lines to express my sympathy. When something so awfully tragic like this happens it puts a new perspective on life and anything that we find ourselves caught up in.

Rest in peace my friend, you will never be forgotten.

Jenna Anne Louise Bonas-15/6/1986- 15/3/2010

Mexico

The ribs are still sore… but the doctor said I can play if I can bear it!! (thanx for the spelling tip Mam- thank goodness i checked my email this morning!) Sooo, I have practice rounds on Tuesday and Thursday before the tournament starts Friday. I’m excited to go to Mexico- I’ve never been! I insulted my house mate by stating that I was super excited because I’ve never been to South America… I did not realise that Mexico is part of North America.. (my house mate is Costa Rican) At least I know now.

I’m off to Atlanta airport at 7am in the morning where I’ll meet Rachel Connor.. She’s flying Tampa-Atlanta-Puerto Vallarta.. Crazy thing is that she just asked me what seat I’m in and as it turns out we are right beside each other without even planning it :):)

I’ll take plenty of pictures and write to you next week when I’m back in the U S of A!!

Ciao

As it turns out I have cracked my ribs and bruised the intercostal muscles… I’m going to rest for this week (as the doctor told me). I withdrew from Winter Haven this week which would have been the first Futures Tour event of the year… I’m really sad about that but injuries are injuries and I need to get better so I can play the rest of the season. The doctor thought a few weeks off would be more beneficial, but I already have my flight booked for Mexico and I don’t want to lose my entry fee and all that kinda thing so I’m planning on going to Mexico on Monday March 22nd (one week from now).

This week I’ll stay in Atlanta and try to get better…. Ohhh and I’m #23 currently on the alternate list for Daytona Beach which is also disappointing. A lot of LPGA players are in the field due to their schedules this year which is why quite a few Futures players have been booted out!

Never mind… jogon.com. I tried to upload a video blog but it would not work.. I’ll work on it and maybe make this blogging site more interesting!!!

Ciao

On Friday (March 5th) I practiced a little before driving down to Orlando. I was at Eagles Landing (the course i practiced at with Georgia State) and when I was chipping to one of the greens, I stepped back to line it up and my right leg shot down a drain that i hadn’t seen and I didn’t stop falling in until my hips backside hit the ground!! I was winded for a couple of minutes… My friends came over to help me up and I had grazed all down my right leg… The drain was covered with a metal top but it was not secure- so when I stood on it it flipped!!! Anyway- I didn’t think anything of it- just carried on- slightly embarrassed that I’d fallen down a drain!

On Saturday I practiced at Sugarloaf Mountain in Clermont, Florida. The weather was great and it was nice to be able to practice in shorts and short sleeves!! My left side/rib area was quite sore that night after practicing but I never thought anything more of it. So… Sunday I played a practice round at Rio Pinar for the Florida Open… I didn’t play that great in the practice round but got to know the course!! After Sunday I realized that when I took more than a short breath- my left side/ribs were really hurting me. I couldn’t face lying on my left side and every time I laughed it hurt!!!! I suddenly realized that I may have actually damaged something when I fell down that stupid drain at Eagles Landing!! Anyway- I played the first round on Monday and shot 76. I started birdie, birdie and was level on the front.. Then on the back 9.. the wheels kinda came off for 4 holes- I dropped 5 shots in 4 holes= NOT HAPPY. I birdied 17 and just missed birdie on 18.. 76. Not great but all in all, not that bad considering how much time it’s been since I last competed!

On Tuesday I was in quite a considerable amount of pain and I knew something was wrong with my ribs but I was determined to carry on. I ended up shooting 74. I didn’t start well- so I was pleased to hang in there through 18 holes and I managed to birdie 18 which always a good feeling. As soon as I was off the golf course I called my physio in Atlanta and made an appointment for this Thursday- tomorrow. I’m probably going to have an X-ray and then decide what I do from there. I’m absolutely gutted at the thought that I may miss next weeks opening tournament on the Futures Tour, but at the same time, I have to take care of this injury so that I don’t over compensate and injure something else (I have done this many times before!). Sooooo, I will write again tomorrow when I know what the deal is.. bottom line is that my plans were to stay in Florida and not come back to Atlanta and now they’ve changed slightly!! We shall see. I’ll post a pic of me playing this week at Rio Pinar Country Club (courtesy of Lina Bustos!)

Hey Y’all!!! (that’s my Southern US accent)

I can’t quite believe February has gone already. It was my birthday on the 26th and usually it seems like the 26th takes forever to come around-but not this year!!

The weather in Atlanta has been shocking.. So cold and windy. We’ve even had snow. Not the weather that makes you want to be outside practicing all day every day. I feel like I’ve had a cold since the end of January- On my birthday I woke up feeling so ill I finally decided to go to the doc! Turns out I have Bronchitis and an ear infection!! LOVELY!!! Soooo, I’m taking antibiotics that are going to get me feeling back to normal!! I have until Friday when I leave for Florida

Other than trying to shake off what I thought was a cold I haven’t really been up to anything new- just practicing and working on some things that will help me start the season off well. I’ve done a lot of work on wedges recently- I’ve still got bags of room for improvement, but overall I’m happy with my progress!!

I have all my Kentwool shirts, hats and SOCKS ready to rock on the golf course. I’m loving the new Kentwools I just got- they are super comfy and in this weather I need them to keep my feet toasty! I heard this week that Bubba Watson is now wearing Kentwools! - That’s awesome!!

I’ll be driving down to Orlando on Friday in preperation for the Florida Women’s Open next week. I’ll write again from Orlando- hopefully I’ll get some action shots posted for you!

Stay Warm!!

Arizona was great fun. The whole trip was organized by my coach, Jeanne Dooley and sports psychologist and researcher, Dr. Debbie Crews. Throughout the week they had organized different activities, some on the golf course or driving range and others at Debbie’s house where she has all of her animals!

This picture above is Debbie’s golf research mobile laboratory- She’s the mental game coach for Arizona State University golf teams and she also works with many other professional tour players. Her home is amazing, so down to earth and kinda crazy with all the animals she has. Debbie has 2 smaller ponies, a zebra, 2 lamas, a pigmy goat, 2 monkeys, a dog, a cat and around 15 horses- really big horses- i’ve forgotten what type they are- Sorry!

Debbie uses her horses to train the minds of golfers. Our first instruction was to go into the field where all the horses were and we had to each pick a horse and bring it to the gate. I was petrified- I don’t know why but i’ve always been scared of horses and i’ve never gone near one, or ever wanted to!! I was struggling to breathe walking toward the horses… I eventually managed to pick one and it followed me back to the gate- i didn’t need the rope! We had a little group discussion after we had done some different horse activities like grooming and cleaning their shoes! In our discussion Debbie wanted us to guess what kind of personality each of our horses had. After we each explained our interpretation, she told us how the horses really were. She also told us how people generally pick horses with similar personalities to themselves. I had picked the horse which Debbie described as being scared to death and a nervous wreck but always gets the job done. Debbie already knows me a little and how I am on the golf course, so she thought it was perfect that I had picked Bella- because Debbie knows that my personality is kind of similar on the golf course!

Here is me and Bella:

We did a lot of other really interesting things with the horses and i learned a lot form Bella! For example, we walked with them up and down the road and if i allowed myself to panic or if i was thinking of something that i’m not happy/uncomfortable with- Bella would not walk beside me- she’d go off to the side as if she was irritated. However, when i was calm and my mind was focused on where i wanted Bella to walk she was fine and she just followed me without any tugging on ropes or any shouting! It was really strange but cool!

By the end of the day i was relaxed around the horses and i even rode one just to say that i did it!!

As well as all the horse activities we also played around with different mental strategies on the golf course. Debbie and Jeanne gave us different strategies/things to think about on every hole and through trial and error we could determine which of the strategies would be most useful for each of us. I couldn’t possibly tell you though- that would give too much away! haha :0P

We played the Karsten Course at ASU, Talking Sticks Golf Course and Ocotillo Golf Course. They were all great and the weather was awesome. On Friday (day 5) we were due to fly back to Atlanta from Phoenix, but Delta cancelled all the flights because of snow storms in Atlanta!! I managed to get a ticket for the following day and on Friday we played another 18 holes seen as it was blue sky & sunshine, 70 degrees!! Needless to say when i got home last night i was not loving the snow here in Atlanta.

The weather forecast is not looking good for the next week but i’ll work around it- fingers crossed that the sun comes out more than it says it’s going to!! I have a lot of work to do on my wedge game…

Tomorrow I will be going to a Bikram Yoga class. Bikram Yoga is done in a hot room- heated to 105 degrees… It’s supposed to be really good for you and even better for golfers!! Wish me luck.. i’ll let you know how it goes…

Here’s me a little scared of the Lama and Zoe the Zebra!!