Melanie Holmes-Smith

MRS MELANIE BRYDEN

2009-02-24T14:48:00.006+11:00

Hello! I have now changed to my married name of Melanie Bryden. As a result please see my new blog at -

www.melaniebryden.blogspot.com

"Let's Beat Bowel Cancer" - Kingston Heath GC

2008-10-29T21:00:00.004+11:00

Today I was lucky enough to be involved in the 2008 "Let's Beat Bowel Cancer" fundraising event at the Kingston Heath Golf Club.

I was stationed with Sam Newman on the 10th Hole where I competed against players to raise funds for the charity. We managed about $1600 which was great.

This was a fantastic event, even more so when I had the opportunity to meet Mr Peter Thompson, 5 time British Open Winner. It was awesome.

Mr Thompson played with Todd Woodbridge, John Fitzgerald and Wayne Arthurs. I cornered them for a photo opportunity with Sam Newman also. I also managed to sneakily film their swings. Check it out...

Mr Thompson -

Todd Woodbridge -

John Fitzgerald -

Wayne Arthurs -

2008/2009 Playing Schedule

2008-08-16T16:06:00.002+10:00

After much deliberation I have decided to stay in Australia for the next three months.

I was considering heading to Europe for 2 tournaments in the Scandic swing and a few secondary tournaments in Sweden. Unfortunately I felt that it was a lopsided option considering the costs to get there against the possible returns.

So my plans are as follows -

August to Mid-November - Training at Cobram Barooga GC

Mid-November to late December - ALPG Tour Pro-Am series

Early January '09 - Ladies European Tour Qualifying School

Late January to late February - ALPG Tour major tournaments including...
Women's Australian Open
ANZ Ladies Masters
NSW Open
NZ Women's Open (to be confirmed)

This means I will use the Pro-Am series as a warm-up for LET Q-school. This is where the moneys raised from my fundraiser will be used. I believe this is the best option as I will be relaxed playing the lead in events giving myself the best chance in Spain in January.

Dining-in night - Blamey Barracks, Kapooka

2008-08-16T13:26:00.002+10:00

Stuey took me to my first dining-in night at the Kapooka Blamey Barracks last night. We had a wonderful night and it was fantastic to see all the officers dressed in their dining uniforms. The Army band playing Jazz music through out dinner and we finished the night with a toast to the Queen and a toast to the Australian Army.

Melanie Holmes-Smith FUNDRAISING EVENT

2008-08-16T10:51:00.009+10:00

On Friday 1st August 2008 the Cobram-Barooga Golf Club was kind enough to host my Europe/USA Tours Fundraising Event on the Old Course.

After a 2:30am finish the night before we were just about ready to go by 12:30pm for the 18 hole Ambrose event.

Mum and Loren Bunting still working late Thursday night -

Pa Holmes working out his game plan for the Old Course -

After a delicious BBQ lunch cooked by Arnie Manuel, Nana Holmes and Soopercaddy we set off.

I was based on the 10th tee, filming each player, a few tips here and there, and a few helping tee shots from me when needed by a desperate team!

The day started lovely, a little fresh but the sun was shining. By 1pm we were in serious strife when the sky started to blacken in all areas. When the hail chucked down for 10 mins straight it was almost time to abandon ship. But the storm passed, the sun came out and the players soldiered on for another 4 hours, soaking wet and freezing cold. But they all grinned when the passed me on the 10th tee, I'm sure a few were possibly faked for my benefit!!

Mum showing her style -

Me, Jaidyn Vaenuku, Chris Crawford and Jenny Hindson -

Ruth, our drinks cart girl! -

The kangaroos getting amongst it by the 18th green -

By 6pm we headed down stairs to a beautiful function room. During the night we had 40 silent auction items ranging from olive oil, to cricket memorabilia to doona covers. We also had 8 large auction items with holiday packages to the Bellarine Peninsula, a 2 hour lesson with me and also a Carlton FC Jersey personally signed by Brendan Fevola.

Our wonderful auctioneer Mark Missen, one half of Southern FM's Raider's Team -

Me spilling the beans on why now -

The Superstar winning team of John, Rosemary and Matt Staines from Griffith and little Seone Vaenuku and Amanda Quinane from the Bendigo Bank -

A special presentations for the juniors who played -

A few of the 40 silent auction items -

Every single auction item and prize was donated by sponsors. I received the most amazing support.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MAJOR SPONSORS -

CLUB CAR and BENDIGO BANK

THANKS TO ALL OTHER SPONSORS -

From the Cobram/Barooga region...

Cobram Barooga Golf Club

Chef Michael Stokes

Barooga Sports Club

Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ambience Bakery

Exflo Hospitality Supplies

Sauci Sista gift pack

Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory

Paul Ukich Pharmacy

Paul Roberts Jewellers

Fasta Pasta & Pizza Italian Restaurant

Tavern Room Chinese Restaurant

Monichino Wines of Victoria

Fyffe Field Wines

Safeway, Cobram

Barooga General Store Newsagency

Top Video

Riverview Juices Pty Ltd

South Corp Wines

The Big Strawberry

Boosey Creek Cheese

Murray Goulburn

From the surrounding regions...

Warren Smith - Cricket coach extraordinaire

Village 4 Shepparton

Collins Booksellers

Book City

Berrigan Golf Club

Spaghetti Hollow Restaurant Shepparton

The Good Guys Shepparton - Bruce Prince

And sponsors from all over Victoria and NSW...

L'Oreal

Brendan Fevola

Jack and Jacqui Newton

Adventure Park Geelong

Southern Golf Club

Tip Top – Sunblest

Wayne Pearce

Gary Lisbon Photography

Jamie Glazier - Dare 2 Dream

Jenny Sevil

Stuart Appleby Junior Golf Foundation

Coodabeen Champion’s Pack - Ian Cover

Barwon Heads Royal Women's Hospital Research Cancer Day

MOTELS -

Lakeview Resort, Bendigo

Overlander Hotel/Motel, Shepparton

Golden Heritage Motor Inn, Beechworth

Heritage Motor Inn, Wagga Wagga

Bellarine Peninsula Escape:
Beacon Resort and Queenscliff Golf Club

Riverview Coffee House, Belmont

Shepparton Golf Club, Shepparton

Accommodation & Dinner Package:
Torquay Tropicana Motel, Torquay
Lightkeepers Inn Motel, Aireys Inlet
Lord of the Isles Tavern, Geelong

NEW HAIR STYLE!!!

2008-08-15T13:44:00.000+10:00

Dark hair... Omigosh!!

2008 New Britain Open, Kokopo, PNG

2008-07-23T12:15:00.017+10:00

What another amazing visit to PNG! I absolutely adore this place. The tournament was a fantastic success. Vicky Thomas came with me this year and almost beat the boys, finished in second overall by a shot. I shot 85, 75 and 73. Obviously battled the first day but got over it and was very happy with the last two rounds.

To give you an idea about how tough these courses are, Peter Senior was once heard to say the Ralum Club is the hardest short course in the world. He wasn't kidding.

This is how the week played...

Arriving into Port Moresby we were greeted by this sign at the airport -

After boarding for our onward flight to Rabaul (already 1 hour delayed), a fellow passengar on the flight decided he would not go along with instructions from airline staff, consequently we turned back from the runway so he could be kicked off by police. Due to domestic airports operating during daylight hours only we had to over night in Moresby. Below is Vicky Thomas, Robert Whitlock and myself stoked to be picking up our bags... again...

And the following morning at 3am, Russell "Rusty" Taylor and Tony Cavanagh stoked to be getting on the Rabaul flight... again... Rusty is in the trolley...

Hanging with the school kids at the Kerevat course in the jungle -

Tools for the kids to get home -

Hanging with security and the killer pooch -

Vicky on the 1st tee and the volcano in the background -

Snacking on banana chips at the Mask Festival -

1st and 9th green at the Ralum Club (9th is closest) -

My new boyfriend Ranagi which means "Ask him" in his village place talk -

View from the 4th tee -

Vicky and I on the 6th tee with the volcano in the background -

Jon "tic tic" Seeto from Bridgestone Tyres (my sponsor) and I with my cup from last year -

View of the volcano from the airplane -

I was a little worried that the wind would start blowing the ash in the direction of Kokopo airport meaning we couldn't fly but in the end we boarded the plane, it took off and we made our way back to the rat race.

I look forward to my next visit to paradise... ;-)

2008-06-06T23:34:00.003+10:00

Stuey is home!!!!!

2008-06-06T21:00:00.003+10:00

The Holmes, Smith and Bryden families would like to welcome our beloved Stuart Bryden back home after a stint in Iraq.

He did us very proud and obviously worked very hard while away as shown by the picture below...

Or maybe he worked hard on his Driver...

Disco Solutions Photography

2008-06-06T20:42:00.005+10:00

A few new profile shots taken by Australia's newest wanabee photographer "Disco Solutions" aka Stuart Bryden (my fiance!).

My attempt at a portrait shot (Stuey's pride and joy in the distance) -

2008-06-06T20:41:00.000+10:00

Private Tuition at CBGC

2008-06-06T20:37:00.002+10:00

Just a few pictures from an individual lesson with Terry Mentha on the practice fairway at the Cobram Barooga Golf Club.

Bignell Family Fundraising Day

2008-06-06T20:07:00.003+10:00

On May the 18th I ventured to Berrigan Golf Club for the Bignell Family Fundraising Day.

This was a lovely day involving many family friends to help raise funds for the Bignells to take a well earned holiday while going through such hardship. The whole community jumped on board and helped raise $8000 which was an AWESOME effort!

I stood on the 2nd tee where my services as a Playing Professional could be bought for the duration of the hole. I apologise to the group that bought a bogey off me!

Giving tips to Tammika Evans aka "Big T" -

Messing around with Tammika and Harrison Evans -

Lining up to hit an amazing shot for the group... ;-)

Partnership with Cobram-Barooga Golf Club

2008-04-28T22:06:00.016+10:00

A FANTASTIC new development...

I am now the Touring Professional and Ambassador for Cobram-Barooga Golf Club! I had a photo shoot with Gary Lisbon from GOLFSelect.com.au and Gary Lisbon Photography. He was incredibly patient with me.

Below are some of the shots around the Old and West courses at Cobram-Barooga Golf Club... Enjoy...

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

© Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

If you would like to see more stunning shots of the course check out

www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=267 for the Old Course

www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=2311 for the West Course

Windermere Charity Day, Kingston Heath Golf Club

2008-04-12T12:13:00.003+10:00

Tuesday 8th April 2008

I was the "Beat the Pro" on the 5th hole at Kingston Heath. A challenging 172m par 3 which required my rescue for just about every group.

I was posted there for the day with Danny from Windermere, a wonderful charity based in Narre Warren that deals with child and family services.

I think we raised roughly $1900 for the charity through my sweet talking and straight hitting :-). This was a fantastic day and I hope to have more invovlement with their "Kids becoming champions" program through equipment donation and hopefully a little coaching.

Below is a photo from the day -

Two weeks in heaven...

2008-04-09T15:54:00.009+10:00

I have returned to the real world after a wonderful holiday with my darling fiance ;-)

Here are some highlights from the trip to Phuket, Thailand...

We first stayed in Bang Tao Beach located 30 minutes north of Patong Beach. This was a lovely area where if Patong was the Gold Coast then Bang Tao was the Sunshine Coast.

We came home from the airport to find the room decorated in belated celebrations for Stuey's 29th birthday...

And one of Stuey for good measure in the pool just outside our room...

We then moved to Relax Beach Resort on Phi Phi Island. This place was great, electricity in our room from 6pm till about 3am, perpetually sand on the bed, cockroaches in the bathroom. Sounds great huh? It was actually. The beach was amazing and the food was the best because it was fresh off the boat every morning. Yum.

Stuey and I on the way to a Koh Phi Phi Leh snorkelling tour...

Stuey posing infront of Maya Beach (the location for filming of the movie "The Beach")...

All the tourist boats lining Maya Beach as we left (OMG!)...

Stuey snorkelling while I feed the fish...

The view of Relax Beach from our "villa"...

Sunset at Relax Beach...

Stuey posing infront of the longtail boat we used to get around the island (no roads at Phi Phi)...

Goodbye to Relax Beach Resort...

Goodbye Phi Phi Island...

Hello 5 star, my welcome flower necklace at Karon Beach Resort...

Our private jacuzzi, ahhh....

Another classy singapore sling cocktail glass...

A baby elephant and I at the Fantasea Phuket show...

We can recommend a great night out at Simon's cabaret which is a brilliant all male show (sometimes hard to believe all male) which we thoroughly enjoyed...

The Dream Girls -

Arriving into Albury airport...

Will have more photos asap!

x

Long time no talk...

2008-03-20T22:13:00.004+11:00

Hello!

Since the last pro-am of the Australian Tour I have been practicing/coaching/looking for wedding dress, busy busy busy!

Tomorrow I head to Thailand to see Stuey who has been overseas for 4 months so I can't wait to see my fiance!

Last weekend I went to the "Show that never was" with Barbara Streisand (Sharon Owens) and Frank Sinatra (Sebastion Anzaldo) impersonators from Las Vegas. It was brilliant! They are my new best friends....

My next post will have some fabulous pictures from Phuket and Phi Phi Island. Watch this space!

;-)

Optus Wolrd ALPG Coraki Pro-Am

2008-02-25T16:06:00.003+11:00

I am back now from my two day adventure to Optus World ALPG Coraki Pro-Am, 30 minutes west of Lismore.

Coraki was severely affected during the NSW floods over the last few months but fortunately recovered in time to host the ALPG Pro-ettes for yet another year.

I shot 76 at this tournament to finish tied 9th and three shots behind the eventual winner, Jo Mills on 73. I made just over $400 for the event and made a net profit of about $5 for the adventure... Back in the black!

I played fantastic but had an unfortunate slip up on the 10th hole with a hideous triple bogey. It felt so fantastic to be back in contention!!!!

I am off to practice now. Stay tuned for updates from all my primary school coaching in the Goulburn Valley region.

Ciao!

2008 MFS Women's Australian Open

2008-01-29T20:56:00.000+11:00

Hello!

This week I am in Melbourne for the MFS Women's Australian Open at the Kingston Heath Golf Club.

I am staying at Dad's house in Mentone and it is so lovely to wake up in my own bed for a tournament (but also very weird!).

My brother Jason is hauling the bag around for me again this week. He has been putting up with me for the last four tournaments and doing an excellent job.

Results from the lead up to the Open -

Peugeot Kangaroo Valley ALPG Classic score of 80 to finish tied 33rd

Xstrata Coal Branxton Pro-Am score of 75 and 76 to finish tied 31st

LG Bing Lee Women's NSW Open score of 79, 69 and 74 to finish tied 45th

I had a 2 hour lesson today with my coach Denis McDade. It was AMAZING! I will post footage of my swing asap.

See you on the fairways....

On the road again...

2008-01-20T21:23:00.000+11:00

After losing the post Christmas bulge I headed off on the road again with my brother, Jason, on my bag.

We were driving north on the Hume Hwy and somewhere near Goulburn we were confronted with a GIANT MERINO....

After the Kangaroo Valley Pro-Am (which is the prettiest valley in the world, it's amazing!) we then headed to Branxton for the Xstrata Coal Branxton Pro-Am.

For this tournament Jason and I stayed with Stephen, Lisa, Hallie, Bronte and Tess Peel. Tess showed us her Australia Day out fit -

ALPG Tour Club Car Series

2007-12-09T00:02:00.000+11:00

Hey gang,

Long time no talk. I have been cruising the NSW South Coast from Merimbula to Moss Vale and it has been fun!

I managed to borrow Stuey's ute for the Series so I am looking pretty cool in my Citrus Green Ford XR6.

Results so far -

Aristocrat Sapphire Coast Ladies Classic 78, 75 Tied 20th
Tura Beach Country Club

St Georges Basin Country Club Pro-Am 74, 76 Tied 33rd
St Georges Basin CC

Aristocrat Mollymook Ladies Classic 77, 81 Tied 43rd
Mollymook Hilltop Course

PETER DONNELLY LADIES CLASSIC SPONSORED BY ALFA ROMEO, FIAT & CITROEN
Moss Vale Golf Club 80, 76 Tied 48th

My ball striking has been good enough but the putting has been hideous. Working on getting the ball in the hole a lot quicker!

Peace out :-)

Party time!

2007-11-25T21:06:00.001+11:00

Stuey and I had two engagement parties, the first at his mum's house in Clifton Springs and the second at my Dad's house in Mentone.

They were both lovely with family and close friends. Here are a few pics -

My sister Ally, my Father Justin, me, my Step-mum Elle and Stuey -

Our profiterole cake -

My Dad during his toast to the happy couple -

Stuey and I -

Stuey with his caricature likeness (??) -

Our chocolate mudcake -

Stuey's mum Margerate, Stuey and his sister Debbie -

My Auntie Sharon and cousin Caitlin with my mum Robyn -

Aristocrat Sapphire Coast Ladies Classic - Tura Beach

2007-11-22T20:57:00.000+11:00

The first event of the 2007/2008 ALPG Tour Pro-Am series began with gale force winds and would you believe it... RAIN!

This was a two day event at the Tura Beach Golf Club in Merimbula on the NSW South Coast. Luckily I had super Stuey on the bag to keep my dry and smiling during the two days of wind and rain.

I had 78 and 75 to finish +5 and in 20th position. Not bad conisidering my clubs arrived from London 4 days before the tournament (I had to freight them due to excess baggage).

Stuey and I by the Tura Beach Golf Club 18th green after teaching the back nine a lesson (I had +6 on the back 9 first round and even par for the second round, much happier day two!) -

My fiancé

2007-11-05T17:11:00.000+11:00

This is my fiancé Stuart "Stuey" Bryden and I posing on the lawn at the Sunrise Motel in Barooga, NSW. Mum finally cried when Stuey came over to visit from Wagga Wagga.

My step-dad locked the front door, put a pillow on the welcome mat and waited for Stuey to kneel and ask for permission to marry me. It didn't happen. I was getting worried. But I think they sorted out a deal (probably involving a not too costly wedding) and shook hands and all was well!

I first met Stuey when I was 12 years old at Queenscliff Golf Club. He was mucking about with the boys on the practice putting green and skinnied a lob wedge into my neck. It took him a little time to recover from that boo-boo (about 14 years), but he won me over in the end!

We became best friends when I was 14 (Stuey is 2 years older than me), we went to Queenscliff High School together and he took me to his Year 12 graduation. We didn't see each other for 3 years and caught up at the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic last year. It was love at first sight again!

Notice how slyly I position my left hand. ;-)

I AM ENGAGED!

2007-11-01T21:05:00.001+11:00

So I arrived home to Barooga 5 days early from Italy, drove over to Stuey's house in Wagga to surprise him and then he surprised me... With a marriage proposal!

OMG!

I said yes...

OMG!

PS His name is Stuart Bryden and no I won't be changing my name. I am too independent!

Stay tuned for the engagement party photos...

Final Qualifying Ladies European tour - Le fonti Golf Club, Italy

2007-10-30T10:04:00.000+11:00

Le Fonti Golf Club, Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy 23-26th October 2007

7 months of preparation for a tournament with the duration of 4 days. At the end of play on the last day of the Final Stage of qualifying for the Ladies European Tour, I almost felt in a state of shock. It felt so strange to have my every thought and action geared toward this goal and then it was all over in four days. My question was “Where to now?”

But first let me tell you about the tournament! We played at the Le Fonti Golf Club in Castel San Pietro Terme, 30 minutes south/east of Bologna in Italy. Our two practice rounds were in freezing conditions. During these days it snowed on the Alps a few hours north. On the 8th green during the second practice round it was 8 degrees and with wind chill 4 degrees. At least I could feel the sting on my hands, even if my fingers felt like one collective whole.

The weather was much kinder during the tournament. The first round we even caught climpses of the sun. I struck the ball beautiful this day and hit 15 greens in regulation. Unfortunately my putting decided to revisit stabsville on this day and I had 38 putts in total. Normally I would like to have 29. I had just cost myself 9 shots.

I finished the first round with 78 shots (+6 over par). This placed me at 89th position in the field. After 3 rounds there was a cut to the top 50 players and after the final fourth round a cut to the top 30 players for full playing rights to the 2008 season.

I knew going into the second round that I would have to do better. Alan Jewett (my American friend from Spain) flew over to caddy. He watched my first round, took me onto the practice putting green afterwards and said we have to fix this right now. And we did! My alignment was a little off which was causing optical illusions so I never felt comfortable or correctly aimed at the hole. I couldn’t believe the improvement to my putting the next day. It almost felt miraculous.

I shot 72 (even par) after the second round and moved to 72nd position. On the third day knowing that I had to finish inside the top 50 to play the final round and have a chance to play on Tour next year I set my goal for 68 (-4 under par). I felt this was an achievable number and would more than likely have me playing the final round.

I started the third day like a house on fire (that’s hot which is good for golf) and birdied the first hole. The second hole was a silly double bogey but I reset myself, parred the next and then birdied the next three holes to be at -2 with 12 holes to go. I made a bunch of pars and then another silly double bogey on my 11th hole. I couldn’t quite get the putts to drop and finished my round with another 72.

That put me on +6 after three rounds and the cut was made at +2.

I was and am so proud of myself and my behaviour. It was unfortunate that I fixed my putting one day too late. I think the only fault I have with my preparation was that I needed at least one more tournament to get my putting correct.

This trip has been so wonderful. I am so happy to be back playing. I am so happy that I never got down on myself. I remember why I love to play and I actually felt that joy whilst playing. Even on the bad shots!

I have learnt more about my strengths and weakness on and off the course. I realize that just because I didn’t win which was my aim it doesn’t mean I didn’t try my hardest to get there. I know how to improve my preparation for my next tournaments and I will do this. I also know that I am on my way back up with my game. I can see light at the end of the tunnel!

One of my most amazing moments during this trip was when my mum, supercaddy (my step-dad) and my boyfriend emailed me with simple notes to say they were proud of me. That meant so much to me more than anything that happened on the golf course. Funny huh?

The eventual winner was Dana Lacey from Perth. We have been pals since we were fourteen years old and I caddied for her during the final round. It was so wonderful to watch her win her first Professional tournament. You can check out all our photos on www.ladieseuropeantour.com.

I do have to recommend when in Italy try the hot chocolate (so thick your spoon stands up in it), the pizzas, my favourite kind was prosciutto, rocket lettuce, mozzarella and buffalo cheese with a tomato base (mmm...) and I had to return to the Lindt chocolate store just to make sure that it was the best gelati I have ever had. And yes, it was. Again.

So where to now? I return to Barooga for four weeks before heading off to the Pro-Am series for the Australian Ladies Tour. I have two weeks off over Christmas and then I will play the Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf club in Melbourne and the ANZ Ladies Masters at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

I am expecting rent-a-crowd at the Australian Open so if you come to watch please say hi to me!

2007-10-23T05:39:00.000+10:00

I was working on my technique on the range today with the swing gyde attached to my seven iron. I also added a few driver swings. Enjoy...

7 iron front view -

7 iron back view -

Driver front view -

Driver back view -

2007-10-23T05:18:00.000+10:00

Last week I was wearing shorts and a shirt and working on an ice-cream by the putting green, this week I am wearing layer upon layer of clothing and lucky if I can feel my fingers!

I gave a little commentary during a hail storm on the 9th green yesterday -

Pre - Stage II Final Qualifying Ladies European Tour - Italy

2007-10-22T07:24:00.000+10:00

VIENNA to DUSSELDORF to MALAGA to MILAN to BOLOGNA…

Upon arriving to the sun shining in the city of Malaga on the Costa del Sol (Southern Coast) of Spain, I discovered that I had caught a hideous cold. I think the long flight from Melbourne to Glasgow and then two weeks of chilly, rainy and delayed tournament rounds all added up to a very tired immune system.

I decided bed rest was in order and spent my first two days looking outside to blue skies and 27 degree weather. I was devastated!

By the third day my hands were getting really itchy (to practice!) and I decided it was time to get cracking on the putting green. I putted for four hours straight, 3.5 of these hours involved a squat per putt to line up my ball. I basically did about four hundred squats and my legs were in agony the next day.

I spent two weeks in Malaga with the Jewett family, Wendy and Alan and their sons Sean (11yrs) and Connor (6yrs). Alan was my caddy at the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in 2006. They live about two drivers, roughly 500m, from the La Cala Resort club house so it was perfect for me. Off to the gym at 8am, brekkie and then to practice by 10am. Home by 5:30 just in time for dinner and delicious cakes made by Wendy (choc-chip cookie cake, apple pie, oreo cookie ice-cream cake, mmm…).

I also used the driving range at the David Leadbetter Academy just up the mountain from the golf course. I had a session in the Taylor Made lab with Quintin van der Berg where they suited me up in a fancy outfit which tells the computer where my body and club are relative in space throughout my swing. Very cool information.

On my day off I drove 2 hours south on the coastal highway to Gibraltar, very much unprepared. I wore my pointy flats to go shopping on the way home at Puerto Banus and didn’t realize that I would be walking roughly 10km across the Rock of Gibraltar. I don’t know if my feet will ever forgive me.

This was a fantastic experience. I caught the cable car up the Rock, walked to St Michael’s cave’s, saw the Barbary Apes, walked through the Great Siege tunnels, saw the Moorish Castle and many World War II monuments. The Rock of Gibraltar is a very touchy subject for Spain, they pretty much detest the whole issue as it is technically British land, previously Spanish and taken by force. Try to avoid this subject in the south of Spain!

Unfortunately for me the Levante was down when I visited. The Levante is the cloud formed where hot and cold air meet and it’s like a fog hanging around the top half of the Rock. On a clear day at the top you can see Africa; my view extended about 8 feet.

On the way home Puerto Banus started calling my name. Obviously I had to make a quick stop to have a look in the ridiculously expensive shops. I tried on a Versace dress that was stunning. The staff member serving me let me know it was 50% off but the starting price was 2000 euros. Oops.

Halfway through my stay in Spain I was asked to be a guest at the La Cala Resort President’s dinner. I was seated with a table of English people and that was the day they beat us in the World Cup Rugby. I copped it all night from them. Painful.

We were entertained by Flamenco Dancers which was so fantastic. And it was a real Spanish party, drinks at 8:30pm, dinner at 10pm, presentations at 12:45am and then the party really began! I left at this point; I was almost falling off my chair in deep slumber. They are wild.

During my Spanish fling I saw an Orchestra perform in Fuengirola that featured a Spanish guitarist, asked for a good beach to visit and was answered with the beach Rosario. I was then later told this was a nudist gay beach (told to me by a gay man, he was trying to prank me, very cheeky and very funny), although somehow I never found the time to go there. I tried to stay alive when traveling on the N340, the coastal highway, also known as the most dangerous stretch of road in Europe. Spanish drivers are mentalists! And I practiced my favourite Spanish word at every opportunity… “Kepasa?” - “What’s happening?”

I have now been in Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy, for 1 week preparing for Stage II Final qualifying for the Ladies European Tour 2008 season. This will be a four round tournament from 23-26 November. The final cut will be to the top 25 players for full playing status for next year.

So far I have practiced, practiced and practiced. I also visited Bologna briefly yesterday afternoon and had to make a stop at the Lindt chocolate outlet store which has 1kg balls of Lindt chocolate. My boyfriend ordered 8 to bring home, dream on.

This area is the hub of Italian art, history, culture, cheese and wine (especially the Lambrusco and Sangiovese variety). I observed this immediately at the Le Fonti Golf Club when I saw shoes hanging from a tree by the 18th green. The portable loos also feature the statue of David by Michelangelo on the door (I censored a picture of this on my website www.melanieholmessmith.com). Venice is 1 hour north, Milan 2 hours north/west, Florence 1 hour west, Tuscany 1 hour south/west and Rome 2 hours south.

Tomorrow is my final day of preparation before the tournament begins. Alan has flown from Spain to caddy for me which will be a great help. I have spent the last 7 months focused on preparing for this tournament and I am really looking forward to see how I perform in the test.

My next update will be post tournament, wish me luck! Ciao!

2007-10-20T05:47:00.000+10:00

Working on my putting stroke at the Le Fonti Golf Club, Italy.

Putting stroke front view -

Putting stroke back view -

2007-10-19T16:53:00.000+10:00

The shoe tree in the bunker by the 18th green at Le Fonti Golf Club -

I nearly cried when I saw a beautiful white boot hanging off one of the branches -

I went to the Castel Guelfo Outlet Mall yesterday. There was a Lindt chocolate store, it was outrageous! These are 1kg Lindt chocolate balls -

2007-10-17T17:27:00.000+10:00

Qualifying School - Le Fonti Golf Club, Italy

This area is well know for the artistic influences on their culture. As shown by the portable loo on the 15th tee at the Le Fonti Golf Club, Castel San Pietro Terme (23km out of Bologna), Italy.

Florence is 1 hour west, Venice 1 hour north, Milan 2 hours north/west and Rome 2 hours south/west.

2007-10-15T05:30:00.000+10:00

The view of the Alps flying into Milan Malpensa Airport -

2007-10-15T05:03:00.000+10:00

I am now in Bologna, Italy for Stage II Qualifying for the Ladies European Tour 2008 season. We are playing at the Le Fonti Golf Club.

I did a little practice today and took some swing footage -

5 iron front view

5 iron back view

Tomorrow morning I will play a practice round with Kate Combes who is a member at Long Island Golf Club and The National Golf Club in Melbourne.

Ciao!

2007-10-13T15:38:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I played the South Course at La Cala with Alan, Wendy and Sean. It was a beautiful day. This is the view from the 11th tee (the golf course you can see is the Europea Course, another of La Cala's 3 courses)...

This is Sean and I on the 9th fairway...

Today I fly to Bologna to begin preperations for final stage of Ladies European Tour Qualifying School. Ciao!

2007-10-11T17:02:00.000+10:00

This is the Rock of Gibraltar with the Levante down. The Levante is the cloud formed where the hot and cold air meet -

This is the view of the North side at the top of the Rock. When it is clear you can see Africa -

This is a Neanderthal bowl and skull discovered in St Michael's caves at the top of the Rock -

2007-10-10T21:04:00.000+10:00

I went to Gibraltar yesterday. It was soooo cool. These are the local Barbary Apes mucking about. They are everywhere.

This is the view above the apes den. Some of the apes on top of a car. They also like to jump on people and snatch their bags especially if they think there is food in it!

2007-10-09T03:17:00.000+10:00

Today I was working my fullswing technique at the Leadbetter Academy. My thoughts today were soft left arm and hip pivot awareness.

5 wood front view -

5 wood back view -

2007-10-09T03:04:00.000+10:00

This is the family I am staying with in La Cala, Spain. Connor, Alan, Sean and Wendy Jewett.

This is Alan's birthday cake. Chocolate chip cookie cake... WOW!

I have been practicing at the La Cala Resort which has three awesome courses. The North is my favourite. I have also been practicing at the David Leadbetter Academy just up the mountain (you need to be a goat to get around these courses!).

2007-10-06T01:31:00.001+10:00

I am in La Cala on the Costa del Sol (Southern Coast) of Spain. Aaaahhhhh... It was 26 degrees today. Let me say it again, aaaahhhhhh.....

2007-10-03T03:41:00.000+10:00

This is the bells tolling at Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. It was AWESOME. Sorry I can't get the view right way up!

2007-10-02T05:26:00.001+10:00

Remember how that driver did 140km/h back to the hotel? Well he did over 170km/h to the airport. Serious g-forces...

2007-10-02T05:14:00.000+10:00

Vienna - Castle Belvedere

Mel posing at the front gate

View over the front yard

Mel posing infront of Castle Belvedere

The backyard of Castle Belvedere

UNIQA Ladies Golf Open presented by Raiffessen - Weiner Neustadt, Austria

2007-09-30T19:45:00.001+10:00

When I turned on the television in my room at the Martinihof Hotel in Weiner-Neustadt, Austria, I discovered some fantastic shows like "Greys anatomy", "Scrubs" and even "McCleod's Daughters". Unfortunately they were all dubbed in German. The only three television shows in English (with German subtitles) were all very dodgy reality TV shows on the MTV channel. "Hogan's Rules", "Flavor of love" and "Parental Control". I won't even tell you about these shows as you will be less intelligent for knowing. As you have now probably guessed I didn't watch much TV.

Basically in Austria if you don't speak German you are in strife. As I speak nein German (no German), I ate pasta for dinner (it was the only dish I could read on the menu) until I discovered Florence from Switzerland was staying at my hotel. I slyly sat with her for dinner and asked her to translate the menu for me. I can now recommend the Weiner Schnitzel followed by Apple Strudel!

This week we played the Uniqa Ladies Golf Open at Golfclub Fohrenwald in Weiner-Neustadt, Austria. This course is situated at the Eastern end of the Alps and when the weather was clear the views were stunning. I spent Monday to Wednesday doing loads of putting practice and also two practice rounds on the course.

We had wonderful weather during these practice days which was a fantastic change after last week. But come first tournament round, delays, delays, delays! My original tee time was 9am for Thursday morning. This was delayed to 10am, 10:50am, 11:50am, 12:50am and finally we teed off at 2pm. We were delayed by fog and rain so we headed inside the clubhouse to wait. The fog inside the clubhouse was almost as bad as the fog on the course. Austrians can still smoke whenever and wherever they want.

This was one of the most challenging tournament days I have ever experienced as I prepared to play for every delayed time. I psyched myself up 5 times for one round of golf, it was a great mental challenge. The last few groups (which included me) didn't finish our rounds and had to return at 8am the next day to play the last few holes. Ultimately it took 27 hours from the start of my warm-up to the last putt to finish my first round. The life of the golf Professional doesn't seem so romantic now huh?!

I shot 77 and 79 for the first two rounds. I played similar to last week where my long shots were solid but my short game was again very competitive rusty. I felt much more comfortable in the second round hitting long shots but just couldn't get the putts to drop. I did get a little frustrated that I scored so bad but there were also many positive signs. I never gave up and when my birdie putt hung over the edge of the cup on my final hole I didn't get angry, I thought what great motivation to do loads of practice!

My aim for these last two tournaments was to get back into the competitive groove. I am working my way back into form for qualifying school so I can get back out here full time. I will now spend three weeks in La Cala, Spain where I will be practicing my short game for many hours every day. I then head to Bologna, Italy for the final stage of Ladies European Tour Qualifying. I can't wait for Spain as I haven't been shopping all year knowing that I would be visiting Puerto Banus. Ladies, if you like to shop, you need to go to this city. But bring lots of money with you!

Austria has been a fascinating country. These people are very friendly and relaxed, the locals tell me Germany is much stiffer and stricter. The legal drinking age is 16 years old and the speed limit on the highway is 130km/hour. I had a courtesy driver do over 140km/hour to my hotel, I was a little freaked out by that. The buildings are so different here. They appear like big fortresses with no personality and huge walls around everything. But when they open their doors you see inside to the most beautiful courtyards and gardens. It's like they are hiding the good stuff from everyone outside.

And they certainly know how to party! There are night clubs everywhere and we had three official parties this week. The VIP party on Saturday night was wild. Scroll down for pictures and videos of the entertainment. As I am not playing Sunday due to missing the cut, I am going to catch the train into Vienna and hire a bicycle to ride around the city. I may have to try a few more local delicacies if I can work it out on the menu, wish me luck!

I bid you guten morgan (good morning). See you on the practice fairway in Spain!

2007-09-30T18:03:00.000+10:00

The Professional dancer that raised a few heart rates -

2007-09-30T17:31:00.000+10:00

This picture is from the VIP party on Saturday night during our tournament in Austria. This party was awesome. As we walked in the door they put a pink scarfe around our neck for the Breast Cancer awareness and champagne in our hands.

This picture is Mianne Bagger (Denmark), myself, Laura Tereby (USA) and Stacy Bregman (South Africa) just before we cut it up on the dance floor!

2007-09-30T17:24:00.000+10:00

I am thinking about introducing this as the new mode of transport for golfers in Australia...

PS This is a bicycle!

2007-09-27T01:48:00.000+10:00

This is Antonella Cvitan from Sweden and I before releasing the 5,000 pink balloons for Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer awareness. Antonella also wears my clothing brand of Rohnisch and regularly appears in their catalogues.

Away they go!

2007-09-26T20:33:00.000+10:00

This week I am in Weiner-Neustadt, Austria, for the Uniqa Ladies Open. We are playing at Golfclub Fohrenwald.

This is a picture across the first fairway of the snow-capped Alps. We are at the Eastern end of the Alps, they extend into Switzerland, France and Italy.

This is the car that picks up the balls on the range!

These are my shoes spread out on my hotel room floor. I love shoes...

2007 De Vere Ladies Scottish Open

2007-09-24T20:01:00.000+10:00

After a journey that felt like to the end of the Earth, I finally arrived to the sun shining in Glasgow, Scotland. I couldn’t believe it when the weather was sunny for 12 hours straight. I started having visions of a week of wonderful weather ahead but unfortunately I was wrong! On waking the next morning at 5am (jet lag is a pleasurable thing), I discovered that it had been raining all night and was going to rain for pretty much the next 7 days. I secretly wore my thermal underwear and wooly ski socks for every day of the tournament. What a laugh.

This week The Carrick Course at Cameron House, Loch Lomond, played host to the 2007 De Vere Scottish Ladies Open. This course is set in the most beautiful surrounds, on the shoreline of Loch Lomond (Lake Lomond) and surrounded by the Scottish Highlands. Even during the most feral weather I absolutely loved every minute. It was very similar to the Moonah Links courses on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. Big sloping greens and wonderful links bunkering with a few more lakes and creeks added into the mix.

My first two days were spent recovering, becoming human again and visiting with my boyfriend’s family in Edinburgh. I gave the whole family a 10 minute lesson each at the local driving range so I am now allowed to return to visit them. During the tournament I stayed with my Granny (my step-mum’s mum) in Glasgow, about a 30 minute drive from the course.

I spent Monday to Wednesday trying to sneak in practice on the course and on the practice range in between horrendous down pours of waterfalls from the sky and freezing wind off the Highlands.

On my first day walking The Carrick course I met Alec and George who were the head Course Marshals for the tournament. Alec is a member of the very famous Loch Lomond Golf Club and hosted Dana Lacey (from Perth, plays on the Futures Tour) and I to practice and lunch at this club on Tuesday morning. What a sight! This course is absolutely stunning and I heard angels sing when I opened the door to the ladies locker rooms. This course hosts the men’s Scottish Open and is well known to be one of the most exclusive clubs in the World.

My rent-a-crowd was very vocal this week, which included the Cleland family and friends and relatives of my step-mum’s family. I had a following that almost rivaled the leaders!

So to golf… After an opening round of 74 (+3) I was well placed at 17th position. I managed to hit the first 10 greens in regulation which is pretty impressive according to the locals, especially in the horrendous conditions. Obviously I wasn’t bothered by the arctic conditions! I then shot 79 (+8) after coming back at 8am the following day to finish my final 2 holes. Halfway through this round I had a mental blank for 1 hour where I dropped 7 shots in 5 holes. I got ahead of myself and tensed up. When I realized this I relaxed and finish -1 for my last 6 holes.

My final round was very forgettable with 83. My one saving grace was an “almost hole in 1” where I missed the cup by 2 inches with a 7 iron into the 16th hole, at least I made birdie there! I finished last in the money at 66th position but this means I am now straight into the final stage of Ladies European Tour Qualifying School. This is really great news. Also considering this is my first tournament in 7 months I am very pleased with how I handled myself.

I also visited the Balloch Castle and Cameron House this week. These are fantastic historical buildings on Loch Lomond. Scroll down to see pictures of Cameron House pre-dawn and post-dawn on Saturday morning whilst on my way to and from the practice fairway.

I leave Glasgow with wonderful memories in my heart and highland toffee in my belly. I absolutely adore Scotland and its generous and hilarious people. It feels like a second home. My new favorite Scottish word… “Beasties!” This was in reference to the midgies which are little bugs that come out at dusk around the Loch. Yuck!

Next week we play the Uniqa Austrian Ladies Open in Weiner-Neustadt, 1 hour out of Vienna. I am told Austria is beautiful as it was left relatively unscathed after World War II. I will do my best to learn from my mistakes this week, improve on consistency and have a result to write home about next week. Ciao for now!

2007-09-23T19:13:00.001+10:00

Balloch Castle - on the opposite side of Loch Lomond to Cameron House

2007-09-23T19:05:00.000+10:00

Cameron House at 6:15am on the way to the practice fairway....

Cameron House at 7am on the way to the golf course...

Visions of The Carrick

2007-09-19T07:06:00.000+10:00

This is the view from the 10th fairway at The Carrick, a 320m Par 4 uphill with Loch Lomond on the right.

The 14th hole, a 168m Par 3 with a 70 foot drop. The picture is a little dull due to the feral weather but the sun was breaking through on the mountains in the horizon.

Bonnie Scotland...

2007-09-19T06:57:00.000+10:00

I am now in Bonnie Scotland for the De Vere Ladies Scottish Open at The Carrick at Loch Lomond. I just snuck in to the last position in the field on the closing day for entries and had 9 days to pack my bags and get organised!

I am staying with my Granny in Glasgow which is a 30 minute drive from the course, very handy. I will also have rent-a-crowd with my boyfriend's family also originating from Glasgow. I've had to beg, borrow and steal to get enough tickets into the tournament for my ring-in fans!

Today I did a little practice at the Loch Lomond Golf Club which hosts the Men's European Tour Scottish Open. This course is 5 minutes North on the A82 from the Carrick Course. Loch Lomond Golf Club is sensational. I was hosted for lunch by Alec and George, the head marshals for our tournament this week. Alec is a member at Loch Lomond and George at St Andrews... Some have all the luck!

This is Dana Lacey (from Perth, plays on the USA Futures Tour) and I in front of the Loch Lomond Golf Club clubhouse. We heard angels singing when we opened the door of the Ladies Rooms in this clubhouse.

Tavurvur getting chatty

2007-09-10T06:50:00.000+10:00

This is the Volcano viewed from the harbour. We could hear it rumbling! There are two valves, one releases the white ash and the other the dark ash. There are villagers living at the base of the volcano in the forest.

2007-09-09T04:05:00.000+10:00

The main street of Rabaul devestated by ash from the Volcano Tavurvur -

Hanging with some of the local school kids in Kerevat -

East New Britian Open, Kokopo, Papua New Guinea

2007-09-09T03:54:00.000+10:00

As our plane flew over the volcano Tarvurvur, I was a changed person. I had just competed in the East New Britian Open at the Kerevat Country Club and Ralum Club in Kokopo, Papua New Guinea. I had just spent 9 days in paradise.

12 days earlier I listened to a voicemail message inviting me to play a tournament in Papua New Guinea and giving me a deadline of 3 hours to make my decision. After speaking with all of my support network I decided to go. I had felt a little stuck in a rut and thought this would be a great opportunity to see life from another view.

I have always felt an affinity with PNG after living there up to the age of 4.5 years old. Pidgeon English was my first spoken language, although my memory was a little rusty in this area.

Kokopo Airport could not have been any more different to Port Moresby. As soon as the plane landed it felt like a different country. Everyone was so relaxed and the boys told me stories of Professionals playing tournaments past riding the baggage conveyor belt outside the building to the loading area then back inside to be kicked off the belt.

Once I picked up my baggage I was wisked away by two "PNG born Chinese" gentleman. On the way to my housing they told me I would be fed mango, crayfish and mud crabs all week and I then knew that I was in paradise.

GIANT CRAB!

We drove through the main strip of Kokopo and passed the 8th wonder of the world, a 200m strip of roadworks with a time frame of 1 year already (it didn’t look close to completion yet). I was informed that this is a phenomenon know as “PNG time”. If a local says 2pm, they won’t show up before 3pm. I found this to be very true as the week went on.

The next day we played the East New Britian Open Pro-Am at the Kerevat Country Club. Kerevat is a village in the jungle, roughly a 45 minute drive from Kokopo depending on who was driving. This road was ridden with pot holes and the faster we drove, the more we flew over the holes. I saw my life flash a couple of times during the 3 days I played on this course.

This was a cute little course that had rainforest trees in the middle of the fairway which made for interesting shot making. It meant lots of bending of the ball. Stella, my caddy, was a local girl who became famous as she was caddy for the white Mary from Australia. Trucks would pass on the road through the middle of the course and people would yell “Stella!!!!”.

While practicing my pitching after the Pro-Am a native from Kerevat walked past me. I did a double take when I noticed the 30cm long serrated blade of the machete he was carrying. 3 year old kids carry machetes here as they need them to get around. My body tensed involuntary as I watched him walk by. I thought to myself how incredible that this is so normal to them and no wonder new visitors to PNG can be so frightened by what is considered normal.

The next 3 days I lived on paw paw and apple mangos, crayfish sandwiches, colou coconut, lady finger bananas, mud crabs and reef fish. It was tropical feasting at every meal.

The final round of the tournament was played at the Ralum Club in Kokopo. This course is on the harbour of Rabaul. Over clubbing off the first tee can leave you an interesting shot on the beach, waiting between waves to hit your ball. The beach lining the 1st, 2nd and 6th holes is a red stake water hazard. This course had security guards patrolling the fairways with angry looking dogs on leashes. A little different to the kangaroos patrolling the fairways at Cobram-Barooga Golf Club!

The Ralum Club was apparently given the title of “The hardest 9 hole course in the World” by Peter Senior when he competed there a few years ago. Some of the fairways looked about 10 metres wide from the tee but during my 18 holes I only missed 3 fairways! It was the grainy greens that did my head in. The tropical weather makes for the thick grass on the greens where a straight putt can break a foot to the left if that is the direction of the grain. Very challenging for a golfer from the Melbourne sandbelt region.

My scores for the three tournament rounds were 73, 74 and 78 and I won the women’s section by 4 shots. The post tournament cocktail party was wild and I’ll stop there on that story.

My non-playing activities included deep-sea fishing where we tagged a Marlin, being shark bait when swimming in the bottomless Solomon Sea, watching the Gurias play their semi-final match at the Kokopo rugby ground, giving a ladies golf clinic under tarp due to torrential rain, visiting the Bita Paka war memorial for fallen ANZACS in PNG during World War II, viewing the caves on the edge of the harbour where the Japanese hid their barges and submarines from ANZACS flying overhead and basically trying any local food I could get my hands on.

I say to Papua New Guinea… Me lukim yu!

The ladies clinic group and me in my Mary Dress made by Aunty Joyce, thank you!

The Ring of Fire - PNG

2007-09-03T22:59:00.000+10:00

I am slowly settling back into the "Rat Race" after spending 9 days in paradise aka Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

I was invited to participate in the New Britain Open held at the Kerevat Country Club and the Ralum Club, along with 4 other Australian Male Professionals. This tournament was an incredibly memorable week... So many stories to tell...

The Volcano Tavurvur - Rabaul, PNG

The view from the 2nd fairway of the Ralum Club...

The view of the harbour from the airplane...

2007-07-31T20:58:00.000+10:00

Long time no talk! I have had lots of stuff going on in the last month -

- Was a coach at the Womens Golf Victoria Annual junior camp at Anglesea
- No longer working at the Sandy Hotel
- Commenced womens clinics on Fridays and Saturdays at Southern Golf Club
- Booked my flight for Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in Bologna, Italy in October
- Did a Biomechanics testing session with Coach Denis at Melbourne Golf Academy (was looking very attractive with wires attatched at all points)
AND.....
- WENT BLONDE!!

My golf is on the up and up. I am hoping to get starts in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and the Austrian Open in Vienna leading up to q-school. This would be great tournament preparation as I haven't played competition for quite some time now.

I am getting itchy to play now!

At Anglesea I was co-coach with Craig Bishop who is based at Patterson River Golf Club. He is a cool guy and the girls absolutely loved him. We worked with girls aged between 10 and 14 years old. They were so so so cute!

I am hoping to post a picture asap of our group, I felt like a giant around these girls.

2007-06-28T16:32:00.000+10:00

The following is a full swing drill involved a piece of foam and a ball bucket, very technical...

The foam is set up to be on the same plane as my 6 iron. I then rest the club on the foam, swing the club back along the foam and then on the downswing feel the club more on line which to me feels like over the top (as if I was going to hit a tennis cut shot).

With a bad swing I would drop the club inside and under the correct swing plane. If I do this with the foam drill I would actually take a chunk out of the foam. I only did this once. A few people got a good laugh out of it as the foam rolled down the practice fairway.

Cool huh?!

2007-06-28T16:31:00.000+10:00

2007-06-24T16:37:00.000+10:00

This is Stuey and I at the President's ball at Southern Golf Club a few weeks ago. He is such a wonderful boyfriend, he drove down from Wagga just for this event. That earnt him a lot of points! This was a black tie ball and lots of fun. A few people struggled to recognise me frocked up. Very funny!

2007-06-19T22:41:00.000+10:00

Mmm.... Trying to post some "you tube" swings from the SAS Masters in Oslo 2006. I was on the practice fairway working on my Driver swing. I look a little wide (as in my bum does) from the back view. Please don't laugh! Press on the x to view the swings.

2007-06-19T22:37:00.000+10:00

2007-06-15T11:06:00.000+10:00

This morning I was privileged enough to be invited to the Girls in Sport Brekkie at the Melbourne Convention Center as a role model for young ladies in sport.

This was a fantastic event where I sat at a table with Shelby, Karina, Brook, Sarah, Brigid, Kelly-Jo and Michaela from Sunbury. I talked with them about travelling, training, school and the famous people you meet on tour!

We heard from Giaan Rooney (Olympic swimmer), Jodi Tyler (inline skater) and Emma Serjeant (circus arts) to name a few. The aim for this event is to promote sport/health/fitness and awareness of careers in sport. There were over 1000 students and we were all invited to dance to drums at the closing. That was a laugh!

2007-06-10T22:27:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I swung by the Rohnisch office to pick up a shipment of new clothing for my golf wardrobe. Ooh la la. Their clothing is so fantastic!! I told my sponsor that it would now take me another hour to decide what to wear in the morning... I am a girl after all...

This morning I headed to Melbourne Golf Academy on a mission to dominate the shortgame area. It was a fantastic practice session involving technical work all morning on my pitching and chipping then on to the putting mirror for 30 minutes before a brief fullswing session. Unfortunately I had to scoot by 2pm for some more paid work.

I am slowly regaining faith in my shortgame (I had previously been visiting "stabs ville", not a nice place to be in when you have a sandwedge in your had). My technique has been so bad that I really didn't have a chance to hit soft, spinning and controllable shots. But now I'm back! I am almost ready to start fleecing people in some chipping competitions... I accept cash, cheque and all credit cards...

2007-06-07T08:07:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I had a 1 hour lesson with my coach Denis (the ninja) McDade at Melbourne Golf Academy in Heatherton. We worked on my fullswing for about 40 minutes and then 20 minutes on my putting.

It was a fantastic lesson as we compared my swing now to 4 weeks ago. The difference is incredible. No wonder I was struggling to hit it on the planet! We changed my putting set-up as I was standing too far away from the ball at set-up so now my eyes are placed more over the ball and line of the putt.

I also saw my dietitian Lisa Sutherland. We discovered that I haven't been eating enough during the day and then come over and hoover in the cupboard... Oops...

Today I am practicing at Southern Golf Club. I will work on my shortgame for about 3 hours before heading to work at the Sandy. The sun is out this morning, wooh!

2007-06-01T22:29:00.000+10:00

Waking up in the dark again this morning made it such a difficult decision on what to wear to golf. I went with pink and white, just in case you care. ;-)

I played 9 holes this morning at Southern Golf Club with my boyfriend Stuey (the anchor). Anchors must be good for something though as he gave me a great tip with my driver - slow down the takeaway!!! The backswing is not a race!

It was so cold at 8am. It really made a difference to the distance the ball went, added nearly one whole club to the shot even though there wasn't any wind.

2007-05-30T17:11:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I attended the annual Womens Sport and Recreation Victoria State Conference. This was a fantastic event at the RACV Club on Bourke St in the City. I met some really great women and men and learnt so much about how to improve things for women in sport and women in general.

This morning was another early start with yoga at 6am (ahhh, so good). I then headed to Melbourne Golf Academy for a short session on full swing technique before on to work at the Sandy Hotel.

My arms are starting to work more on plane which is great as they are feeling much more connected and in sync to my body. Yay! Tomorrow I have a session at the VIS gym with my strength and conditioning coach Simon Webb before some more technical work and then on to the paying job!

Tomorrow Simon and I will speak about my off-season training as well as my travelling program. Watch this space...

2007-05-24T16:16:00.000+10:00

I had a meeting/lesson with coach Denis yesterday. We set a plan in regards to practice for the next 5 months for percentage of technique vs percentage of competition course practice. My practice will be technique heavy to begin and then gradually work up to competition heavy leading into Ladies European Tour qualifying school in November.

We also ventured onto the shortgame area at MGA to work on my pitching. I am still dropping it under plane on the down swing but it is getting better!

PS Anna Rawson lost in a play-off on Sunday at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open. She was in the lead by 4 shots with 9 holes to go and had a few bogeys on the way home but birdie the 18th to make the play-off. If she had won it would have been the 5th tournament in a row on the Ladies European Tour to be won by an Australian. Go the Aussies!

2007-05-22T12:30:00.000+10:00

Mr John Dixon (Professional at Medway Golf Club), kindly allowed me to practice at their facilities yesterday in the freezing cold weather. I spent about 1.5 hours around the chipping green mainly working technique to four different targets with all of my wedges.

I then headed to the range to hit some long shots. This is the tightest practice fairway I have ever seen! There is a great big water hazard down the left side (plus the wind was blowing over my right shoulder towards the hazard) and pine trees down the right side. It was great for me as my bad shot has been the low and left hook (ugly) so I had to work it off the water with a nice little fade (left to right shape). It was a good session. I can feel improvements, still a couple of blocked shots or tightening in the turn and left arm which encourages that hook.

I then thawed out in the car but my nose still looked like Rudolph's for a few hours afterwards. Today I have a session with my coach Denis McDade at Melbourne Golf Academy and then having a chat in the city with Duncan from Encourage Mental. I had a weights session in the gym this morning, I think I may be regretting those squats come tomorrow!

2007-05-20T18:47:00.000+10:00

Today after work at the Sandy Hotel I sneaked out to my home club Southern Golf Club for a quick 5 holes at 4:30pm. It was so cold!!

My thoughts on the course were in regards to pre-shot routine and shot execution. I worked on this through my preparation box and play box. This meant leading up to the shot I would think about the lie of the ball, distance, wind, shot shape, a little technique feel, visualise myself hit the shot and see the optimal result (in preparation box), I then stepped into the play box and hit the ball. I actually visualised myself in the prep box and then in the play box. I might colour code them next time. Sounds easy huh?!

My five holes went like this - birdie, par, par, birdie, double bogey (arghh!). Prep box and play box felt good, will work some more on it tomorrow at Medway Golf Club (if they let me practice there!).

:-)

2007-05-17T12:19:00.000+10:00

During my lesson yesterday we worked on my pitching and a little chipping and full swing. My pitching problems are directly linked to my full swing so no wonder I have struggled to hit the high soft lob shots!

We worked a left arm only drill where I swung my lob wedge half way back on plane (was flat) and then felt it work on plane through impact (was dropping inside). So it almost feels like I am cutting across the ball more. Although it felt strange the effect on the quality of the strike and the ball flight was so nice to see and feel. I feel much more confident with a wedge in my hand now!

Last night I went to the Pink concert at Rod Laver Arena with my younger sister Sarah. It was AWESOME! I had a blast, screamed till my lungs gave out and danced until the person next to me gave me dirty looks. Ha ha!

It's raining outside so I am going to MGA to hit balls undercover. Ciao!

2007-05-15T20:08:00.000+10:00

Early start today, 6:15am spin class at my gym, ahhh such a good feeling! I then headed off to Southern Golf Club for a quick 9 holes before a little practice at MGA.

It was a supurb morning and I finished even par for the 9 holes. I holed some great putts to save par and also felt that what Denis and I are working on in my backswing was really helping my ball flight and shape on the course.

Tomorrow I have another lesson. Ooh la la. Can't wait.

2007-05-08T23:42:00.000+10:00

After having a two month break, longest in 10 years, I had my first lesson back with my coach Denis McDade at Melbourne Golf Academy. We dusted the cobwebs off and it actually felt pretty good. We worked on completing the turn in my back swing so my hands could set at the top. The club is still a little inside (a lot actually!) on the downswing so will work on that after this settles down.

This weekend I am off to Barooga on the Murray River to celebrate my 21st birthday for the 6th time...

2007-05-07T22:20:00.000+10:00

Nikki Garrett from NSW won the Tenerife Ladies Open in Spain yesterday!! How fantastic. Check it out at www.ladieseuropeantour.com

Welcome to my Tour Diary...

2007-05-05T01:09:00.000+10:00

This site is currently under slow and painful construction by moi so please be patient as my lack of computer skills is frightening!

I hope you enjoy perusing the good, the bad and the funny/akward/scary. Please feel free to email me for compliments or criticisms. I am open to both! Ciao for now,

Mel

Dubai Ladies Masters

2006-10-29T00:39:00.000+10:00

The power of advertising is incredible. I arrived into Dubai expecting to see a perfect and pristine city. To give you an idea of what I actually saw, I was told Dubai has 20% of the worlds' building cranes in use and you can actually see most of them from the fairways on the Majlis Course of the Emirates Golf Club.

I was picked up at the Dubai airport by my hosts for the week, Poul and Charlotte Woodall of Denmark. On the way to their house we passed many fabulous tall buildings but also a massive amount of construction on new buildings, highways and housing. Each site had a plethora of laborers from countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. On one site I saw a row of 7 people carrying bricks by hand. It was over 40 degrees outside with about 80% humidity, not pleasant working conditions. I was told this summer there had been a day over 57 degrees. And the laborers are still outside working plus their pay is peanuts. We are very lucky in Australia.

But there are also many fantastic things about Dubai. The architects have had a field day here. The 7 star luxury hotel The Burge kind of looks like a sail and can be seen from all over the city. The skyline at night is incredibly beautiful. I of course had to visit the Mall of the Emirates which is HUGE and also has a ski slope inside it. Yes there is also snow in the desert. The Mall is built with the slope on the side so it looks like a runway for a space ship on a 45 degree angle. I want to say it is ridiculous but it is so cool.

I also felt very safe here. The crime rate is very low and I didn't feel any pressure of racism or religious prejudice which was quite surprising but also very pleasing.

Tuesday night involved a welcome party for all sponsors and players in the Dubai Ladies Masters. As the players arrived we were given an Abaya (dress) and Sheila (scarf pronounced Shey-la) which is the traditional attire for the local Muslim ladies. The food was to die for as it was mainly Arabic dishes involving hummus, tabouli, marinated and barbequed meats, tasty rice dishes, Arabic sweets, yum yum! We were also entertained by a belly dancer who encouraged audience participation. That was interesting.

Wednesday was Pro-Am day which I wasn't playing in meaning a free afternoon, hello Madinat Souk! This is the market by The Burge Hotel where you can buy anything from silks to ipod earphones. It was great to peruse the shops and stalls and bargain with the shop keepers just to walk away empty handed. We stopped by a coffee shop to watch locals relax by smoking the berry smelling tobacco in the shesha pipe. I saw many men in the dish dash (the male dress which is usually white) and the ghuttra (the male head scarf) and also women in the Hiqab (the veil that covers the face).

So Thursday finally came around and lucky me got last tee time. It was hot! I shot 74 (+2) and felt this was an ok score in 59th place. I had unfortunately leaked two drives to the right, one in the water on the 2nd and one into the trees on the 17th and both costing me bogeys. My putting was good in that I kept catching the lip on many birdie putts but they just wouldn't drop into the hole!

And then came Friday....I had 79. Arghh! It was a day of blah. I hit four drives into the trees where I had to chip out, I missed three putts under 6 feet and only had one birdie. It was so frustrating as I was trying to lift and it didn't happen.

PS Inside scoop - Michelle Wie didn't play this week, apparently she wanted a couple of million Euro in appearance money. I am still waiting for mine!

It is hard to be down about this week as I have learnt so much and loved every minute. I think the Arabic culture is fascinating and I would definitely love to come back and do a little exploring especially in Oman (a mountainous country with fabulous beaches on the Eastern border of the United Arab Emirates).

Now I am sitting in Dubai airport before flying to London for one night and then back to Melbourne. I am unsure of my direction over the next few months. I can say on paper my Rookie season on the Ladies European Tour looks very average but I have learnt so much about myself on and off the course. It has been a fantastic year of life experience. Thank you for sharing it with me.

Ireland - Ryder Cup tell all

2006-10-13T00:41:00.000+10:00

Sitting in my plastic seat on the "flying bucket" airline to Dublin (also known as Ryan Air), I knew I was in for a week of free for all. I won't say too much as I wouldn't want to ruin the special experience for you but to give you a hint, they do like to cut costs on every corner. Unfortunately this includes staff as well. I hoped at least the break pads were decent!

The 2006 Ryder Cup was such an amazing tournament. I have never seen so many people on the golf course. A big hero of the week was Darren Clarke as he had just lost his wife to breast cancer. Everytime Clarke was announced to the 1st tee, the roar was so loud that you could hear it all over the course. As it was Europe's turn to hold the event, obviously the crowds were more than a little one-sided.

The weather for the tournament was mostly cold, rainy and hideous. Luckily I bought a few pairs of shorts which looked great in my suitcase all week, and I got to wear runners each day to the course meaning my feet were wet before I even made it to the mud lined fairways. Not my most clever packing decisions.

But besides the wardrobe malfunctions it was a fantastic week. The European side were brilliant to watch during the practice and competitive rounds. They were relaxed and having fun together, especially on practice days which involved plenty of banter between players and also fans.

We were allowed cameras during the practice rounds so I got some great footage, especially of Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia's behinds, mmm.... he he

Friday was the first day of competition and involved a liquid lunch of Moet and Chandon. It was very interesting to watch the afternoon play under the M&C influence. We pretty much just crawled to the grandstand by the 16th green where we "oh-no"ed when Monty hit it in the water or "wooh-hoo"ed when Paul Casey made eagle. Along with 16,000 other people!

Saturday was another day of foursomes, meaning hard work to follow groups when 45,000 other spectators are trying to do the same thing. Instead of battling we stood by the 9th green, 13th green and 16th green, watched all the groups go through and then headed straight to the PGA members marquee for an afternoon of schmoozing and viewing (the golf on the telly of course!).

Before retiring to the marquee we did manage a little star gazing and came across Michael Jordan watching Tiger Woods. That was so cool! I also heard George Bush Senior was out there but I think that he was probably in comfortable seats surrounded by men in black suits.

The singles matches were played on Sunday. This was a great day as there were now 12 matches to watch so we got to see a lot more golf. I watched Henrik Stenson and his bottom for about 7 holes before group hopping. I saw Monty hole his putt on the 18th from across the lake to be the first European win for the day. It was such a buzz! I saw a few more matches finish and then followed Lee Westood for his last 3 holes to see the final match for the 2006 Ryder Cup.

When it was all over the European team went nuts with Champagne and then threw their Captain Ian Woosnam into the lake. It was mayhem! We then snuck into the Clubhouse of the K Club to join the members for a few beverages and an Irish jig or two. When the Irish National Anthem was played I wasn't sure if the floor would hold up from all the River dancing.

Sunday night I watched the K Club ground staff get hammered in the local pub but retired early (1am) to bed. I was a little tired after harassing the locals all Saturday night added to the crowd surfing from Thursday to Sunday.

Monday morning was chaos in the Dublin International Airport. Unfortunately everyone was trying to fly out at the same time. After a couple of hours in line, we boarded our bucket and survived the ride home, albeit with a very bumpy landing!

The Ryder cup was an uplifting golf experience but next time around I might stick a little closer to the remote and the couch. I am currently in detox so next time you see me, please don't offer me a guiness!

Nykredit Masters

2006-10-10T00:45:00.000+10:00

After using all modes of transport possible (planes, trains and automobiles) we finally arrived to the land of the Wind Turbines. They are everywhere! It took 10 hours of traveling time from the Helsinki Hilton to the Odense Eventvr Golf Klub in Odense (pronounced Oo-en-seh), Denmark. I really dislike traveling days. I am looking forward to my private jet. At 3pm I was finally standing on the 10th tee to walk the back 9 holes in preparation for my practice round on Tuesday. And then I was blown over by the 60 knot winds, lovely.

Monday was a hideously windy day in Denmark. Now I can see why the turbines are so popular. After walking the back 9 holes I dragged myself into the clubhouse and was greeted by my pals who had retired after 4 holes. Soft. They couldn't believe I had stuck it out. Maybe that's why the back 9 was so friendly to me this week and the front 9 hated my guts?

Danish is such a tough language to grasp. Even when I had a word written on paper in front of me and then heard it pronounced I still couldn't put two and two together.

The KLM Open unfortunately is not going to be such a memorable tournament for me. I started well on Thursday from the 10th tee with -3 to par after the first 9 holes. I then ventured onto the front 9 and finished +2 for the day with a 74. Not great but still sitting ok at 75th. On Friday I teed off from the 1st and proceeded to shot +7 for the front 9 holes. It wasn't so bad until a 3 putt on the 7th and 8th holes. I then hit a ball out of bounds by 1 foot from the 9th tee. My second tee shot decided to hug a tree so after chipping out sideways I finished the hole with a triple bogey 7.

I really got angry which is very unlike me. I told my caddy I wanted to hit something and he offered himself as a sacrifice to the golfing gods but was a little worried that I might break him! I then had even par on the back 9 to finish with a 79 for the day. That left my total at +9, 4 shots too many for the cut.

This was my worst performance for the last 3 months. I really played terrible on the front 9 both days. But I built a big bridge and got over it on Friday night. I will now spend the next two nights in Copenhagen with Julie Tvede. She is a Danish girl I traveled with last year on the Futures Tour. I am very excited to see the city as I hear it is beautiful.

Holty, my English caddy from last week in Finland, has generously offered to sponsor me for the English Open and the three weeks leading into the tournament. So I will be flying back to London on Tuesday, spending copious amounts of time on short game practice and preparing for the English Open. I will then fly to Australia the day after the tournament finishes. I am looking forward to coming home, it has been five months now. My puppy dog needs me!

By the way, if you ever get the chance to try Danish Black Bread give it a go with steamed potato on top. It is a very dark rye bread with nuts in it. It tastes fantastic!

BBC Radio Kent Ladies' English Open

2006-10-10T00:42:00.000+10:00

Brrrrr! England in October...need I say more? I arrived at the Chart Hills Golf Club in Kent on Monday morning with thermal underwear in hand (and later on bottom), to beat the rush and get out early for my first practice round for The BBC Radio Kent Ladies' English Open.

My first attempt at playing the front nine saw me stand in front of the first green for 10 minutes watching it flood. After putting the clubs away in the car and trying again with just wedge, putter and an umbrella that was so useless it was a joke, I made it to the second hole to encounter lightning. Bee line for the clubhouse! Why are Mondays so mean to me?

So I enjoyed a nice hot chocolate, melted my frozen fingers and then gave the back nine a go. I made it through to the 18th hole but finished without one dry piece of clothing. I looked very attractive walking back into the clubhouse like a drowned rat! Another successful Monday.

Monday night I was joined by Heidi McCulkin, Leah Hart and the "Mad Dane" (who was tournament leader until the third last hole on Sunday) in a 6 bedroom Cottage we had rented for the week. It was lovely although we kept getting lost going home through the country lanes. Only 20 minutes to the course but usually 80 minutes getting home, I blame Heidi, her application for traveling companion said part-time navigator!

Tuesday morning Heidi and I ventured back out to the course and managed 18 holes uninterrupted by weather. It's a miracle! We had a great practice round, hit lots of different shots, chips and putts and also had a competitive match. Heidi finished great to have 70, beating me by 2 shots and taking 5 pounds off me, darn it! Now we are even from Finland!

I played in the Pro-Am on the Wednesday and had 16 pars, 1 birdie and 1 bogey. Warming up on the range before the round I had hit it like a dog but went out there with a bad girl attitude. I didn't care how it looked as long as it went in the hole. It worked.

Unfortunately this philosophy didn't come good on Friday during the first tournament round. It was hideous and I mean hideous weather and I was also struggling to the keep the ball on the planet. My tee-time was afternnon and after 5 holes of play the horns blew and we trekked inside to wait out the torrential rain and gale force winds.

Two hours of warming by the fire and we were sent back out to the course where unfortunately my golf did not improve. At 6pm the horns blew again for bad light meaning we had to return at the crack of dawn Saturday to finish our first rounds.

I felt so badly for Russ, my caddy on Friday. He volunteered for the position after playing with me in the Pro-am. Russ got the worst of the conditions but put on a brave face and even told me he enjoyed it. I think he is a very sick man. Needs help.

Saturday morning I was joined by Stuart and Phil (the boys I stay with in London). Stu caddied for the remainder of the first round as well as rounds 2 and 3. We finished the last 4 holes Saturday morning to card a 78. Stu and I went straight to the range where we discovered that I had been setting up closed to my target. Once that was sorted it felt so much easier, I could just let it happen. I then shot 70, 70 (birdie, birdie finish on the last day) to finish +4 and tied 18th for the tournament. WOOH! Best result yet on the European Tour!

It feels so satisfying to have another notch on the belt (and a little more $$ in the bank!). I am now staying in London for two more weeks before heading to Dubai for my last tournament of the European season. I have heard Michelle Wie is also playing this tournament, ooh la la, I could have gossip! Stay tuned for the inside scoop....

PS Watch this space for "The Real" 2006 Ryder Cup tell all including liquid lunches, Irish dancing and also a shellacking of Team USA behinds. Ouch!

Finnair Masters

2006-09-04T00:46:00.000+10:00

I can now officially say I am on my way to becoming a money making machine on the Ladies European Tour.

This week we played the Finnair Masters at the Helsinki Golf Club in Helsinki, Finland. I started the tournament with a solid round of 73 to be tied 35th. I then shot 75 in the second round to really push my luck. I wasn't doing too badly until bogeys on the 16th (over-club) and 18th hole (thinned sand wedge shot over green) really pushed my close to the cut line. My tee times this week were Friday afternoon and Saturday morning so I had to wait all day to find out if I was playing Sunday. It came down to the final group and I squeezed in at +6 by 1 person. It was a long, long afternoon.

Sunday I was paired with my roommate Heidi McCulkin and Laura Terebey from the USA (she fixed my putting Saturday afternoon, I don't know why she waited so long). The three of us had actually played our practice round together on Tuesday so we were all very excited to play a tournament round together. Plus we knew we would be super competitive so we had a little side bet going. I had 69 in the final round which included 5 birdies and finished tied 30th for the tournament. Heidi and Laura were easy money really....

Luckily I had a terrific caddy in Simon Holt this week who kept me sane with his positive reinforcments. Holty is great friends with Ramsey McMaster, a physio in Melbourne, so through 3 degrees of seperation he ended up on my bag this week and did a terrific job, especially in the torrential rain on Sunday. I was very grateful that he didn't put my bag down and walk off the course! Although sometimes I wondered if he was just here to look at the pretty girls??

The Official Hotel for the Tour this week was the Helsinki Hilton. Ooh la la. The beds have been such a pleasure to plonk on after a long slog at the course. There was also a great gym which I frequented nearly every day.

I went into the city three times for dinner this week. Helsinki was not what I expected at all. The people don't look Scandinavian compared to the Swedish and Norwegian. I am told there is a strong Estonian influence for the features of Finnish people. The city has a terrific tram system, plenty of great shopping and restaurants. The waterfront for the Baltic Sea is about a 10 minute walk from the middle of the city but not so great to look at there, as it is more of a fishing port.

We head to Copenhagen tomorrow for the KLM Ladies Open. I am really looking forward to catching the bus at 5:30am to the airport. Mondays are such long days for us, ughh. Just kidding! My job just got a whole lot more fun. Ha!

SAS Masters

2006-08-29T00:47:00.000+10:00

Would it be rude to name drop? Oh well! Here goes... Sunday night before leaving for Oslo, Phil Babb (Irish World Cup Soccer player, Anna Rawson's caddy from Wales, new best friend) took myself and "The Annas" out in London City. We dined at Nobu in Berkeley Square, pre-dinner drinks with Jamie Redknapp, and an encounter with John "The Lash" Fashanu (don't ask about the nickname...LONG story). Oh, and also bumped into Guy Ritchie.

Just another night on the Ladies European Tour!

My eyes were so sore from star gazing, it was good to get away from the paparazzi and on our way to Norway (did I just hear blah, blah, blah?).

This week we played the SAS Masters at Oslo Golf Club in Oslo, Norway. This course was very hilly. The clubhouse was perched at the top of the hill and had a fabulous view of the surrounding lake and mountains. Unfortunately for us, the course suffered loads of rain leading into and during the first two rounds. My golf shoes went from beige to brown in the space of five hours.

I had a very cute caddy this week. Her name was Ellen-Marie, she was 12 years old and half my size. She is already fluent in Norwegian, English and German. She is working on Spanish and Japanese. Not bad for 12 years old huh?! We pulled the clubs up the steep hills together. She was adorable.

As for the performance on course...I had 76 and 74 to finish +6 to par. The wet and muddy conditions meant that the 4th and 18th holes played very long. This probably added nearly two extra shots to par.

I knew the pressure was on this week and I am very pleased with how I handled it. I was rock solid with my attitude, focus and decision making from the first practice day to the last putt. I was pleased again with my ball striking but really wanted to hit my pitches closer to the hole as well as holing a few more putts. When I finished my second round and walked into the scorers tent we knew the cut would be +5. The wall cracked and I got emotional, lots of tears!

This is a tough sport to play as there is no one to blame but yourself. I really feel like my game is strong enough for top 10 performances. As they say, it is mostly between the ears.

We schmoozed a courtesy car driver into taking us into Oslo Sunday afternoon. We strolled around the city, admired naked statues in the Park, people watched (some call it perving) in a cafe for a couple of hours and made a ruckus in the cinema watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2. We also dropped by the Yellow Castle and hassled the guards out front. They must get sick of loud, obnoxious tourists. We also hung by the waterfront for a little while and checked out the fort. It was very cool, looked like a medieval castle on a cliff.

The plan at the moment is to play the next two events and then re-evaluate the situation. As long as I start making the mulah everything is a-ok. I have a 5:30 airport bus tomorrow and was hoping to visit the gym beforehand so I am off to catch some zzzzzz. Tujun takk! (many thanks!)

British Open Qualifying

2006-08-26T00:50:00.000+10:00

Long update, have been slack, good gossip towards the end....

Final British Open Qualifying was at the St Annes Golf Club on 31st July. The weather was absolutely hideous! I shot 77, but needed 74 or better to get in. Unfortunately I finished with two bogeys on the 17th and 18th (both par 5's) so will stilll in it right until the end.

I then came to London and practiced at the Richmond Golf Club. This place has a spectacular clubhouse and some of the mansions around the course aren't bad either. One of the days I ended up playing 9 holes with Scott Gorham (guitarist from the band Thin Lizzy, old school). He is such a rock star! The club as a a club within it called the Stage Society. Pretty much just actors and musicians are members (eg. Michael douglas, Hugh Grant).

I then went to Stockholm for the Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika. Our hotel was complimentary for the week which was very nice and I roomed with Amanda Moltke-Leth (the Mad Dane).

I had 75 and 76 for the tournament. I missed the cut by 2 shots. I had been emailing my coach Denis McDade and we worked out my swing issues. I hit 16 greens on the first day and the two I missed were on the edge. Unfortunately I struggled with the putter and had 4x3 putts. The greens were so huge.

We then went to Llanelli in Wales (I can't even describe how to pronounce to the name correctly). Another good ball striking week but again was really hurt by the putter. I had 74 and 71 and missed cut by 1. Breaking my heart.

I was rooming with "The Anna's" in Wales (Anna Temple of USA and Anna Rawson of Australia). As we all weren't playing the weekend we headed back to London for two days of chilling before Norway. We had a little extra spice this week when Phil Babb decided to join us in our B&B after his place had a fire. He was caddying for Anna Rawson for the week. Phil is an ex-International Footballer (played for Ireland in the '94 World Cup and Liverpool among other clubs). He took us out for dinner to Nobu in London City on Sunday night. It was sooooo cool, I could name drop but don't want to brag! (Guy Ritchie, Jamie Rednap, John Fashanu...)

Now we are in Oslo and it hasn't stopped raining. The course is super hilly and wet so a bit of a slog. My socks were saturated coming up the last hole, nice. I've had 76 in the first round. A couple under tomorrow and Holmes-Smith is back in the game.

Wales Ladies Championship of Europe

2006-08-22T00:50:00.000+10:00

Leaving the land of the leggy blondes, we more worried about the drama of travelling through London Heathrow Airport than the expected 3.5 hour drive to our next tournament in Llanelli, Wales. Big mistake! We had a breeze through customs but a closure on the M4 added an extra 6.5 hours to our drive. It was almost as much fun as pulling teeth!

This week we played the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe at Machynys Peninsula Golf Club. I felt so at home on this course as the fairways and greens looked and felt like the Dunes Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, although a few more water hazards came into play here. The weather was hideous, cold and wet. Britian has great weather in summer....some days...

This week I roomed with "The Annas", Anna Temple (USA) and Anna Rawson (AUS). They are lovely girls and very easy to travel with, being quite similar to me in temperament and focused attitude toward practicing and working out. They were a lot of fun on the 10 hour drive, making signs for other vehicles to "honk if you have been driving longer than 7 hours". We got four honks and a wave, ha!

We had a little extra spice this week when Phil Babb, Anna Rawson's caddy for the week, decided to join us at our Bed and Breakfast when his hotel "conveniently" had a fire. Phil is an ex-International Footballer who played for Ireland and Liverpool amongst other clubs and now owns Golf Punk magazine. I only bugged him a little about his football experiences but he had some excellent advice on the professional athlete side of things.

I had another strong ball striking week, I hit 16 greens in regulation in the first round but did not capatalize on the short par 5's so after shooting 74 (+2) I was placed at 86th. My goal in the second round was to move into the top 50. I guessed if I shot 70 (-2) or better I would be looking the goods. I shot 71, made birdie on the last hole and fist pumped! Unfortunately the cut ended up at Even par meaning I had missed by 1 shot, finishing 66th.

Next week we play in Oslo, Norway. I have been speaking with The Bank (my parents) and we need good results now or I will be going home early. I can't wait to play again. The pressure is on. I will be focusing on a Top 20 result next week and I'm going to do that by sticking to my game plan, being aggressive on short par 5's and par 4's and never saying die.

Fire up Mel!

Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika

2006-08-13T00:53:00.000+10:00

Flying into Stockholm I wasn't sure whether to believe the talk about the beautiful Swedes. I walked off the plane and tripped over my jaw....Welcome to Scandinavia!

This week we played the Scandinavian TPC hosted (and won) by Annika Sorenstam at the Bro-Balsta Golf Club located 30 minutes north of Stockholm. This tournament was a very high quality field as many US LPGA players stayed on to play after competing in the British Open last week. Annika managed to pip Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) at the post and win at -21 beating Ochoa by 1 shot.

The atmosphere was fantastic this week with hundreds of volunteers on and off the course, plenty of entertainment marquees and roughly 100,000 spectators over the duration of the week. It is a great buzz to go to the practice fairway and actually have people watching you warm-up. Although it may have been because I was practicing next to Annika?!During the first round Annika had a similar tee-time to mine so I could hear the crowd roar whenever she hit a great shot or made a birdie. You could hear it all over the course!

I felt really good going into the first tournament round this week. I had emailed my coach, Denis McDade, footage of my swing on Monday and Tuesday, and we had worked out that I was getting the club a little flat and laid-off at the top of the swing. It improved every day and by Thursday morning I was ready to rock.On Thursday I hit the ball brilliant. I hit 16 greens in regulation and hit it close to the hole. Unfortunately I got a little tentative with the putter and had 36 putts for the round (about 7 putts too many). I shot 75 to be at +2, not too bad. In the second round I didn't hit it as good and still putted average. I got really tense on the last few holes and finished with 76. I missed the cut by 2. I was very disappointed.

Luckily I was saying with a good pal this week, "The Mad Dane". We had a good chat after the round and put a little perspective on this frustrating game.I feel that i should have been -4 instead of +4 with the last hole to play. My ball striking felt it's best since European Qualifying Tournament last November (this is a good sign!). But my pitching was rusty and my putting was non-aggressive, thinking to make par but have to be trying for birdie!I really felt like it was my week this week. This game just rips your heart out sometimes!

I spent Saturday and Sunday practicing and managed to slip into Stockholm for dinner on Saturday night. We went to an area called Stureplan. It was a cross between Fitzroy Street and Chapel Street in Melbourne. It had a very cool vibe with very glamorous people. As the courtesy car drivers told me, this is where the brats hang out. If you like leggy blondes, you will think you have died and gone to heaven!

Tomorrow morning we catch the bus at 4:30am to the Arlanda Airport. Yuck! We are flying into London Heathrow and then driving about 4 hours to our next tournament in Llanelli, Wales. Need to go to sleep!!

Estoril Ladies Open of Portugal

2006-06-27T00:53:00.000+10:00

WARNING! The following has reference to NUDITY. What can I say....a week in Portugal will change you forever....

Now I don't want to name names but I was issued with a wager this week by a fellow Australian competitor that involved scoring under par and a nude lap of the golf course. You can't just make a bet and not go through with it right?!

Let's just say after a practice round on the Oitavos Golfe Course at Quinta da Marinha in Cascais, Portugal, she felt quite confident that no one would finish under par for the week. Considering three Par 5's during the practice round needed driver and two 3-woods to reach the green you knew it was going to be tough. (These holes were into a head wind with gusts between 60-80km per hour).

This course was very similar to the Dunes Golf Course on the Mornington Peninsula as you could see most every hole on the course from one position (not many trees to protect you from the elements). Except this course is situated right by the Atlantic Ocean. If the wind started battering you about, all you could do was laugh or else let your pride be crushed!

The eventual winning score of the Estoril Ladies Open of Portugal was -9 shot by Stephanie Arricau of France. This was a very good score as the course was very tough but the wind really played a large factor. Your tee time for the tournament could make a huge difference to your score. I shot 76 and 79 (+11) and missed the cut by 2 shots. The first 9 holes of my second round were in gale force winds and it showed as I finished +6 just on those 9 holes. Unfortunately I only managed only 1 birdie for the two rounds and that really hurt me. Arghhh!

Soopercaddy (my step-father John) and I stayed in a hotel about 10 minutes from the course this week in Estoril (pronounced Esh-tor-real). We decided to rent a car and I managed to bend a hubcap on the first day. Great. I was subjected to driving instructions for the rest of the week! Although, it was great to have a little freedom and not have to depend on the Tour shuttles which can be a pain at times (they get very busy).

We also managed to fit in time to sample the local fare. I highly recommend a drink called Sangria (like an alcoholic punch, comes in large jug, deceivingly alcoholic!). I was also told grilled sardines are in season but passed on that one. A little adventurous for me.

After we both missed cut, Amanda Moltke-Leth (from Denmark) and I decided to head to the beach for the afternoon. I must say the Portugese ladies are not shy with their bodies. There were more than a few just strolling about in nothing more than a g-string. Even though the beach was packed with kids as well as adults, wow. I might start a trend at Mentone beach next summer....

I really enjoyed my time in Portugal. The people were very friendly and decidedly more sophisticated and European than what I expected. The Lisbon South Coast was beautiful and the town of Cascais (pronounced cash-cay-ish) was very similar to Queenscliff where I grew up on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. There was plenty of restaurants with entirely different menues, funky shopping and historic site-seeing but with a lovely quaint feel.

I now have two weeks off until our next tournament in Hungary. Until then I will see how many 25-1 winners I can pick at the Windsor races.....Just kidding! Ciao!

BMW Ladies Italian Open

2006-06-19T00:54:00.000+10:00

They say there are two kinds of tourists in the Ancient city of Rome, Italy. "The quick and the dead". This was the first thing our Tour Guide, Roberto, told us while walking through the Colosseum. And he wasn't kidding. A green light means go and a red light means go faster, especially if a pedestrian gets in the way!

This week the Sheraton Golf Parco de' Medici played host to the BMW Italian Open. This course reminded me very much of the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast where the ANZ Ladies Masters is played. After losing 1 Euro to Rebecca Coakley (from South Australia and Ireland) in a feisty Tuesday morning practice round, Soopercaddy and I managed to claim some free time to peruse Rome (Roma).

After leaving our mark at the Colosseum we walked to the Vatican. The Vatican is HUGE. You can see it from just about anywhere in Rome. There were hundreds of statues and paintings inside and outside of the main entrance. It was so awesome, everywhere you turn there was something to take your breath away. And talk about a small world, coming out of the Catacombs (we saw the grave of Pope John Paul II) I ran into a girl I went to primary school with in Ocean Grove. What are the chances?!

It was great to have the "Soopercaddy" on the bag this week. We had 75 and 75, finishing tied 94th and missing cut by 6 shots. Again I feel like the score hasn't reflected how well I'm playing. 99% is between the ears!! I played in the Pro-Am event after the tournament and shot 69.....

Next week we are running amuck in Lisbon, Portugal. My knowledge of Portuguese is nil so I'm sure the hand signals will be dusted off and given a good work out!

And next time you see "Soopercaddy" please don't give him a hard time about his snoring. After 10 beers with another caddy (only 2 beers in his version) you wouldn't sound great either right?!

KLM Ladies Open

2006-06-06T00:55:00.000+10:00

Arriving into Eindhovensche we discovered the origin to the phrase "On your bike!". There were people on bicycles everywhere! Driving past a train station we saw roughly 50 bicycles parked out front and not a car in sight. Apparently this is a very popular mode of transport rain, hail or shine. And even snow!

This week we played the KLM Open at the Eindhoven Golf Club, the Nederlands. This was a very well organised event with plenty of volunteers and lovely Mercedes to transport us in style. The course was very pretty. The fairways were lined with tall Pine trees and there was heather everywhere. We even saw a few deer and bunnies.

I had 75 and 74 (par 72)....missed cut by 2. I was gutted. Again I played well but my putting really let me down. I had three x three putts and missed too many par and birdie putts from 5-10 feet.

On a positive note my pre-shot routine was much more solid this week. It was more concise, decisive and fluid. When my routine feels good it is so much easier to make an aggressive swing/stroke and just let it happen.

Heidi McCulkin (QLD) and I stayed with a host family this week. We had a blast. It was so great as I was finally able to do some washing and even better, sleep in my own room, aaaahhhhh! The Dutch are quite similar to Australians as they have a great sense of humour and are very laid back (could have something to do with those cookies that they like so much?!).

I now have a week off which will involve chilling out, practicing at the World of Golf range in New Malden and fleecing the Surrey boys of their cash (on the golf course only!). And a little shopping!

My step-father will be joining me for the next tournament in Rome. He will be here for 7 weeks to caddy. Apparently he now only answers to the name "Soopercaddy". Very cheeky. I hope he realises the broad job description - bag carrier, translator, general slave, the list goes on....

Vediorbis Open de France

2006-05-30T00:56:00.000+10:00

I arrived into Arras, northern France after much travel from Switzerland (2 hour drive to Milan airport, fly to Paris, train to Gard du Nord train station, train to Arras, Le Carnot Hotel, yay!!) and was welcomed by rain and freezing wind, great.

France was an interesting experience involving not much French by me, lots of hand signals and pointing, delicious croissants and pastries and much drooling infront of windows at Patisseries, mmm!

My scores unfortunately were not brilliant having 78 and 79. Due to the foul weather conditions the course was muddy and the par 4 12th and 16th played very long uphill and into the wind adding two shots to the par 72. The cut was +8 due to the tough conditions meaning I missed by 5 shots. Unfortunately a few poor iron shots and 5 3putts really hurt me. I was very disappointed after Fridays round. Fire up Mel!!!!

Arras was a very important town during World War I. Between the 14th green and 15th tee we walked through a little forest. This was trenches during WWI. The town was full of beautiful old buildings and churches and tiny cobbled streets. The Church in the center square was breathtaking at night when all lit up. We are now in the Nederlands for the KLM Open and learning a new language. How do you say "I'm going low!" in Dutch??

Deutsche Bank Ladies' Swiss Open

2006-05-22T01:02:00.000+10:00

After spending Sunday night cramped into the Barcelona Airport Hotel we broke free of the no English barrier and headed to Milan (Milano if you are in Italy). What a vibrant people! I was almost cultured shocked by how expressive the Italians are with their oral and body language. We rented a car and drove the 1.5 hours north to Losone (pronounced Lozonee) in Switzerland, just over the border. Even though here is speed limit signs on the freeway, it's almost as if they serve to be a challenge to Italian drivers to see reckless they can be. Italian drivers are crazy!

This week we played the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open at the Golf Gerre in Losone. Losone is at the south end of the Swiss Alps so the setting is incredibly beautiful. Luckily the course was on the flat in the valley. The only thing that raised the heart rate was the nerves! Losone is a fabulous town. There are pizza restaurants on every corner and the people are incredibly welcoming. Most locals speak at least three languages. You can hear Italian, German, French and English. It makes my vocabulary look a little sad!!!

So down to the juicy stuff....I shot 76 and 75, ughh! I hit really great iron shots over both rounds but this week couldn't get the putter working. I also hit a few stray tee shots and was severely punished in the rough. Straighten the long stuff and more aggressive and committed on the greens, that's where I need to be!

I was practicing on the range Sunday morning and Karen Lunn (a veteran Australian on the Tour) came over for a chat. She asked me "What's going on Mel?!" We spoke about how I had played during the week and she then gave me very good advice - to trust what I'm working on and be patient. Don't rush it and stick to the plan. The tournament this week was incredible in every sense. We had sensational views of the Alps as they surrounded the course. Golf Gerre Losone was a tough but fun and fair track. The fairways were tight and the rough was very thick. Many fairways and greens were lined with creeks and OOB parkland.

We also had hospitality all week in the clubhouse and even had three chefs cooking in front of us from 10am until 6pm. We were sooooooo spoiled! I won't even start on the desserts!!

Next week we are playing the French Open in Arras, Northern France. Viva la France!

Open de Espana Femenino

2006-05-15T00:57:00.000+10:00

The week started on a high note, no excess baggage fees from Gatwick to Barcelona, wonderful! Unfortunately this is quite a hazard for travelling Professional Golfers. It seems when all the girls arrive to the new tournament, they get together and discuss how much extra they had to pay to get there!! The 2006 Ladies Spanish Open was competed in Castellon at the Panoramica Golf and Country Club. It is a very nice course, quite tight with very long rough, similar to the Kew Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. The greens were probably a little faster than average speed.

I stayed with Nikki Garrett of Shelly Beach, Central Coast NSW and her caddy in an apartment on the course. We were by the 7th tee which, about 1km from the club house, lots of walking this week, ughh! 18 channels on the TV, two in English but were either the BBC news channel or the Sky news channel. If I ever hear the BBC news anthem again I'm going to go crazy!!! DVDs and uno are a absolutely necessary to pass the time in non-english speaking countries. Especially when you are a fair way from any major city, I have communicated through much use of hand signals this week!

It was also my birthday on the first tournament day. I turned 25, it has gone so fast! Nikki made me a card and cooked dinner that night, that made me very happy! Although unfortunately it was the same meal we had all week - chicken, vegies, pasta and tomato sauce. Very uninspiring!

The first round went well shooting 74 (+2). I was actually closer to a good score but two errant drives cost me bogeys and an airmail on the par 3 5th lead to a double bogey. Was still in the hunt though....The second round saw me go from zero to hero to zero faster than a ferrari. Starting with a par and then 4 birdies in a row I was ready to go low. I then unfortunately fell in a heap and finished 77 (+5) for the day. My brain went numb. Big mistake!

It was a frustrating end to a decent beginning but I have learnt lessons out of this week and am ready to move on. My mind set is to behave consistently in everything that I do, on and off the course and hopefully my results will follow this example. Next week I will be focusing on consistency in my pre-shot routine, thorough and concise course strategy for all conditions (the wind played a big part this week, my practice round was in calm conditions and then tournament round in strong wind) and speed control for my putting.

Next stop is Losone in Switzerland. Watch this space....