November/ December

Hey everyone,
Just a quick post to let you know what I have been up to. My last event was the Anita Boon Pro Am in NZ where I played fairly steady to finish 6th. I shot rounds of 75,74. We played at Northshores Golf Club in Auckland.
I was billeted with a nice family close to the course for the few days I was there. Since returning home I have been working at Riverside, catching up on afew extra sessions with my trainer Brendan at The Biomechanics group and practicing!
I've got a busy schedule over Jan, Feb as il be driving up to Sydney to play in all the Alpg Pro Ams starting with Moss Vale on the 7th Jan. All of the events can be followed on the ALPG website which is Alpg.com.au. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank  a couple of company's, firstly LACD clothing who have been supporting me the past year and have given me some fresh gear to wear over the summer. I also have to thank Simon Dun and Ferrari Wong from Awards Shipping Agency who have joined my team, along with Transworld Freight and Freight Solutions for 2016. I'm looking forward to a great 2016!!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Gracie

Hey everyone, 

Well what an experience it has been so far. Last week I was in India playing the Indian open. That was an unbelievable golf course, unlike anything I'd ever seen or played on before.

The day itself didn't go to plan, So it was a very tough experience. I was struggling with my tee shots keeping  the ball on the fairway and it was a super tight course, with thick rough and plants off the fairway. I racked up a solid cricket score and had to withdraw from the tournament, as on the LET Tour if you are a certain number over par they withdraw you. Probably the toughest experience I've had as a golfer, going into a tournament with a great opportunity feeling good then having it all fall apart. Although I did need to put things into perspective, some of the girls playing on Tour all year found it super tough, so I needed to keep that in mind and use it as an experience to learn from. 

As I couldn't play the next day in the tournament Lj  and I set out to find a course I could play at. We drove about an hour away by taxi, the traffic in Delhi is insane. There's just chaos everywhere so we did well to get there! We played a course with three of the locals.

On the Sunday night it was then time for me to travel to China to Mission Hills for the first stage of European Tour School. The first day I was there it was a little confusing, you had to go to the golf reception and get a card and a caddy ticket before you could play. For anyone who has an opportunity to ever go to Mission Hills I would highly recommend it! The place is awesome, first of all there's so many golf courses to choose from but the hotel is clean and there's a really nice gym and so many swimming pools. 

For the tournament I had a caddy named Lee who had been caddying at Mission Hills for two years.  Considering I didn't have my A game my scores of 74,75,73,77 were okay but this time not good enough to make it to the finals. There are some really positive signs that came out of the week, I also played with the girl who won the qualifier and realised from watching her how important it is to be consistent and long with your tee shots. She didn't have a traditional golfers swing but it was powerful and consistent and she didn't flinch.

These are the things I'm taking back home with me to work on throughout 

the year. Through the week it was also good to have dinner and catch up with fellow Aussie Hayley Bettencourt and her family. Sometimes being away in different places is tricky so it's always nice to see familiar faces. 

Now I'm  in Sanya to play at Yalong Bay Golf Club, myself and a couple of the Indian girls who I have made friends with had to catch the railway service across China to get here. That in itself was a mission, in Australia we tend to have order at a train station or line up if there's a queue . Not in China, it's a dog fight! Just to get onto the train we were pushed and shoved, thankfully I'm a lot taller than many and just gave them evil looks.

After two hours we had made it and then got a bus to the hotel.  I'm going to check out the course this morning, then see what Sanya has to offer! 

Thanks for the support cheers

India

Hey everyone!
I have arrived in New Delhi, India after a pretty good couple of flights. I had a minor issue checking my bags in but after resolving that I was on my way.  I had a quick stopover in Hong Kong  after a 9 hour flight, then it was another 5 1/2  hours to Delhi.
After getting through customs and collecting my bags I was off to look for my friend L.J who is a champion and has come over to caddy for me in the first event.
We got a cab to the hotel which was about a half an hour trip, and certainly very interesting. People cooking on the side of the road, sitting, walking and the traffics crazy.
The course isn't open to play on today so il try and walk afew holes and practice.
Thanks for the support and il keep you posted with my progress!
-Gracie 

Update

Hey everyone,
I hope you are all well! Just a bit of an update with what I've been up to, and what I have coming up in the next month or so.
I have been quite  busy working on my game,  my coach Sandy and I identified 3 key areas that successful players do well and they have been my primary  focus. They are drivers, wedges and putting so my practice has  been focused around sharpening these skills.

Next Monday the 28th I have a one day event as Rossdale with the PGA trainees who were good enough to allow me to play , just to get some competition under my belt before I head away.

On the 1st October I have been asked to return to Strathallen Golf Club to help with one of their Veteran Classics. I started playing there when I was about 9 so I'm more than happy to go back and help out the club. It will be good to see some old familiar faces.

I have also been working away at the gym and am seeing some good results. My aerobic fitness has improved and I'm losing a little it of weight while keeping up my strength which is also a good thing.
I've also had on average 3 shifts per week at Riverside Golf Club  and while it's enjoyable  and the people who work there are lovely it certainly motivates me to get the best out of myself so that I don't have to do it forever.

In the next month I will be playing at the  Hero Indian Women's Open in New Delhi which starts the 23rd October and you can follow the scores at http://www.lagt.org/player/
I am looking forward to this one as I know India will be a real learning experience. I have heard mixed reviews about India but after seeing parts of China earlier in the year I am certainly prepared for the worst!
Then I fly to China to play at Mission Hills for the first stage of European Tour School. This starts on the 29th October and you can follow these scores at http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com

Following that event I will catch a train across Haikan to play in the Sanya Women's Open which like India is a co sanctioned European Tour event so I'm really looking forward to getting out and testing my game against some of the best. That starts the 6th November.
After that event I will fly to NZ via home and play in the first ALPG event of the year the Anita Boom pro am in Auckland scores can be followed at http://alpg.com.au

I will keep you all up to date with my progress and thank you all for your interest and support along the way.
-Gracie

Update

Hey everyone!
I hope you are all well and keeping warm in this cold weather.
I have been busy the last few months with my training and working afew hours in between at the Riverside Golf and Tennis centre.
I was also lucky enough to have an article published in the Golf Victoria magazine and for those of you who haven't seen it yet  I will place the link here
 http://www.printgraphics.net.au/myfiles/Golf_Victoria_Vol_56_No_4/index.html#34
I also have an opportunity to play in the Hero Women's Indian Open in New Delhi in October.
The event is co sanctioned with the European Tour so it's a fantastic opportunity to measure my game against some of the best players in Asia and Europe.
Following that I plan on competing in the first stage of European Tour School so if anyone has any friends who would like to help  or are in a position to help me pursue my dream please let me know and I can happily pass on my bio and more information.
I've also been feeling the benefits of training more in the gym and am feeling stronger with each session.
I look forward to seeing you all out on the fairways at some point!
Good golfing
Gracie

Upate July 13th

Hey everyone,
Just typing this as I'm sitting in the SBP (Sport Business Partners) office in Prahan. This is Marty Hirons business and he, along with his team of Ben Manning and Paul Fuller they have been helping me get organised with the business side of professional golf for the past 12 months.
At the moment we are working on updating my CV in order to try and gain sponsorships to help with my travel and golfing commitments. We have been looking into doing another 4week stint in China in September, followed by European Tour School in December.
I have also been enjoying working on my fitness with the Biomechanics group, and feel that even after two weeks I am starting to feel fitter. Working there with Brendan we have started to focus on encorporating cardiovascular fitness with strength work. This means short stints on the bike and treadmill at a high intensity, followed by weights with lots of reps.
Last week after my session I looked like a tomato, but I'm really enjoying it.
I have also been busy with practice, work and in my spare time managed to move house on the weekend. We are now living in a rented unit in which is great for getting to and from Kingston Heath as well as the gym.
Thanks to everyone who has liked my golf page, please keep sharing the page with family and friends.

I hope everyone is well, stay warm and good golfing!
GL

Update

Hey everyone!
Just a quick update with what I'm up to this week. I start with my new gym trainer tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to. His name is Brendan and he works for The Biomechanics group. That means the training will incorporate golf specific drills as well as strength and cardiovascular training. My week will include two sessions there, a one on one session on a Tuesday morning and a group session still doing my own program on a Wednesday night after work at Riverside. At the moment I'm getting three shifts there per week, each starting at 1pm and finishing at 6pm meaning I can practice, go to the gym or get to appointments beforehand.
Last week I caught up with my coach Sandy and we just worked on a couple of little things. One is continuing to strengthen my putting stroke and get the putter working back and through on at my ark but with the feel of it steming from the middle of my upper spine.
When I don't do this the putter fans out to the right on the way through so I have been working a lot on a chalk line, seeing the putter go back inside the line and also finish just inside it.
I have also just created a Gracie Lennon Golf facebook page for any of you who have facebook, please jump on and follow my progress here as well.
The link is https://www.facebook.com/g.lennon92

Thanks again to everyone for the support and I will touch base in the next week to update you with my progress,

Gracie

Home

Hey Everyone,
I'm into my second week back at home and it's great to be back, although quite a few degrees cooler!
Since finishing the tournament in Hong Kong  and returning from Asia I have come back and done a bit of an analysis on the trip with my Coach Sandy Jamieson.
It was great to make 3 cuts and that gives me confidence that I can compete, I just need to keep improving so that I can get myself in contention.
Over the next few months I will be targeting my fitness, and making my practice more competitive  and skill test based.
One thing I've really noticed is that being in good physical shape really helps mentally when your playing consecutive weeks in a row and travelling.
I've been back to Kingston Heath afew times and it's great to see you all there. I will be practicing between Kingston Heath and Commonwealth, and also working afew hours in the shop at Riverside.  Thankyou for your interest in me and I will keep you all up to date with my progress.
- Gracie

Asia

Hey everyone,
I've written this email to Melitta and she has been able to put it onto my blog as there's limited internet connection in China.
This is my second week over here and safe to say I'm glad I don't live here permanently.
I left Melbourne for Hong Kong on the 19th June, had a quick 5 hour stop over then flew onto China.
I had emailed the CLPGA to organise a shuttle from the airport to the hotel but as I'm learning you should never expect things to go as planned!
We were delayed half an hour, and the last shuttle had left, I felt like a huge fish out of water trying to ask for help.
Not many people speak English so when I saw 3 other girls with golf bags I felt relieved, we caught a cab to the course which was about 45mins drive away.
I ordered some noodles for dinner and had an early night. The next day I had a practice round and met my caddy, the course looked challenging, with quite a few fairway bunkers, water and hazards.
I had a practice the next day then onto the tournament,
I had woken up with a sore throat and blocked nose which wasn't ideal as it was quite hot.  I was paired with a young Chinese girl and a woman from Japan.
The young girl had her mum on the bag, and was pretty much riding every single shot the girl hit. She would jump up if the girl holed a putt and squeeze her cheeks.
This was ok, until she found the water on the 14th hole we played, and they proceeded yelling at each other for the next two holes.

A little awkward for myself and the fellow player, but it really became quite frustrating as it were if only her daughter was playing the tournament.
This was something I had to swallow and not allow it to put me off. I'm proud that I didn't let it.
After day 1and a score of 75, I went home for an early night knowing I needed a good score for a chance at making the cut.
I played well the next day and holed a couple of good putts to shoot 73 and make the cut.
I had an early tee time of 7.30 the next day and started off slow but made a few birdies and finished with a 71.
I was pretty pleased with how I'd not only played but handled certain situations.

The next day I was up at 4.30 to get a taxi to the airport for the next domestic flight, but the flight was delayed so ended up having lots of time up my sleeve.
The airports in China are very different to Australia, there is very little order and its pretty much each man for themselves.

So afew hours later I arrived in Shandong, and had an hour and a half shuttle to the course. Once again I had emailed my shuttle reservation through but there was also a sign up sheet on the board in Chinese. As my Chinese isn't as good as it used to be I missed the notice and there fore wasn't allowed on the bus, leaving myself and a few others who made the same mistake to find a cab.
On our way we saw people peeing in the street, spitting and young babies on the backs of motorbikes so it was quite an experience.
I'm currently playing the 2nd Comp and have made the cut despite a minor case of food poisoning with the last round played tomorrow.Then will head on to Hong Kong for the Open.
Thanks for the support and see you all upon my return

China and Hong Kong

Hey Everyone!
Just a quick update with what's happening for me in the next few weeks. I am off to China on Monday the 18th  to play 3 events on the China Ladies Tour. First is the Srixon XXIO Challenge held from the 22nd to the 24th May at the Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club. The next is the Bank of Qingdao Jinshan Challenge which starts the 28th May and finishes the 30th. This is held at the Golden Mountain International Golf Club.
Finally I have the Hong Kong Ladies Open from the 5th to the 7th June which is held at the Hong Kong Golf Club. The best way to follow my progress will be through the CLPGA website.
Recently I have been practicing at the club as well as taking up afew hours at Riverside Golf and Tennis centre just to try and save up alittle bit of money for when I am away.
Once I return from China I will map out the second half of my year with a goal of trying to pre qualify for the British Open.
For the meantime lots of work to happen before now and then.
I will keep you up to date upon my travels,
Good golfing,
Gracie

Australian Classic

Hey Everyone!
I have just returned home after driving back from Sydney. I have been up at Twin Creeks Golf Club playing in the Australian Classic which is a new tournament with a limited field comprising of players from the China Ladies Tour and the Australian.
I drove up last Sunday the 12th , and spent the week staying with my billet L.J, Stacey Keating and her boyfriend Darren.
I went out early Monday morning to have a practice round and met with Gregg, a member at the club whom I had organised to come out for a walk and show me the in's and outs of the golf course.
The course looked really nice, with some tough holes especially if the wind was to get up.
I spent the next two days getting familiar with the course, and doing a lot of short game practice.
After practice on Thursday night there was a Gala dinner at the Star Casino in the city.
It was pretty extravagant, we even had lobster for dinner!
It was a relatively early night as we had a big few days ahead. My billet L.J was on the bag and I had a 10.am tee off.
The first round was a wet day, with constant rain all morning. I was a bit nervous on the first tee, as it was my first comp in over a month. My nerves settled pretty quickly though as I pretty much slipped on the first tee and sent my ball straight into the water hazard on the left of the fairway.
Nerves quickly turned to anger, but I settled and limited the damage to a bogey followed by a birdie on the 2nd, a par 3 of 135m.
5 birdies for the day, alongside 4 bogeys and I settled for an opening round 71.
I had mixed emotions after the first round, I missed a couple of putts that I wanted to make but overall was happy with how I played.
Day 2 -
Conditions were a lot nicer in round 2, no rain was present.
I struggled a little bit mid round and shot 75. That put me at tied for 18th out of 55 players and was looking forward to a good final day.
Day 3- the last round I played fairly steady, I missed a couple of fairways which resulted in bogeys but I hung in there to shoot 74, helped by a chip in on the last and a birdie at 17.
That put me in outright 24th position and helped me go up the rankings a little.
The week gave me a lot of confidence knowing I'm better positioned to compete even when things aren't perfect.
I'm looking forward to the next month of training and hopefully save up enough money to play in the Hong Kong Open in early June.
Thanks to everyone for the support!

-Gracie

April 2015

Hey Everyone!
Just a quick update with what I have been up to and what's coming up. I have been back in Melbourne for roughly the last month. I have practicing and playing at Kingston Heath as well as training in the gym. Tomorrow I am driving to Sydney to play in The Australian Classic, a new addition to the ALPG Tour and it is co sanctioned with the China Ladies Tour.
Its a three day event starting Friday and ending Sunday and the tournament is being held at the Twin Creeks Golf Club.
I am looking forward to getting back into tournament conditions and feel that the things I have been working on will hold me in good stead for the events to come.
I will keep you all updated with my progress throughout the week.
Good Golfing,
Gracie

A quick thankyou

Hey everyone,

Upon reflecting on my first 4 months as a professional golfer, there have been lots of invaluable experiences that I believe will hold me in good stead for the future. However it's an extremely tough road without a great team around you. Without the critical financial and professional support of the following individuals and groups, none of this would have been possible.  A special thank you to the following :-

Martin Hirons – Managing Director Sport Business Partners

Sandy Jamison – Golf Coach Commonwealth Golf Club

Jeff Lennon – Managing Director Freight Solutions

Brett Lennon

Ian Jones

Barbara and Robert McClure 

Members of Kingston Heath Golf Club

Strathallen Golf Club

Mike & Sheryl Pilkington

Judy McKiernan

Titleist

Lacd Apparel
Paul McLean Bushnell/ Bollè Australia

I look forward to continuing my golfing journey and am excited for what the future has in store. I hope you will continue to support me as I strive to follow my dream of becoming a world class touring professional. 

NZ and NSW

Hey everyone!
I have arrived back in Melbourne after being away for the past two weeks. Firstly I was in New Zealand for the ISPS New Zealand Women's Open which was held at Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch. It was my first open at this venue, the only previous NZ Open I played in was at Pegasus Golf Club but they swapped about 3 years ago.
I arrived in Christchurch on the Tuesday and was greeted by my billet for the week, Llyoyd.
We had about a half hour drive to their home and stopped in at the golf club on the way home so that I could register and have a bit of a look around.
The next day I had a practice round with my friend Bre Elliot.
The course appeared to have some pretty challenging holes with a fair bit of water in play.
I was hoping I'd be playing in the pro am the following day but with a bigger field I wasn't required and therefore only had one proper look at the course.
In hindsight that wasn't enough. I played the first two rounds and managed to find most of the water on the course. As it had been fairly still on the day I played a practice round a lot of the notes I had made needed adjusting due to the wind and I was caught guessing how to play the course.
I missed the cut but learnt a valuable lesson, that if I have never played at a venue I need a minimum two rounds there before the competition starts in order to feel confident with my gameplay.

Although I was disappointed I had to pick myself up( with the help of a few others) and look onto the next event.

I was then off to Sydney to play in the NSW Ladies Open which was held at Oatlands Golf Club.
I had played here lots but gave myself 3 practice rounds to really determine the best way to play the course and feel confident with that. By Friday, the first round I was ready to go and I had Melitta come up and caddy for me which was great. We played really steady the first day, 4 birdies and 4 bogeys gave me an even par round of 72 and had restored a bit of belief in myself.
The next two days were similar and I shot 71, 72 to finish T27 out of 107 players.
Although I didn't win or wasn't really in contention come Sunday I was proud that I was able to bounce back from the week before, and in doing so beat a lot of really good professional players.

I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks of training hard  both at the club and the gym and possibly looking for a casual job to keep me on track to play as many events as possible throughout the year.
Thanks to everyone for the support
Gracie

Hey everyone!
Sorry it's taken me a little while to post since last time, I've had a few more tournaments since Moss Vale. I played at the Castle Hill and Pennant Hills Pro Ams, with both courses being in Sydney.
I played steady at Pennant Hills and shot one under  72, whereas the day before I struggled on the greens and the best I could do was a 79. With those being th last of the ALPG pro ams I drove back early the next morning all the way down to Melbourne. I had a day off so I was able to get  a bit of rest and washing done before venturing off down to Thirteenth Beach for the Victorian Open.

For the first round I was paired with Sally Watson of Scotland and amateur Liz Elmasian from NSW. The conditions for the first day were pretty good, there was a  little bit of wind and it was quite warm.
I finished 4 over for the day on the Creek Course. I made a couple of mistakes with my club selection and cost myself as a result of those choices.
Although I played knowhere near my full ability I felt I hung in there all day and tried to save as many shots as I could.
The following day I was off early on the Beach Course and I reminded myself of the great memories I had made there in 2012 before I teed off.
I was playing fairly steady until a double at the 1st (my 10th hole) put me to 3 over for the day. I had hit what I thought was an ok tee shot, only to realise I had run out of room and my ball had run through the fairway under the teetree.
I finished the round 5 over, and missed the cut by 3 shots. I was very disappointed but needed to take the positives out of the tournament. Something I'm learning fast is that you cannot dwindle upon your disappointments in golf, because there are so many.

With this in mind I looked forward to my next event the Ladies Masters at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast. I flew up on the Monday morning and did some practice that afternoon.
I was staying at my caddy Cindys house with my good friend Bre Elliot. We played a practice round Tuesday and had the Sponsors pro am Wednesday afternoon.
After the first two rounds (in which I shot 75 each day)  I had made the cut. I was really pleased, and was looking forward to the experience of playing four rounds in an event that is co sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.
I wasn't able to play my best on the weekend but took some real positives out of the week.
I'm starting to feel more comfortable on the course and that's something I know I will continue to get better at over time.
My next event is the NZ Open next week, followed by the NSW Open.
Thanks to everyone for the support and I may see you all soon before I head off again :)
-Gracie

Round 2 Moss Vale

Hey everyone,
We finished the tournament at Moss Vale last Friday and I had even par 73 on the second day, leaving me even par for the 36 hole tournament and in a share for 27th.
I played relatively steady, which was pleasing and gives me a bit of confidence going into the next couple of events.
With five days scheduled in between comps I headed up to visit my aunt Sheryl and uncle Mike who live at Church Point. It's right on the water so I was lucky enough to get out on the boat and have a swim.
I'm now staying with billets close to Castle Hill Golf Club, which is where tomorrow's pro am is. It's been raining the last 3 days here so the course will be very wet tomorrow.
I will keep you all posted with my results,
Cheers -Gracie

Moss Vale

Hey everyone,
Yesterday was the first day of our two day tournament at Moss Vale Golf Club, I played at 6.58am so it was a nice and early start. I was paired with Liv Cheng who I'm being billeted with, and two amateurs Neil and Jacob.
Jacob is about 14 and was running late so he missed the first two holes but caught us on our third.
It was raining early in the round, but by the end of the day it was fairly clear for the afternoon field.
I played fairly well, I shot even par 73. I struggled with afew shots but was able to get out of trouble with some really good putts. I'm playing at 12.02pm today and am looking forward to the day.
Tomorrow I'm heading up to visit my Aunty and Uncle before the last two pro ams in Sydney, before returning home for the Vic Open at Thirteenth Beach.
Thanks for all the support and il let you know how the week pans out!
- Gracie

ALPG pro ams

Hey everyone,
Sorry it's taken me a little while to post another blog, I've been driving down from Brisbane to Moss Vale the past few days.
The McLeod Pro Am was the last event I played and I shot 3 over par, which earnt me my first pay cheque as a professional golfer. It wasn't much but it's a start! I was lucky enough to have Shani Waugh, my good friend and one of my mentors walk around with me.
I was hitting the ball a lot better, just need to sharpen up my short game and be really disciplined with my commitment to each shot.
We have had 9 days in-between competitions so I visited a couple of our friends, Brooke and Dave who live in Brisbane. I found a gym and a golf course close by and spent the next day between the two. It's also been really hot, so I managed to squeeze a couple of swims into my schedule haha.
I've just arrived at the Moss Vale caravan and cabin sight where I will be staying tonight.
I have booked a practice round for tomorrow and am then staying with billets as of tomorrow night.

Thanks for the support and I will keep you informed of my progress-
Gracie

ALPG season

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and safe New Year. I had a pretty quiet festive season, which was nice!
I've been busy playing and practicing since getting back from Morocco and am currently up in Brisbane. I drove up over 3 days on my own to play in the ALPG pro ams which started afew days ago at Yamba Golf Club, which is up past Coffs Harbour.  It was a very interesting golf course, and had some really challenging holes. I played with 3 amateurs, John was a member at the club, Hugh was from about an hour North and Ying was a relatively new golfer, which made for an interesting day. We teed off at 12.20pm which was right in the middle of the heat. I didn't have my best day and it was a bit awkward at times, Ying stood on Hugh's line about 4 times and I could see him boiling up. These are all things I have had to learn to laugh at.
After the 18th hole, I thought about my day and I need to continue working at afew things to strengthen my long game.
The next day I drove 3hrs up to Mcloed Golf Club, where the second pro am of the year is being held. I teed off at 6 am this morning to play before the heat, then I went to the gym. I'm staying on the 4th hole with my billets Denis and Julie who were good enough to have me for the week, so later when it's a bit cooler il duck out and play afew more holes. Tomorrow we have an am rise event, and then the competition starts Tuesday.
Il touch base and let you all know how I go.
Cheers  Gracie