Alpg Pro Ams

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The start of the ALPG season has come around again so last Sunday the 3rd Jan I hopped in my car packed with my golf clubs, clothes and everything in between and started the long journey to Moss Vale. For those who don't know it's about and hours drive short of Sydney! 

Thankfully mum and dad bought me a couple of CD's for Christmas so that helped the time go by, there was a huge storm about half way but before I knew it I was arriving at my billets Gill and Neil Button's home.

I was also lucky enough to stay with them last year as well and they are wonderful people to stay with.

The first couple of practice days rained non stop, but I put my wet weather gear on and got out there to check out the course.

Obviously not a lot had changed since the previous year, but the most important thing during these practice days is to try and develop a feel for the speed of the greens and to also get an idea of which clubs to hit off the tee.

The first round was here and I had a 12.10 tee off time. They were running behind on the tee and it was about 12.35 by the time we hit off.

It wasn't the start I had hoped for, I made a few poor swings and found myself 4 over through 5 holes.

I was a bit anxious so I tried to settle myself and just carry on. I made 3 birdies after that and finished the day with a  1 over par 74 which in the wet conditions wasn't to bad. It was a long day, playing with 3 amateurs it took around 5.5 hours to play. I was proud of myself because one of the things my coach told me is never to panic on the golf course and that's something this time last year I wouldn't have been able to do.

I played fairly steady the next day and shot 73. I finished 31st in the first event.

The next day we had the Mount Broughton Pro Am. I played well with six birdies and 3 bogeys for a 

3 under par 69. I was pleased with the day and went home to rest before the last round.

It was a tough day, a bit windy and there is some really thick grass just off the fairways so at times it was hard for me to just stand up and rip it. I got a little tentative off the tee and misjudged s few putts but stayed fairly patient, and shot 74.

This put me in 6th position which was a good result early in the season.

We have two days off before I get ready for the Oatlands Pro am starting Thursday! Someone mentioned it might be 43 degrees so il get plenty of water into me!

Thanks to you all for the support and I hope all is well at home!

Cheers - Gracie 

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