Here, English rookie Hannah Ralph, 21, from Easebourne, West Sussex, discusses her last few weeks competing on the Ladies European Tour. Hannah has played at Cowdray Park Golf Club since she was eight and was taken by her father.
Hannah got her first handicap of 45 in Feb 1998 when she was nearly ten years old and came down 19 shots in that year. She has always been very sporty, playing most sports to a good level including football and stoolball. Golf was her first love and her schools recognised her talent by allowing her to participate in the amateur competitions as long as she kept up her good work!!
Hannah left school after her GCSEs to concentrate on golf full time, eventually taking on a part-time job but still continuing to focus on her golf by playing in many tournaments across the country and representing her County, both successfully.
She was taught for a few years by her Uncle Glenn Ralph and is now currently coached by Katie Dawkins of Cowdray Park G.C.
Hannah earned her full Tour card at LET Q school at La Manga G.C, Spain in December 2009 and is now playing in her first year on Tour.
Hannah talks about her experiences so far:
“After a short break I played in the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open held at the National Golf Club. The course was nice and pretty to walk round but very narrow and required full concentration for every shot. I did make the cut which I was happy about. It was a great tournament and we the players were very well looked after. The hotel was very impressive as was the choice of food! The sponsors put a lot of effort into these tournaments and we really do appreciate it. It’s nice for a rookie to experience tournaments like these and get a feel for them. Also, you get to meet lots of people at the players’ party and have fun.
After Turkey, It was straight onto Germany for the UniCredit Ladies German Open presented by Audi. This again was a very well run tournament with the added luxury of the shuttle cars being lovely new Audis! The weather was not so good but that didn’t stop the public coming out to watch: well done to them. I played in a nine hole Media pro-am on the Tuesday which was nice, again another chance to meet people and get a taste of the course.
Unfortunately, I missed the cut but as with every tournament, I learned a lot which will help me throughout the rest of the season.
We are now in Slovakia for the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open: a nice setting although interesting in places, it should be a fun week! The weather is very mixed but that was to be expected I think considering we’re in the mountains! It looks to be a good tournament and nice to come here for the first time.
Being a Tour Pro is good and fun. We are fortunate to have a job we love that includes travelling all over Europe, playing top courses and being well looked after. At times it can be frustrating and full on but it’s well worth it! It’s enjoyable and there’s always something to look forward to.
Here’s to a good year for the LET and their players!
Speak soon,
Hannah (Ralph)
