DIARY OF A EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYER: European tour player REBECCA COAKLEYis set to tee off for the Ladies Irish Open tomorrow. This has been her build-up over the past two weeks

Tuesday, June 2nd

Ladies Dutch Open

Travel Day– It's 11am and I'm at the airport again for the usual torture of travelling with budget airlines. Don't get me wrong, without them travel would be still extortionately priced so I often fly with them, but it is a pain.

I didn’t get charged for excess baggage, managing to get my case in at 15.2kg which is a result for me. It’s not easy for us girls to travel so light I can tell you!

I’m sitting at the gate now and it’s noon. I can’t believe it, there are people already queuing for the flight which isn’t supposed to board for another 45 minutes. I wait until the last minute to board, taking one of the last seats and wondering why is it cheaper not to allocate seats when we still have boarding passes printed out?

When we arrive in Eindhoven we are met by the courtesy drivers – no, it wasn’t a BMW 7 Series, it was a Transit Van – who took us to the golf course.

Next step was to register with the volunteers from the club. We received the usual goodie bag, which oddly enough contained a box of 100s and 1,000s (sprinkles). I thought it was a kind of random gift, all we needed was the ice cream to go along with it.

After registration, it was back in the transit and off to check-in to the Hotel Van Der Valk. We have stayed here the last two years and it is very nice but a little on the expensive side.

After a long day I grab a bit to eat and then retire to my bed. At least the US programmes on the TV in Holland are in English with Dutch subtitles – a big plus at the end of the day for me.

Wednesday, June 3rd

Ladies Dutch Open

Managed to have a nice sleep-in today, which was great. Got up at 8am and wasted some time on my laptop and getting ready.

I got to the course for 10:30 which was perfect as I had an appointment with the tour physio then for 30 minutes. It’s great to have this service every week, whether you just need to be loosened up and stretched or if you have injuries. However, it’s not for free – we have to pay it, not like the men’s tour.

Then it was over to the range to get the hard work over and done with. It’s funny, I’ve been on tour now for five years and every so often something different happens. Today was one of those days. I notice a guy walking around the range, but not watching the golf shots or swings. He was just walking up and down the range. Not long after this I was talking with my caddy when I noticed the same guy with a bucket of balls from the range which he proceeded to tip into his back pack. He must have been desperate for some balls because, I can tell you, these were not the nice Pro V’s but beat-up old Nike balls. The poor guy!

Thursday, June 4th

Pro-Am Day

Well it’s Pro-Am day! I teed off at 1pm from the 13th hole. Luckily we had a buggy ride out to the hole, where I met my group. I think I got lucky, a group of nice ladies and good fun. There is nothing worse as a pro than getting a Pro-Am group that are just there either to win or to beat the pro.

Today was Caddy Caolan’s first day with me; he did a great job for a young chap who hasn’t caddied before. I think we will do great together this year. I have been educating him on what is required as a caddy on tour and Caolan has been learning from a few other caddies on tour.

I think people would be quite amazed at how much work these guys do out here, it’s not the kind of easy-going life style that everyone probably thinks. I mean these guys walk the course a couple of times before the tournament, checking yardages and working out a game plan. They also have the long days on the course and on the range depending on the player. You probably are looking at 9-10 hours a day depending on the player.

Friday, June 5th

Ladies Dutch Open

It’s the first round today, so I head to the course around two hours before my tee time which allows me some time to go through the pin positions with my caddy, grab a bit to eat and warm-up for the round.

I hit the ball okay today, but my putting let me down, I shot 75. I really struggled to read the greens and my pace putting from the fringes wasn’t great, I had 33 putts, which is a real killer out here. I finished late in the afternoon so did a quick warm down and a little putting before heading back to hotel. I have an early start in the morning.

Saturday, June 6th

Ladies Dutch Open

Today consisted of the same routine as yesterday. I felt really confident after my warm-up session on the range this morning. I hit the ball lovely, which is always a nice feeling as you head to the first tee.

Again I hit the ball nice, but had too many putts. Shot 73 and had 32 putts. Weather conditions today were much tougher then yesterday. It was cold and windy all day and on this tour when it gets windy the scores start to go out.

I spent the afternoon hoping that my four over would just be enough to play the final round, but I knew that it was probably going to be three over. And it was, so I missed the cut by one. This is the second tournament in a row now that I’ve missed by one, so I was gutted that evening.

Sunday, June 7th

Travel day– After missing the cut all I could do for the day was some practise followed by waiting around until 3:30pm for my bus to the train station and from there we got the train to Amsterdam airport.

There were seven of us on the train so the hour ride went quickly with all the chatter. One of the caddies had a portable DVD player so he put on Dirty Sanchez. As you can imagine there was quite a bit of noise from us then.

Monday, June 8th

We didn’t get home until very late last night and I was wrecked. It was nice to get into my own bed. That’s one thing I look forward to the most when I’m away, getting into my own bed. I ended up spending most of the day doing the washing for tomorrow when I head to Lisbon for the Ladies Portuguese Open. I managed to get to the gym in between a wash, which was nice. I enjoy getting to the gym and letting off some steam.

Tuesday, June 9th

Travel day– My alarm went off at 4:20am – I find it a killer getting up that early. I met up with a few Irish caddies and Hazel Kavanagh at the airport. We had breakfast and coffee together before boarding our flight to Lisbon, so was a bit of a laugh.

We hired a car for the week from Lisbon, which was a great decision as the transfers are not great and the hotel is 30 minutes from the course. It’s great to have a car of your own every now and again as it gives you that little bit of freedom.

After checking-in to the hotel we headed to the course. I was so tired after the early start and travel that I just walked the front nine. The course is very nice but the greens are way too soft.

Wednesday, June 10th

Portuguese Ladies Open

Today was my practice round on the Golden Eagle Golf Course. The course was great except for the seventh hole. I’m not sure what was going through the course designer’s head when he decided to leave trees in the middle of the fairway. The greens are as soft as I thought and, come the first round on Friday, it could be a problem with foot prints. You have to remember it’s the same for everyone, though.

After a long day on the course and the range I head back to the hotel and go to the gym. It can be hard travelling and trying to maintain your gym work-outs, so I have to make sure to schedule my week well.

We had a Chinese for dinner tonight. You wouldn’t believe it but it was unbelievably cheap. I mean €1.40 for a hot and sour soup, €3.00 for spicy chilli chicken and €1.00 for a serving of steamed rice. I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the menu. I have to say though it wasn’t great, but what can I expect for €5.40. Crazy!

Friday, June 12th

Ladies Portuguese Open

Round 1, tee-time 9:40am.

I played well considering the wind and how bad the greens were, especially as yesterday was Pro-Am day and I wasn’t playing so did not have the extra practice. I shot 73. Caolan did a good job, he is learning fast even though this is only his second tournament.

After the round we went through the stats for the day. This gives us an idea of what needs the most work after on the range.

I did a light session of practice this afternoon as the weather was very hot and I didn’t want to get too dehydrated for the next round tomorrow.

I had dinner with Hazel in a local restaurant. It was funny, we never even thought before heading into the restaurant that the menu might only be in Portuguese. Luckily though we had a very helpful waiter and one of the Spanish girls helped translate and I ended up having a nice steak with a lovely glass of red.

Saturday, June 13th

Ladies Portuguese Open

Round 2, tee-time 1:50pm.

My second round wasn’t as good as yesterday, but the conditions were a lot tougher, with the wind very strong, rain and by the afternoon the greens weren’t great. I shot 76 but managed to make the cut on the number, which was fantastic.

After a late finish I went straight back to the hotel. The Caddy’s Association put on a player-caddy bowling competition. There was pizza and fries for everyone, which went down well as I was starving. Caolan and I didn’t perform to our best; let’s just say I think we are better suited to golf, but it was a great way to unwind.

Sunday, June 14th

Ladies Portuguese Open

Final round, tee-time 8:30am.

I got the first bus out this morning, the 6.30am, which, at least, means we get the course at its best, especially the greens. I took advantage of this and shot 70. I finished tied for 20th which was a great result for me after just making the cut.

Unfortunately for us there was no flight home that night so it meant another night in the hotel in a town that nobody really knew the exact name of. We made a great discovery though that evening, a good Indian restaurant. The curries went down well!

We were having a great evening until Shane, Caolan and I got in the elevator in the hotel and it broke down. I really started to panic after 10 minutes of waiting, then after 15 minutes we started to realise that there wasn’t any ventilation in the lift and it was getting very hot. Twenty minutes later and some guy is trying to locate us, but he doesn’t seem to be really doing anything. Caolan, however, came to the rescue, he just decided, ‘I’m going to pull the elevator door open’, and lo and behold we were on the second floor. As you can imagine there were words said at reception. And then I found out the guy that was sent to find us was, in fact, the bar man. Unbelievable.

Tuesday, June 16th

Yesterday was another travel day, as most Mondays are on tour, so it was great today as I played golf with Shane and Japanese friends that are in Ireland for a golfing holiday. We played Mt Juliet and it was a great round and a lot of fun. One of the best things about this game, I think, is that no matter where you go in the world this game makes you friends for life.

After being away for a couple of weeks it’s amazing the amount of paper work you need to catch up on. This isn’t my favourite thing to do but I’ve realised it has to be done. I think I spent a good two hours on the laptop this evening.

Wednesday, June 17th

I played Bunclody Golf Club this morning and it rained hard until the 8th hole and for the rest of the round we had perfect conditions. Bunclody was in great condition and looking very good for a course not long open. I really enjoyed the round and it was a good challenge. After a late lunch I did some light practice. This week I am getting prepared for the Irish Open in Portmarnock Links, which means I will play every day this week except for Saturday. I will also do some light practice in between.

Thursday, June 18th

I played Portmarnock Links this morning as I thought it would be good to get a round in before next week. I had the pleasure of playing with Colin Byrne and it was really educating and fascinating to have the opportunity to play with Colin who has so much experience caddying for top-class male professionals.

It was interesting learning about what goes on in the men’s tour compared with us ladies too, as well as seeing the difference in the way I would approach a course compared to the guys. The course was in great shape and I can’t wait to play it next weekend.

Saturday, June 20th

I went back to Rosslare for a lesson this morning, as I played the course there yesterday to get in the practice on a links course and realised I needed to work on my wind shots. I have been getting coached by Johnny Young for the last five years and we worked on keeping it simple and making sure I was using my bigger muscles, as I tend to get too analytical of my swing. I also worked on the wind shots and shaping the ball, which is so important in windy conditions. I left Johnny hitting the ball well and feeling positive about my swing.

Had the rest of the day off so went to Kilkenny Castle with Japanese friends and had a nice lunch.

Sunday, June 21st

I played one of my favourite courses today, Killeen Castle. It is a pleasure to play and always in perfect condition. I hit the ball well and really enjoyed the round. My game is in good shape and everything is feeling good heading into next week.

After we had dinner in Killeen we headed over to Portmarnock Links, where we checked in to the hotel for the week. I think I am probably one of the first here. Normally the girls would arrive on a Tuesday or Wednesday for a three-day tournament and the Monday for a four-rounder. This saves on expenses for the week.

The course and tournament set-up is looking great and I can’t wait to get started.

The AIB Ladies Irish Open starts on Friday at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.