How would I cope with life on the European Tour? And I m not here wondering whether my inability to drive the ball much more than 200 yards, a rubbish short game and a suspect putting stroke would eventually find me out but whether or not I would be happy living out of a suitcase, staying in a succession of smart hotels and hanging around dreary airports. And, assuming I made the cut, what about the physical demands of playing golf on four consecutive days? So, before I make any final decision about my future, I thought it would be as well to conduct a sort of experiment to see how I stood up to the rigours of life on the road.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I m first off to the Algarve to defend the Portugal Nations Cup Press-Am trophy that I won last year in partnership with Ben Evans, Ben Parker and the amateur hero of Royal Birkdale, Chris Wood. I shall be in Portugal from September 15-20.
That s followed by what could well prove to be the highlight of the exercise, an overnight stay at glorious Gatwick. On the morning of the 21st, I shall be flying to Edinburgh and then travelling up to St Andrews for the International Pairs World Final. Since I never entered, it would indeed have been remarkable had I made it through to the World Final. I shall simply report on the event as well as sample some of the courses up there, of which there are many.
To test my ability to function at all hours of the day and night, I shall be leaving my hotel in St Andrews at about 3am on the 25th for my flight from Edinburgh. What about changing planes, can I handle quick connections when struggling with a heavy golf bag? I should find out on the 25th when, after Edinburgh, I change in Amsterdam for a flight to Copenhagen and then in Copenhagen for a flight to Arhus.
Three days at the about-to-be-openend Lubker resort climaxing with a serious tournament followed by a tearful reunion at Gatwick with my W -reg Fiat, will conclude the experiment.
The other intriguing aspect to the trip is that I shall be taking a wi-fi enabled laptop with me. Although this might sound extraordinarily unexciting to you, for a technophobe like me it s a courageous leap into the unknown. What makes it doubly heroic is that I m only doing it so that I can try and keep you informed of progress. If all goes well, you will be updated regularly as to how the experiment is progressing. If, on the other hand, you hear nothing, you will know that I couldn t get the blasted thing to work.
The intention, therefore, is to live like a pro for the next two weeks even if I m completely incapable of playing like one. I ll try and keep you posted.
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