Quite Literally... Surviving

So just when you thought that being declined at the airport for your first flight out to South Africa was the worst that could happen...
​And now here I am 6 weeks later, sat in a hospital bed with invalid travel insurance, a severe case of the sh*ts, and I can’t even make it to the toilet in time before having to throw out another pair of fake Calvin Kleins I bought off eBay...

It's been a while since I've last been able to post due to a few technical difficulties in Africa but I just wanted to a give a big shout out to Andy Herridge at 'GolfVIP' for his donation and all other 27 guys who have also kindly contributed towards my #100Club brigade. The last 9 weeks would not have been possible without all your support.
These guys have all been a part of my private admin only WhatsApp group and are enjoying regular scores + updates from me out in 'the bush' and behind the scenes access of tour life. So if you would like to follow my journey more closely and be apart of the 100 Club, you are more than welcome to join at any time. More Details in the Video ABOVE. JOIN HERE

Before I start with the 'sh*tty' ending I thought I'd follow up from where I finished my previous blog;
​I'd just made my first cut on the Sunshine Tour, which was almost 7 weeks ago now so obviously I have lots of things to update you on, but don't worry I'll be spreading it out (like butter) over the next few weeks. 

​2nd Event - At the prestigious Ebotse links Golf club for the Gauteng Championship, the only links golf club in Joburg, which was a real treat but also an extremely tough test for anyone. Fairways were forgiving but your approaches in the greens required a lot of precision. Slightly offline and you were dropping another one. One word - SNAKES. (See slideshow of the course below).

Strangely enough I actually went into the event playing great and full of confidence, but unfortunately a slow start of level for the first 8 holes and then dropping a few around the turn, forced me to take on the 12th par 5. A hole that was a 3 shot hole every day of the week with water all the way down the right. A very aggressive minded caddy wanting to see us make birdies did influence the 'smash a 2 iron to the front edge' tactic but from 265 metres it was definitely a bit of a brain fart on my side. If you're going to set a game plan for the week, don't change your mind even if things aren't quite going your way!

3rd Event - Serengeti Golf Invitational at former European Tour Venue and usually the tour final for the Sunshine Tour. Jack Nicklaus Design, so lots of big bunkers placed everywhere, ridiculously firm, undulating and super rapido greens, which meant your course management had to be spot on.

Thankfully I had learnt my lesson from the previous week, and I was ready to shake things up. 
Round 1 demonstrated this, it was an absolute ball striking exhibition, I hit every shot exactly where I intended too, which was either right next to the flag or placed on the correct sides of the greens. Maybe if it wasn't for a bad draw of a late tee time that was extended by 2 hours (fog delay) and having to finish in darkness, i'd have probably holed a few more really close putts and turned my level par round into a 5-6 under without much difficulty. 

Hey ho, no dramas, I knew I was heading into the morning absolutely striping it with the best greens of the day so with a bit of luck, I had absolutely no doubt that I could shoot a low round.
And boy did it start well, 2 birdies through 4 holes with a couple of lip outs suddenly ended with an errant drive on 5, a 3 wack (putt) on 6 and drop balls on 7+8 made it very hard to make up a score up knowing the back 9 was a lot tougher. It was a real shame in the end to miss the cut by 3.
Thankfully one thing i've definitely learnt, is that no matter how frustrating missing cuts can be, it definitely highlights areas you need to work on for next time...

... it clearly looks like I need to work out how not to lick my golf ball when there is any mud on it, especially when theres sewage water on the greens...

I have a great idea Ben, you’ve just had 3 weeks off, worked really hard on your game, so why don’t you start getting ready for the 1st challenge tour qualifier coming up by driving up a week early for an extra practice round? And of course its based in a safari park so how could you resist... Famous last words.​