Gabrielle's Golf News Archives - Gabrielle Macdonald

2021 Season Reflections

15th December 2021

End of the golf season means time to reflect; what went well, what could be better and how am I going to improve? It’s the same thought process I usually have after a tournament… sometimes in my head but usually I type it up on my phone. This time I’ll attempt to blog about it. At least I tried… I started this blog over a month ago but got stuck on “what went well” and got too busy working on my weaknesses… but finally I’ve got there in time for Christmas! So here we go:

What was the difference? A few people asked me that, after returning home from my best season yet as a pro, where I won twice on the Ladies European Tour Access Series. At the time, I didn’t really know the answer, I’m working it out by writing this. Statistically the main difference has been a significant improvement to my putting. That’s black and white, the rest is grey or multicoloured … so many factors go into performance that it can be hard to ascertain why. But maybe it’s as simple as that, if I putt well – I play well…

I know I have a tendency to overthink, however, in this case I think I can justify delving deeper into ‘what went well & why’. It could be a blueprint after all.

My main goal of the year was to get my LET card, it was a clear goal and attainable, having come fairly close before. Outcome based goals are not always necessary but I think it definitely helped me to focus and kept me motivated each week. I felt like I needed to win in order to secure my card, as the players around me were playing well every week.

Another thing I’ve learnt is that experience counts. Both venues where I won, I had played there before. At Allerum, I played as an amateur in 2018 and missed the cut. However, on the final day I went out to watch the leaders and cheer on my room-mate who went on to win. Looking back now, I realise I learnt a lot just watching those few holes and maybe not surprisingly have performed well there since, with a top-10 in 2019 and a win this year. Knowing the courses also allowed me to prepare well – and efficiently – which helped a lot as I came to Allerum on the back of five straight events and was beginning to fatigue!

Despite the fatigue, I think having such a busy run of events was another key to success. It allowed me to find form, a prolonged period where I was highly tuned into my swing thoughts & feelings with a heightened sense of knowing where the ball was going. I wanted to keep playing. In hindsight now, I realise that there was another bonus to the busy schedule and fatigue. It meant I spent more of my practice time on the putting green and less time on the range… what did I say about my putting stats again!

Both my experience gained and the busy schedule helped me to perform well, not because they improved my technique, but because they helped me tactically and they gave me confidence. Attitude is everything once you’re on the golf course, and I think this is where I have improved the most over the years. Winning isn’t flawless and I definitely made lots of mistakes during the weeks I won. But I was able to recover from them with positive self talk (inside my head) and a relaxed attitude. I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself to win even though I had the lead – I was already proud of how I played to get into that position. My mum told me to “not get in my own way” and it’s something that comes to mind now. I’ll keep trying.

A Second Success – Lavaux Ladies Open Champion

2nd November 2021

Maybe winning is like waiting for a bus… you wait for ages and then two come along at once! It certainly seemed that way for me after winning my second LETAS title in less than a month. This one came at the Lavaux Ladies Open near Lausanne in Switzerland, another venue I had been to before.

The beautiful backdrop of Lake Geneva and rolling Swiss countryside, already had special memories for me as my family attended the event with me in 2018, one of the last times my mum was able to watch me play. As I headed up the 18th hole this time round, needing a birdie to force a play-off, I recalled my mum cheering me on as I got up and down from the greenside bunker three years prior. I missed the cut then – not that you could tell by my mum’s enthusiastic reaction. What a memory to have I thought – a memory to cherish, my mum, my most zealous supporter delighted seeing me do what I love. There were no tears this time at such a poignant reminder, only a brief moment of joyful reflection, and then it was back to the present. A wee downhill 6 footer to make in order to tie the clubhouse lead on -7. I knew it would break left to right, having just watched my playing partner make a similar putt, but I recalled over-reading a putt earlier in the round and doubt crept in- maybe it would straighten up at the hole? Luckily I had my friend Clara Young on the bag, who assured me it would break! Decision made, time to trust and execute. I felt a rush of adrenaline after I made that putt – something you can’t replicate in practice and definitely a feeling that’s hard to beat!

I managed to win at the first play-off hole and with this win secure my LET card for 2022. I was over the moon to have achieved my goal for the year.

My coach messaged me after I won reminding me that I didn’t need to win in a play-off every time and that 54 holes works as well, but winning play-offs is a habit I can definitely live with!

Allerum Open Champion – First Professional Win

2nd November 2021

My busy summer schedule ended in style, capturing my first professional win at the Allerum Open in Sweden. It was my third time returning to Allerum, having played as an amateur in 2018 and as a pro in 2019. This experience along with my run of good form gave me lots of confidence heading into the week. Mentally I was in a great place and so despite the terrible weather I really enjoyed myself and ending up leading after each round. Holding the lead was a new experience for me since turning pro, and I’ll admit to not getting a whole lot of sleep the night before the final round. Despite this, I felt fairly relaxed as I prepared to tee off and didn’t put too much pressure on myself, or the outcome, I wanted to enjoy the moment. I got off to a great start and through 9 holes I had opened up a 5 shot lead. However, this soon disappeared after I made a costly triple bogey on 11! Winning is never easy… and my head was soon scrambled!

I managed to steady the ship with a birdie on 13 which calmed me down and I remember thinking to myself that I was proud of how I had played all week, so not to dwell on my mistakes on 13. This self-talk and my attitude all week was definitely key and I managed to grind out the last few holes with some great par saves and a brilliant birdie on 17. I ended up tied on -4 with Lily May Humphreys and so we continued to the 19th. It took 5 extra holes to decide the winner, with a par on the 17th hole enough to secure my first win.

It was a magnificent feeling; one that is hard to fully describe, but it was incredibly satisfying – especially after recovering from a mini-meltdown on 13! There wasn’t a whole lot of time to let it sink in as I headed straight to the final event in Sweden after the play-off. However, looking back now, and knowing I hit some great shots and holed clutch putts under pressure gives me a lot of confidence going forward.

MACDONALD SEALS LETAS WIN AFTER PLAY-OFF IN ALLERUM

2021 Summer Events

8th August 2021

The 2021 LETAS season is in full flow now and I’ve just finished week 4 of a 7 week stretch. It’s been a good few weeks for me starting with a top 10 finish in Italy in the co sanctioned men’s Alps Tour event. I was the second best female and the highlight was a hole in one on the 13th hole in round 1. It was my first proper hole in one so it was really exciting for me and made my first trip to Italy very special.

Next up I headed to Spain and then a drive to Zaragoza in the north east. The course La Peñaza was great and I had another 3 good rounds and finished tied 4th. My roommate Rachael Goodall won in a 7 hole play off making it an exciting finish.

Since then I’ve had two events in Sweden, the first one was a matchplay event and I made it to the quarter finals earning me a tied 5th finish. Then it was back to strokeplay at Golf Uppsala and despite not my best decision making I finished tied 16th and another solid week. I’ve got another 3 events here in Sweden before heading home for a few days. It’s been a tiring few weeks but good to be playing and doing well. Hopefully keep it up!

Cheers for now ☺️

Gabrielle’s Golf Day 2021

24th April 2021

I was delighted to host my golf day last Friday at Craigielaw. The day was a huge success and I appreciate the support from everyone who came along and played. I would also like to thank everyone who donated prizes and helped to make the day happen. Special thanks to my dad and to Derek Scott for help in organising the event. Thanks to my sponsor, Pure Spa & Beauty, for donating prizes & goodie bags for everyone. Their support has been fantastic since I turned pro and I also wanted to thank a few others for their support this year – Lee Ewing, Carol Kaufman and Sal Shepherd.

Also thanks to Ocean Tee, Caddy Club, Phil Anderton, Ken Goodwin, David Patrick, Stuart McEwen, Nic Oldham, Allan Frain, Ian Young, Andrew McKinlay and everyone at Craigielaw. I hope everyone enjoyed the day and thank you again!

PURE SPA AMBASSADOR

13th August 2020

I’m delighted to be a brand ambassador for Pure Spa & Beauty and I’m really grateful for their support. This partnership is a great fit for me as a professional golfer as it’s important for me to take care of my mind and body and Pure Spa is the perfect place for me to do so. They have three spas in Edinburgh as well as others across the UK. It’s great to have access to the Spa, and I have loved being able to relax after training in the David Lloyd Newhaven Spa. I also have benefitted from regular massage treatments, which are great for muscle recovery and for keeping me flexible.

I’m thrilled to be representing Pure Spa & Beauty as I compete across the world. If you want to find out more about Pure Spa, have a look at their website:https://blog.purespauk.com/6669/introducing-pure-ambassador-gabriella-macdonald

Gabrielle signs with Momentum Athlete Group

17th June 2020

Gabrielle is delighted to have signed with sports management company, Momentum Athlete Group and looks forward to working with team MAG over the next few years. More details can be found at https://www.momentumathletegroup.com/gabriellemacdonald

South Africa 2020

22nd March 2020

A win, 3 missed cuts, and the Coronavirus

I got back from South Africa last Thursday and it was the quietest I have ever seen Edinburgh Airport! Which would be great if it wasn’t due to the coronavirus pandemic. I was slightly apprehensive about travelling home but fingers crossed I haven’t caught anything and my flights went ahead as normal, so it was a relatively smooth experience. South Africa is only just starting to have cases of the virus, so during my time I felt as though I was escaping all the panic and mayhem that was happening back home.

I started my trip in Johannesburg 4 weeks ago, and I was travelling with two girls from the UK and we were all getting put up by a lovely host family at Ebotse Links. It was so exciting to be out competing again on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, where I had started my professional career almost exactly a year ago. After a few days adjusting to the heat and altitude I played my first competition, over the brand new 18 hole par 3 course at Serengeti Estates. Having never played a par 3 tournament before, it was a great new concept and lots of fun. It was also a pro am team event, where we played as team of two pros and two amateurs. After the two rounds we finished tied for the lead, and needed to play-off for first and second place. It was exciting to be involved in a play-off with a fair sized crowd watching, and I admittedly felt pretty nervous! Luckily for me, my partner holed a great putt on the 4th extra hole to crown us the Canon Serengeti Par 3 Challenge winners! It was a fantastic way to start my trip, and I finished in 11th place individually.

After that I had two more events in Johannesburg, the first was at Soweto Country Club. Soweto is one of the largest township areas in the city, and the golf course was recently upgraded and refurbished by the city. The course proved difficult due to the thick rough and bouncy greens and unfortunately I missed the cut by 2 shots. It was disappointing for me but I was optimistic about my golf by the following week at Glendower Country Club. I had a solid first round of 73 but after getting off to a bad start in round 2, I was battling to make the cut again. I dropped a couple shots at the end of the round and missed it for the second week in a row. I felt like my golf wasn’t that far away as I was striking the ball well, but my putter was costing me.

The tour then moved to Cape Town for the final event, the South African Women’s Open which is also a Ladies European Tour event. The field was strong with all the regular tour players over for it. My boyfriend also came over to caddy for me… and to see all that Cape Town offers! I felt a lot more comfortable in this environment than the previous year but there are fine lines in sport and again I missed the cut by 2 shots. I felt a bit deflated to finish my trip on a disappointing note, but I know I’ll come back stronger, I just have to keep working hard.

I had a few days to explore Cape Town before flying home, and it really is a beautiful city and part of the world. We went to Cape Point (the most southerly part of Africa), saw the penguins on boulders beach, went on a wine tour, explored the V&A waterfront and relaxed on the beach at Camps Bay. We had been planning to go up Table Mountain and hike Lion’s Head but there was a fire that broke out on Lion’s Head and the mountain was shut for the next few days whilst they tried to put it out, before eventually being closed due to coronavirus!

Now that I’m home, like everyone else I’m not sure what lies ahead. My next few events have been postponed until later in the year so at the moment the earliest I will be competing is May. However, I think it is highly likely that those events will also be cancelled or rearranged. I plan to use this time to rest my elbow injury which has been lingering since October, so I will be limiting my practice to short game over the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed we know more soon, and I hope everyone stays as healthy as possible!

Gabrielle’s Golf Day 2020

13th February 2020

Unfortunately due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic I have postponed my golf day for the time being. I am hoping to rearrange for later in the year and will be in touch once I know more. For now I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.

After a successful event last year, I will be hosting another golf day this year on the 12th June at Craigielaw. The format will remain the same, being a 4 person Texas scramble. Team entry is £300. Following the golf there will be food and a raffle. More details to follow, but I’m sure it will be a fun filled day with lots of great prizes on offer. Save the date!