ASHLEIGH BUHAI column
ALL
aboard!
In her latest exclusive column, South Africa's most recent Major champion talks about life on tour with a new family addition
The novelty of travelling wears thin after a while, and I've been doing it regularly for 19 years as a professional golfer. Fortunately, I'm based in Florida, and the airport I use most often, Palm Beach International, is far less chaotic than Miami. As a member of the LPGA Tour, you need a good base to call home, and for Dave and me, Palm Beach Gardens is that place.
As many of you know, this year there has been a new addition to our family – all 7.5 pounds (about 3.5kg) of her. She has added a new dimension to constant travelling, and she absolutely loves flying. That's our Pebbles, a toy Australian Shepherd who gets five-star treatment wherever she goes.
Passengers travelling with dogs on domestic flights around the United States are a common sight, and we've now become frequent flyers with Delta Air Lines in particular. Pebbles knows exactly when it's time to head to the airport, and then on to the rented Airbnb or host family for the week.
She fits into a little travel bag at my feet and gets so excited for each and every experience. Having her as a constant travel companion has also changed my behaviour at airports. Before, I'd spend so much time waiting for the clock to tick over ahead of a flight, but now she keeps me active. I rack up the steps as she explores her surroundings, and with pet-relief areas available at airports, there's no need to worry about any accidents on board.
Our daily schedules have also changed, from morning walks before afternoon-round tee times, to making sure I know the amount of time I spend at the course on practice days so she isn't alone for too many hours. It's also been a good reminder that no matter how good or bad a day I have on the course it's always nice to come back to this little bundle of energy who is always happy to see you.
Since the end of April, which marked my first LPGA Tour event in five months, I've competed in 12 events and the air miles have started to add up. Someone did the maths and worked out that in those four months of playing my way back to full fitness, I'd flown more than 17 000 miles – nearly 30 000km. Pebbles – no prizes for guessing how she got her name – has certainly got her own travel log going nicely.
Although South Africa is my forever home, whenever we arrive back in Florida, I instantly relax. Despite spending a lot of time in Airbnbs rather than hotels while playing on Tour, nothing beats the comforts of home, and Pebbles has also come to understand that Florida is her home.
I don't have a dedicated travel agency, so I do all of our bookings myself. Often, we'll spend a tournament week with our tour family – as we call each other – which includes other caddies and players, and this creates a little home away from home wherever we are.
The programme is basically flat out from March to November, but fortunately as a professional golfer you get to choose which weeks you want to play and travel. And this month there's the Solheim Cup, which means we'll be back home with our feet up, watching Pebbles do her thing while I try to watch as much of the event as I can.
Things are going well, and I'm feeling like I'm swinging nicely. Whenever you make cuts and get yourself into the competitive mix, it's a great feeling. And whenever that next win comes, I'm sure Pebbles will show her excitement just as much as we will!
about the author
British Open winner
Ashleigh Buhai has
teamed up with
The Golf Mag as a
columnist where she
will take you into her world as an elite professional golfer. Be sure not to miss what one of South Africa's greats has to say.
SUPPLIED | SUNSHINE LADIES TOUR
