Elizabeth Mallett: The LET player on her first few months on tour

As a new player on the Ladies European Tour for 2017, Elizabeth Mallet has an exciting year ahead of her.

We’ve decided to follow her journey as she experiences her first year on tour, asking her to chronicle what she’s enjoyed, what she’s found difficult and if it lives up to her expectations.

After our first interview in January, we caught up with Elizabeth to talk about her first busy months on the LET.

How’s your practice going?

I’ve been working hard on my game over the past few months getting ready for the season. I will be playing most of the tournaments on the LET Access Tour and hopefully around four events on the LET.

Why did you decide to become an ambassador for American Golf?

American Golf has been with me from the beginning of my golfing journey. I bought my very first golf club from my local American Golf store and I currently work part time in the Sutton Coldfield store; becoming a brand ambassador was naturally the next step!

I am passionate about getting more people into golf and sharing my love for the game. By working with American Golf I hope to help more people to realise their potential and I’m optimistic that we can work together to grow the game.

We recently filmed some game improvement videos covering tips for lady golfers, tips for junior golfers, chipping drills and many more. They will be released soon so keep a look out if you want to take a few shots off your scores!

Coming up over The Masters weekend (7th – 9thApril), I will be on stage at The Golf Show at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London. It will be a great showcase for golf and it should be a lot of fun. I will be around all weekend and would love to talk to anyone about their golf or anyone who is thinking of taking up the game.

What else have you been up to?

I’ve also become certified as a Tri-Golf Instructor.

I decided to get involved with Tri-Golf because I think it’s an excellent way to encourage more girls to play golf. Growing the game is important to me and I feel that as an instructor I can give back to the sport. I hope to be a role model for girls and women who play golf and Tri-Golf is a great way to share my passion.

My sister, who is studying her PGA degree, has also become certified to teach Tri-Golf. Tri-Golf is run through the Golf Foundation and is aimed at children in primary schools between 6-11 years old. For me, the most exciting part about Tri-Golf is that it’s really fun and engaging for children. I love that it is focused at grass-roots level because it provides the opportunity to inspire more youngsters to take up the game.

The Golf Foundation believes that through playing golf children and young people are able to develop playing skills and personal skills, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

This is one of my favourite things about golf. Golf teaches you core values of respect and integrity and most importantly, it’s a game for everyone.

How have you been filling your down time?

In my spare time I have taken up yoga. Initially I thought that it would be a great way to have some “me time” but it’s also helped my golf too.

Fitness is a big part of being a golfer because playing 18 holes puts a lot of demands on your body. You are required to walk approximately 6 miles per round, swing the club at high speeds (up to120mph) and focus your mind for over four hours. There’s no doubt that your body needs to be fit for golf.

Yoga has complimented my cardiovascular and strength training. It has increased my flexibility and helped my golf posture.

After practicing yoga I have a better range of movement in my backswing and I’m better at maintaining my posture throughout the swing. This means that I can generate more power and be more consistent through the ball – after all, isn’t that what all golfers want?

What do you think to Muirfield’s vote to allow female members?

Muirfield’s latest vote to allow female members is fantastic – I cannot wait to go and play there now!

Golf is traditionally seen as a man’s game but I think that the culture within the game is changing and moving towards total inclusivity. There’s a perception that you have to fit into a certain category to play golf but there’s been a big effort to change this.

In my view there’s never been a better time for women to get involved. as Many clubs have changed their mindset and now have a variety of membership categories so that they can attract more women.

What are your plans for national golf month?

This year’s national golf month will be focused around getting more people into golf, in particular, ladies and girls – which I am very excited about! I think that all golfers have the responsibility to grow the game and encourage other people to take it up.

During national golf month I plan to attend various junior coaching sessions at different academies in an attempt to inspire junior golfers. I love working with juniors as they tend to have so much passion and enthusiasm for the game and I always learn something from them!

Encouraging juniors to continue playing throughout their 20s and 30s is very important for changing the age dynamic within the game.