Growing in confidence and consistency

Jess Ratcliffe has a life-threatening, one-in-a-million blood disease called Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH), which meant she had to shield during the Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK. Then she found golf and is now on a mission to get to single figures by the end of May.

Here's her third blog...

Since we last spoke, there have been two experiences that have helped my game and confidence come on leaps and bounds and I can’t wait to tell you about them.

My full bag fitting at Callaway – from putter to driver

The first was going for a custom fitting at Callaway’s Performance Centre in Chessington, which felt like walking into Ollivander’s Wand Shop, with shiny new club heads and shafts lining the walls, ready to be played with.

I had a hunch I had “outgrown” my clubs, especially my irons which I got when I could barely hit the ball, so I was excited to see what Chris, Callaway’s Chief Fitter (my words) would recommend.

After warming up, Chris handed me a 7 iron and the difference was instant. My connection felt crisper and my carry was growing, with the data showing that I was hitting the 7 iron 15 yards longer than mine. I couldn’t believe it.

And it wasn’t only the irons that improved, the longer clubs did too. I was in love (again!).

After a good few hours, trying out different clubs and configurations, I knew these epic-feeling, longer-hitting clubs were for me.

Since getting my new clubs, my distance and accuracy has continued to improve. They’ve been a game changer (literally) and I can’t wait to enter May with them in my hand as I move closer to my goal of reaching single figures.

My first Pro-Am in Spain

And that brings me to the second experience I’m excited to tell you about because my new clubs and I have just returned from Spain, where we competed in the Ladies Pro-Am in El Rompido.

Being new to the golf world, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I can wholeheartedly say that if you get the chance to go to a pro am, especially one in the sunshine, jump at it.

I had the best week and that’s all down to Maria Tulley, our pro, who not only made me laugh more in one week than I have in a long time but who gave me a sense of confidence in my game that’s hard to put into words.

Pictured above - Liz, Marie, Me, Pam, Piper, Denise and Maria

There’s something magical about spending a week with 150+ women who love golf and even more so about getting to play with a pro (and your team) every day for a week.

And to top the trip off, I walked away with an individual amateur win.

So, who fancies the Tarleton Golf Ladies Pro Am, same time next year? I’ll be there!

The race is on

With my new clubs and confidence in my game, I’m excited to spend the month of May handing in (a lot of) cards as I continue my quest to reach single figures. I'm now down to 15.2 from 16.4, so it's a busy month ahead. I’ll let you know how it goes next time, wish me luck!

I’ll be charting my journey with Women & Golf, so if you have any questions you would like me to answer in next month’s piece or you simply want to say hello, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me on Instagram or [email protected].