DIARY OF A EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYER REBECCA COAKLEY:In between Norway and Spain I have a week off and still managed to motivate myself to go to the gym and put in a good session.

Norway, June 30th

IT’S TIME to put what was a hugely enjoyable week at the AIB Irish Ladies Open at Portmarnock Links behind me and focus on the next tournament in Norway. Mind you there was a little bit of a legacy from Dublin in that a few of the girls missed the flight to Scandinavia because of the fog that caused a three-hour plus delay during the final round on the Sunday.

Every now and again you land on your feet, so to speak, and this is certainly one of those occasions as the hotel in Norway is fabulous.

It boasts a beautiful spa complex that is going to get plenty of use. I’m playing in the Pro-Am so that will suffice as a practice round.

July 2nd

STAYING MENTALLY strong is occasionally the catalyst for turning a round that threatens to slip the wrong side of par into a much nicer number. That’s exactly what happened today as I hung tough and eventually signed for three under regulation figures. It’s a nice layout but even more important is the conditioning, which is brilliant.

When you think of Scandinavian countries, a temperature of 30 degrees is not the first thing that springs to mind. It’s important to stay hydrated, so I drank about half my body weight in water.

Fortunately there were plenty of Porta-Loos dotted around the course.

July 3rd

It was a tough day because of strong winds in the afternoon and I battled to shoot one over to make the cut. Our restaurant choice this evening was Indian, which may come as a surprise given that we are in Norway. It wasn’t an inspired choice.

July 4th

As fate would have it I played the final round with Anna-Lise Caudal, whose caddy for the week just happened to be my boyfriend Shane. He was very professional but it didn’t stop me having a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and shooting three under.

As we were finished early we headed back to the hotel. Even though we had to check out that morning we were able to use the spa in the afternoon. What a way to spend three hours, relaxing in the sauna, swimming in the pool, loosening up the muscles in the jacuzzi, eating fruit and sipping on water. Sometimes it can be very tough to handle the daily grind of being a tour professional.

Week off, July 6th

I AM ON a week off and today that means no practice as I have to catch up with the less glamorous side of being a professional sportsperson.

I have to attend to a week’s worth of washing and then look forward to ironing it.

I managed to motivate myself to go to the gym this afternoon and put in a good session. It’s amazing the way you feel so good after a good work-out but yet trying to get yourself there in the first place is hard work at times. It’s nice to be home for the week.

July 8th

THE WORK I am doing with my physiotherapist Orlaith is really beneficial. She has me hitting the ball further while my ball striking in terms of my irons has come on in a huge way.

There is a direct corollary between getting your body balanced and correcting your weaknesses posture-wise and hitting the ball better.

I drove to Killeen Castle this afternoon to put in three hours of practice with my short game coach, Jussi. We worked on pitching for an hour and then played nine holes. I have no shame in highlighting the fact that I won the money.

July 9th

TODAY I scooted off to Rosslare for a lesson with my coach Johnny Young. I generally feel the benefit immediately and I was certainly energised in terms of my game by the time I left. While I was in Wexford I got my hair done, something of a time commitment to say the least. I don’t know how some women love the whole hairdresser thing.

Don’t get me wrong, when I leave I’m happy but it is just such a long process.

July 11th

EVEN THOUGH there is no tournament this week, it’s important to stick with a practice routine that focuses on fine-tuning your golf game and also working in the gym. I’m happy with the results and so allow myself a little down time, catching up with family and friends. You really need to get the balance of work and relaxation right or I think you would go insane.

July 14th

BASTILLE DAY. One of my pet hates is packing as I always leave it to the last minute. Why is it no matter how much you try to not forget, you invariably leave something behind. I did a light session on the range. The weather wasn’t great; I think we had some of the biggest showers ever here in Carlow. It was like being in a monsoon. There could be truth in this global warming.

Spain, July 15th

WELL IT’S off to sunny Spain. Actually make it unfeasibly hot as the temperatures soar. I am in the Panoramica hotel this week which is in Castellon, not far from Sergio’s (Garcia) home town. Given the temperature I should not have started my practice round at 11.0am, coming in after nine holes and then resumed at 2.0pm for the second nine.

The course is looking great, it is well- watered so there is not much run on the ball, and it is all carry out here. The greens are very receptive which is nice as we can fire everything in at the pin.

July 16th

WHEN YOU are first reserve for the Pro-Am, you can take it you’ll be playing as someone invariably pulls out. I should have known that and elected to forego the morning’s practice because by the time I was called in all I felt like doing was going for a siesta. There was an up side as I was handed a new three wood to try out.

It’s the new Taylor Made R9. I love it; the best three wood I’ve had in a long time. It can be tough sometimes in Spain with the Pro-Am as a lot of the time your playing partners don’t speak English, but I struck gold.

July 17th

I SHOT 69 in the first round and I’m really happy with my game at the moment. It was very humid which can be draining. I think I drank 3.5 litres on the course. I don’t know about anyone else but when I consume so much water I can’t wait to drink something different. After the round I did some practice and finished it up with a massage. Then it was back to our apartment for some R R and food.

July 18th

SHOT 76, hitting the ball okay but didn’t make a few crucial up and downs. I missed the cut by one shot. As you can imagine I wasn’t too happy leaving the course. This game can be so cruel at times. The emotional roller-coaster is unbelievable.

This evening the promoter and golf club put on a BBQ for everyone including caddies and guests. I think this is a nice touch at any event. It makes for a good night and great atmosphere. After the day I had, I consumed a few beverages this evening and then retired to my bed as I was so tired and pissed off with myself.

July 19th

AFTER MISSING the cut I decided to stay on in Spain as the practice facilities here at Panoramica are great and, let’s face it, no point in going home when the weather is so nice here. We had great craic this evening watching the British Open. There was plenty of banter flying as one group including Hazel Kavanagh and myself supported Lee Westwood, while another championed Tom Watson. Not sure Stewart Cink even got a mention.

July 22nd

I’M IN the middle of a week off now and it is nice to be home in my own bed. It’s amazing how when you travel and stay in so many different beds all over the world, the one thing you look forward to the most when you get home is getting into your own bed.

A good friend of mine from the UK, Kirsty Taylor, is here in Carlow staying with me for a few days. We played Bunclody golf course today with a couple of friends, Harry and John. It was a good match and great fun but, of course, the girls came out ahead.

July 23rd

Kirsty and I headed to Rosslare for a hit, where we teed it up against my caddy Caolan and a friend of his, Chris. What a tough day, not only was the competition serious and the slagging incredible but on top of all this, the wind was unbelievably strong. To top it all (pun intended), the girls were beaten. I’m sure I will not hear the end of it.

It was nice to play such a competitive match but yet still have a laugh. It’s a positive thing and one I will have to do more often.

July 25th

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Sports Tracker Conference at City West where I spoke at a seminar outlining life on tour from a female perspective. I was really nervous but thanks to a little help from Roddy Carr, I managed to stay relaxed.

Pádraig Harrington was also attending the seminar and he asked me a question. Oh my god, talk about feeling under pressure to answer it correctly. I was delighted to have had the opportunity to meet Pádraig; he was a real gentleman.

In the afternoon I head for Dublin Port where I meet my caddy, Hazel and Yvonne to get the ferry to Holyhead. It’s off to Fairhaven Golf Club for British Open final qualifying.