A quick nine with Nobby Dlamini

Former SA number one amateur, Nobuhle Dlamini, earned Category 8a membership on the Ladies European Tour when she tied for fourth at the Lalla Aicha Tour School Final Qualifying in Morocco.

Dlamini finished ninth on the Sunshine Ladies Tour Order of Merit and midway through the season, she ranks 123^rd with earnings of €4,597 after eight starts. With an average of 268 yards, the Swazi golfer is one of the longest hitters on the LET.

The Ladies European Tour media office caught up with Dlamini ahead of the Sberbank Golf Masters in the Czech Republic.

Tell us about your journey so far on the Ladies European Tour.
I went back home after Morocco and started to practice hard. I come from Swaziland, so that is home, but I actually practice and stay in South Africa. This is also where I studied. I normally practice at Glendower Golf Club. I played six tournaments on the Ladies Sunshine Tour. It was great experience, great practice and I did a lot of goof preparation for Europe. 

How did you first tournament go?
The Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco was my first event. It was my first event outside of South Africa as a pro and in the end I realized that there were a lot of things to learn. The first two days I actually played well. I had great playing partners, the hospitality was great and I just loved everyone there. I loved being on the professional circuit.
I went home after Morocco and played more events on the Sunshine Ladies Tour. Then it was back to Europe for tournaments in Turkey, Holland, Slovakia, Italy, England, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Tell us about your game and how it has changed since beginning of the year.
I have made a few changes to my swing and I struggled a little bit, but it is getting better. I am feeling much more comfortable at the moment. I have been also working on my long game, as I started hitting a lot of shots sideways. I hit it quite long, but I was struggling with the irons and didn’t hit many fairways. The main problem has been my driving accuracy. The putting is not too bad, but when it is under stress, it gets a little worse.

Tell us about your travel experiences.
It is been a very different from what I am used to. When the tournaments are so close to one another, you have to get creative with your travel plans. Everything is a little bit more complicated, because visas take so long. Sometimes, if there is something little missing, you have to communicate with someone from the office and that can be a real mission. The LET has been good to me, helping me out with arrangements.
I will go home at the end of July for a short break. I’ve missed home, but it is not as hard as I imagined. I have a lot of friends and I normally travel with Nicole Garcia. Life in Europe is completely different from South Africa. I am really enjoying it! If you need a taxi, you take it, but it can be expensive sometimes. Most of the time you can take a shuttle bus, though, and that’s great!

What are your plans for the rest of the summer?
I will spend more time with my coach in August and do all the personal stuff that I can’t do when I am on tour.

What are your goals for this year?
My goal is to improve my stroke average and get it to 71. If I can do that, I will be happy. 

With thanks to the Ladies European Tour. Photo credit – Petri Oeschger