Blog 6: Getting Together at Lake Nona

Posted on | by Elliott Platts

By The 2017 European Solheim Cup Captain, Annika …

It wasn’t very long ago that I wished you all a Happy New Year, sharing my resolution and how we like to prepare for the upcoming year. Now, we’re already in the third week of January and professional golf is back in full swing worldwide. The PGA TOUR has returned with a bang, highlighted by two 59s! Congrats to Justin Thomas and Adam Hadwin on the 8th and 9th sub-60 rounds in Tour history. I am more confident than ever that we will see another one on the LPGA soon…

Talking about the LPGA, they are starting this week in the Bahamas at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. I know many players are anxious and ready to get going. They have had several weeks to recharge their batteries and fine tune their games, so I expect many to get off to a fast start.Suzanne & Anna

The LPGA’s return means the journey to the Solheim Cup is entering a new phase. Yesterday, we hosted nine Euros who live in the Orlando area at Lake Nona Golf Club. We started with lunch and got a chance to catch up. Congrats to both Suzann and Pernilla on their personal commitments; beautiful rings, I must say! Then we headed to the first tee for some team challenges, during which we mixed in different formats and the players competed for points. We finished the competition with some sport challenges. It was fun to see the players rally around each other; there’s no doubt the competitive juices were flowing. Please check out our social media channels for photos and more details.

We closed the day by enjoying some homemade, authentic Spanish paella. Our Vice Captain, Marta, cooked a delicious meal from ingredients she brought from her home country. The house still smells delicious. I think it’s safe to say we now have an “official” cook for the team!

This week we’ll be spending time at the annual PGA Merchandise Show. It has long been the golf industry’s leading networking event, where PGA professionals and golf industry partners gather to explore the latest in golf technology, trends, apparel, equipment and gadgets. There will be over 1,000 exhibitors, and media from more than 25 different countries. I look forward to attending every year. It’s the perfect place to grow your business and improve your knowledge of the industry. I will go to Demo Day on Tuesday at Orange County National to say hello to some partners and demonstrate the benefits of Capillary Concrete. I really believe that Capillary Concrete is going to change how golf courses handle drainage and hydration of bunkers, tees and greens. On Wednesday, I will be part of the show’s opening ceremonies, and meet with Cutter & Buck to review the upcoming ANNIKA collection. Of course, I will also take time for some media requests and catch up with the USGA on the latest news.

Last but not least, I’m proud to say both Mike and I are still committed to our semi-cleansing we started earlier this month. It’s amazing how much more energy and focus we have! Like anything in life, you have to commit, be determined, and be disciplined to achieve success. As my dad told me many years ago, “there are no short cuts to success” which, by the way, will be Team Europe’s motto for August’s Solheim Cup.

Until next time!

Annika