On this week’s player diary series, Czechia’s Klára Davidson Spilková discusses tying the knot to husband Sean, honeymoon blues, and travelling the world with the Ladies European Tour (LET)…
Wedding, Travel and Other Hassle
My name has now changed. Actually, I just added Davidson to the middle of Klára Spilková, and with that comes a number of questions such as… you got married? Yes, I am now a married woman!
Planning a wedding during the season was not easy, but we were lucky because we chose the wedding date in December – just before New Year’s and a month after season ended. This gave me four weeks to dedicate myself 100% to the preparations. And believe me, there was a lot to do. I didn’t rest much, but in the end we managed to get everything done in time and it was worth it!
The wedding was splendid and exactly as it should have been. Although Sean is American, the ceremony took place in Prague. His whole family and many friends came, a mission of some thirty people. Everyone, including the two of us, had a great time.
Sean and I met on the golf course in Karlštejn. My friend Basile Dalberto, who is a caddy on the DP World Tour and has been living in Prague for many years, is partly to blame for this. Sean and I went to play together and somehow it all just happened. He is also a very good golfer and it’s not easy to beat him!
We went to America for our honeymoon where we spent time with Sean’s family and I slowly started training for new season. It wasn’t until mid-January that we found a few days for a real honeymoon and flew to Costa Rica. No golf clubs allowed! We then returned to Florida to prepare for the start of the LET season and my first event in Saudi Arabia.
Six weeks away from home was just enough. I already know the drill and my life has been like that for many years now. Nothing unusual. You have to find time to relax a little off the course. I have several ways of doing that which help me – going to the gym, going for walks, watching movies, reading books, rejuvenating and taking naps. It depends on the situation and what will best help me switch off from golf for a second.
Our cooperation on the course as husband and wife works great. Not much has changed since we got married. Sean knows exactly what I need and I can talk freely with him about it. Sean is a sensitive person but he knows what to do on the course, when to talk and when to just confirm my choice. It’s all built on mutual trust. He believes in me and that I can win anywhere, and I believe in him and his advice.
Time zones are a challenge for me, but I’ve learned not to sleep on flights. It’s better to arrive at a place and only then go to bed in the evening local time I would rather not sleep even for two days and then have a good night’s sleep to balance out the time shift. It’s better than sleeping on the plane and then staying up all night after arrival. That’s how I deal with it now and it works.
I will remember South Africa for a long time. A lot of things surprised me over there, both positively and negatively. Cape Town is truly splendid. It’s just a shame we didn’t have time to see the Cape of Good Hope due to sickness issues, but we did manage a short trip to see the penguins right next to the course.
I would love to return there some time. But that’s just the way it is sometimes during the tournament . Many times all you can manage is a quick visit to a nearby restaurant on Sunday after the last round. They also warned everyone about the baboons, but you know what? I didn’t even see one! All the more reason to visit Africa again.
The first six weeks on Tour this year have been culturally eye-opening. From Jeddah to Dubai, from wild Johannesburg to magical Cape Town and finally to Singapore with its unique laws. Did you know their law forbids chewing gum?! Embracing these different cultures is always the most interesting thing for me – how each country is different, how different people are, and how they approach life. It’s remarkable how different roots we all have and how we try to learn to accept and respect these differences. Then I come home and feel a little richer once again.
I always look forward to the safety and friends the most when I go home. I love going for walks in the evening, grabbing coffee and spending time with loved ones. That’s what Sean and I look forward to the most when we got home: social life and safety. Who would accompany me at tournaments if Sean stayed home and taught law at university? I don’t know yet. We’ll see. But if Sean doesn’t come with me, I’ll definitely miss him. I miss him whenever I’m not with him.
Davidson Spilková currently sits 11th in the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol after a solid start to the season. Next up she’ll be teeing up at the Jabra Ladies Open as she looks to claim her first win of 2023.
