David Boote shares his experiences of life on the Challenge Tour

LIFE ON THE 2021 CHALLENGE TOUR

This was my 4th year on the Challenge Tour. It’s flown by to be honest and it’s a reality that comes with mixed emotions...

I’m partly excited because I feel a lot more settled on the tour now, having been one of the more consistent players over the course of four years.

However, it is tinged with the disappointment of having not made the step up to the main tour yet. In my time playing in main tour events I feel as if my game is now ready for the European Tour and I’m looking forward to putting in more hard work this winter with the great team I have around me to hopefully come out strong in 2022.

Since I’ve been on the tour for four years now I felt like it was a good opportunity to give a little taste of what life is like playing golf around the world trying to make it through to the highest levels of professional golf.

I get asked a lot of questions from members as well as family and friends so I’ve compiled a list of the most common questions about the challenge tour to show you a little bit about what life is like...

What’s the favourite place you’ve been to?

My favourite place I’ve been to play golf on the Challenge Tour is South Africa. We normally go there during the winter months and the weather at that time is always excellent. I’ve been lucky to go on a few safaris and the wildlife is incredible.

What’s been your favourite golf course?

My favourite course we’ve played has got to be Portmarnock Links. We played the Irish Challenge there this year and it truly is a great test, and a European Tour standard venue. It helps that I had one of my best weeks there this year!

Do you enjoy the travel?

Yes, I love the travel. Obviously there are times when things get a little tedious week in week out such as queueing at airports or renting cars every week, but we do get to see some really cool parts of the world while playing golf at the same time.

I actually like how on the Challenge Tour we go to some of the more remote parts of Europe which you probably wouldn’t go on holiday to, so you really feel like you get to see more of the local culture.

Who do you travel with?

I normally travel and share hire cars with a couple of other guys from the tour. We tend to book Airbnb’s as we prefer to get away from the hotels and have more freedom to cook for ourselves.

Is there good camaraderie between players on tour?

Yes there is for the most part. Obviously there are stories of guys not getting on or having disagreements but luckily I’ve never been involved in any of these situations!

Who’s your coach? Does he travel?

My coach is Neil Matthews. He’s the Welsh National coach and is based in Newport. I tend to try and get him out a couple of times a year, but next year I may try and get him out more.

Do you have a caddie?

Currently I don’t have a regular caddie. I’ve had a tough time finding somebody who I believe is adding a big benefit to my game. Hopefully this is something I can figure out next year as it is a requirement on the European Tour.

What’s the longest time you’ve been away from home for?

The longest time I’ve been away from home for is probably only three to four weeks over the past couple of years, apart from being in South Africa. I’m lucky to live in Surrey – it means I’m close to two major airports – Gatwick and Heathrow, so it gives me plenty of options to fly home directly on a Sunday evening and then onwards on a Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

What’s the best thing about being on tour?

The best thing about being on tour is the fact I get to play golf all the time as my job. I’ve always loved the idea of being a pro golfer travelling round the world and now I’m able to live that out.

And the worst thing about being on tour?

Finding enough food to eat. I know that may seem comical, but a well known fact about me to my friends and family is that I have a lot of very serious food allergies. This sometimes makes eating out tricky depending on what country we’re in and I often have to pack my own food and supplements.

Do you have any advice for younger players coming through wanting to give professional golf a go?

I would say think about your fitness levels and your ability to handle adversity. Professional golf seasons are long and have very little breaks.

The train never stops as my old college coach used to say. So get used to playing many events in a row in back to back weeks, manage your fitness and energy levels.

Also, professional golf is all about making your good weeks great. A missed cut here and there is not going to hurt you if you have a really high finish somewhere. So don’t let your poor or below expectation golf get you down. Keep your head up and move onto the next week and make that the week you have your best finish of the season!

@davidboote123