By Danny Hall

CHARLOTTE ELLIS admits she has never been better prepared ahead of a new season on the Ladies European Golf Tour.

While local golfers have been battling wind and icy conditions in their Sunday fourballs, Minchinhampton member Ellis took herself off to South Africa for a five-tournament ‘swing’ It proved an unqualified success with four top-10 finishes and in her final tournament, the Sunshine Ladies Tour Open, she led a competitive field with nine holes to play.

“I had just made a birdie to take the lead but I could feel the energy slipping away,” admitted Charlotte. “The non-stop schedule finally caught up with me, I was mentally and physically exhausted and I hit the wall.

“Overall, though, I was very pleased with my performances in South Africa.

“The third event at Fancourt was fantastic. We were sharing the event alongside the men’s Sunshine Tour event so practised alongside some of the big names in men’s golf, including Branden Grace, George Coetzee, Thomas Aiken and Darren Clarke.

“My best finish was third at the Cape Town Ladies Open. I hit the ball the best I have all year and finally got the score I had been feeling my game was capable of – three under par.

“My swing feels good and at a session with my coach since coming back to England he just said ’keep doing what you are doing’.

“I’ve never felt better prepared going into a European season.”

Ellis spurned the chance to tackle the Ladies Sunshine Tour finale because of a long-standing 10-strong family skiing trip, but now it is back to work.

She lines up for the globally-televised Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco this week, her first Euro tournament of 2015.

“It will be nice to play in conditions similar to those in South Africa and to get back in tee shirts and shorts again,” she said.

“The Morocco tournament is a little out on a limb, and the tour does not find its stride until the middle of May for the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open.

“Between the two I will play in the Roehampton Gold Cup (April 18) which I won two years ago.”

The Lalla Meryem Cup is the only event on the Ladies European Tour which is played alongside the men’s European Tour, in the same city, during the same week.

While the LET’s female members tackle the Golf de l’Océan course, the European Tour’s male golfers play in the Hassan II Golf Trophy at the nearby Golf du Palais Royal.