My Life after Soccer, Tom Lockyer on Golf

For many of his profession, soccer has been the defining focus of Tom Lockyer’s life. However away from the pitch, the previous Luton City captain has discovered one other ardour that brings stability and perspective, golf.

Following his current well being challenges, the sport has grow to be an vital outlet, serving to him keep energetic, targeted, and linked. Though Lockyer dabbled with the sport as a teen, it wasn’t till after Covid that his love for golf actually took maintain.

“I used to be enjoying on and off as a child via secondary college however by no means actually took it critically. It was solely post-Covid as soon as I joined Luton City and there was a golf college that I actually began taking it critically,” he says.

Since then, golf has grow to be greater than only a pastime, it’s a supply of focus, calm, and wholesome competitors alongside his soccer profession.

With the calls for of coaching, matches, and household life, discovering time for a spherical isn’t all the time simple, however he nonetheless makes the trouble at any time when he can.

“It varies so much as to what I’ve obtained on every week,” he admits. “However since having a bit of one, it’s dropped massively!”

Even so, Lockyer stays hooked on the sense of freedom the sport provides. He explains: “I like being exterior in nature at the start. It’s an important escape from actuality as such and I actually love the sport, whether or not that’s a match in opposition to another person or going out making an attempt to shoot as little as attainable.”

As knowledgeable athlete, Lockyer sees clear similarities between soccer and golf – notably within the mindset wanted to carry out and recuperate from errors.

“I prefer to assume that I take care of the dangerous photographs fairly effectively because it’s like dropping a recreation in soccer. The match you’ve misplaced is gone now and there’s nothing you are able to do about it, however you’ll be able to put it proper by profitable the following recreation.”

Throughout his time at Luton, golf grew to become an everyday a part of staff downtime, usually alongside shut buddy and teammate Carlton Morris. “We used to get out two or thrice every week and have a very good forwards and backwards,” he recollects. “I keep in mind one time we went out to Portugal for a protracted weekend {golfing}, and I beat him 6–0 over six rounds!”

His {golfing} journey has already been marked by some standout moments. Lockyer smiles as he recollects hitting an albatross early in his {golfing} life, on the eighth gap at Luton Hoo Golf Membership throughout Mick Harford’s charity day in 2022.

“I didn’t fairly perceive the rarity of it and carried on enjoying with the ball and misplaced it,” he laughs.

Extra just lately, he added one other unimaginable reminiscence to the listing – a hole-in-one at Bearwood Lakes. He revealed: “It was a 9-iron into a bit of wind off the left. It pitched a yard previous and spun again in. That was among the finest emotions, because it was in as quickly because it left the membership.”

He even jokes concerning the timing: “Fortunately we had been a late tee-off and the bar was empty after we obtained again!”

And whereas soccer stays his profession, golf has grow to be the fervour he plans to pursue lengthy after his enjoying days finish. “I’ve all the time mentioned that after I retire from soccer, my first aim can be to get to scratch,” he says. “I’ve began the method already however it’s not my essential focus in the mean time.”

Following his cardiac arrest, golf grew to become greater than a pastime – it grew to become a part of Lockyer’s restoration journey. Only a month after the incident, he returned to the course with a buddy.

“Golf was one of many first issues that I did following my cardiac arrest. I went out with my mate Trev round Woburn a couple of month after. It was nice to get out in nature and play some golf. It’s a spot when you’re on the market that you just don’t actually take into consideration a lot else.”

Even whereas present process therapy in Amsterdam, golf got here with him. “I used to be there for about 4 months in complete,” he explains. “However the very first thing I packed was my golf golf equipment! I discovered Europe’s greatest golf follow facility, and I used to recurrently go after coaching and hospital visits to work on my recreation.”

Golf, he says, has been an enormous assist each mentally and bodily. “I very not often get indignant at dangerous photographs, and I like being exterior within the nature of a stupendous golf course.”

It’s additionally a sport he’d advocate to anybody, no matter well being or means.

“I might advocate golf to anybody. It has totally obtained me hooked, I’m mentally and bodily obsessive about the sport. I can’t get sufficient of it!”

Lockyer even jokes that he’ll nonetheless be enjoying many years from now. “It’s a recreation I can be enjoying after I’m 80 and might barely transfer. I like the truth that everybody can play off a degree enjoying area no matter means and it’s whoever performs finest to their means on the day that may win.”

Lockyer’s connection to iGolf began, as he places it, via some vigorous “debates” within the Luton dressing room. He admitted: “We had just a few debates at Luton over handicaps and equity, so all of us determined to get professional handicaps. That’s after we discovered MyEG.”

As a footballer who strikes golf equipment and cities steadily, becoming a member of a conventional golf membership hasn’t all the time been sensible. “It’s not financially viable to hitch a golf membership in every single place you go along with a number of the becoming a member of charges payable,” he explains. “Particularly when you understand you gained’t be in a specific space long run.”

That’s the place iGolf, the one Handicap Index® beneath the WHS™ for non-club golfers, has made an actual distinction.

“Having iGolf has allowed me to carry an official handicap and play in competitions if I wished, though I’ve not accomplished so but!”

It additionally helps his love for exploring new programs. “I like enjoying new golf programs,” he says. “I’ve a map which I exploit to tick off each course I’ve ever performed. I’ve performed 192 rounds at 97 totally different golf programs since 2020 and MyEG has allowed me to register a rating for each one.”

For Lockyer, iGolf has grow to be an ideal match – giving him flexibility, consistency, and motivation to maintain enhancing his recreation wherever he performs. He added: “It lets me have an official handicap for every new course relying what tees we play off and permits me to maintain chasing that aim of getting all the way down to scratch.”