Travel Essentials

I have become somewhat of a travel pro given all the miles I’ve logged throughout my career, and I’ve been traveling a lot in the last few months. Sometimes I’m lucky to be accompanied by the girls, but lately I have been travelling alone quite a bit. When I go on the road, I always bring my “essentials” with me. They make the trip just a little easier, and I thought it would be fun to share them with you so that next time you plan for a trip, you can be well prepared – take a look at my top five favorites list below and let me know what you think!

1. Wireless headphones: I love them because I have the freedom to move around. Whether on the plane, with my kids or working out I love having them.

2. Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Tote: This might be my favorite item. I take it everywhere I go. I usually travel with a backpack and I need a handbag once I arrive at the tournament. It is the perfect size to fit whatever I need for the day and small enough that I can fold it and put in in my suitcase. So great! I have the black with brown handle so I can match it with black or brown shoes.


3. Convertible travel blanket: This is great. Sometimes I don’t want to travel with a sweater and often it is so cold on the plane that you just need a blanket. It also doubles as a pillow if you don’t need something to cover you up.

4. Backpack: I used to travel with a big purse but I wised up and now I travel with a backpack. SOOOO much easier and my hands are free. Nowadays you can get super stylish ones since it is on trend. I use a Tumi backpack that I got on sale. They are a bit pricey, but they’re great quality and worth every penny, especially if you get them on sale! It is practical and has a lot of pockets.

5. Baby wipes: I always travel with baby wipes, which are useful for so many things, especially any spilling that happens on clothes.

Oh, and please know that this is my list of favorites for traveling solo – when I’m traveling with the kids, the list grows exponentially!

Traveling With Two Kids

I have always loved traveling.  As a family we traveled a lot when I was younger. I took my first solo plane ride from Brazil to Germany when I was 8 years old; what were my parents thinking?  So it is no surprise that I chose a career that has taken me all over the world.

Well... traveling with two kids is a whole different story. Words can't express how hard it is to travel with two kids to a golf tournament. The amount of stuff necessary to travel with them is insane. It takes so much organizing and planning ahead and I am not the best at organizing or at planning ahead so maybe that is the problem! I am not the only mother that does this and many parents travel with a lot more kids than I do, but I don't know how they do it. Hats off to them!

There has never been a dull moment when traveling with the girls. On our way back from Orlando recently, I accidentally threw my wallet in the trash together with the bag of food I bought for Stella. It was only in Boston that I realized what had happened - total panic!   And there was the other time when I took Luiza in the airplane bathroom to change her diaper and she peed all over me. I started to crack up because I knew I did not have another shirt. Result: I smelled of pee the rest of the trip. Lesson learned. Now I never travel without an extra set of clothes.

I am sure I will accumulate a lot more little stories along the way and it will not be the last time I get that panicked feeling. This is our life on the road and I have learned to expect the unexpected and to adjust and adapt. Progress!

I would love to hear your stories about traveling with your kids and any advice you might have!

Working On My Swing

For the first few months after returning to professional golf, I was focused on getting back in physical shape. After having two C-sections, my body has changed and it has taken a lot of work to get into the physical shape I’m in today. While it is better, there is still a long way to go!

I will be writing a post later on about workouts and how I have managed to get back in shape, but today I want to focus on my swing, because that is where I am at right now as I get ready for another tournament next week. 

At the beginning of the week I was in West Palm Beach working with my golf teacher, John Webster. I have worked with John for a very long time and he is not only my golf teacher, he is truly part of my family. We have had our ups and downs and, as he would describe it, had a divorce a couple of years back. We are now back together again and I am so excited.  

Below is a video of my last lesson. Throughout my career, I have always had a tendency to have a little too much weight on the right side of my body during my swing. This creates inconsistency when hitting the ball, causing it to go right and left. I am a big believer in limiting your missed shots to one side of the golf course, right or left.  I have played my best golf doing that and it just works for me. 

Having that in mind, John and I have continuously worked on keeping my head and body more on top of the golf ball through impact. I feel like I have made so much progress in the last few weeks. My main thought through this lesson was to put a little more weight on my left leg as I take the club back.  This helps maintain my body and head on top of the ball when I hit it.  Check it out!!

My Family

Since I have two weeks off before my next event I wanted to come back home to Boston.  I have been on the road on and off since December 19^th and it feels so nice to finally be back home, even if it is for a short time.  I am happiest when I am home with my family… nothing in the world makes me happier so I thought I would introduce you to my pack, my world, and my loves.

My hubby, Adam Grossman:

Adam and I met in 2006 through one of my best friends, Alex Messore, who was my agent at the time. We both went to Duke University and graduated in 2002. We met right before I got injured in 2007 and he has been my rock ever since.  We got married in 2009 and he is the main reason why I am able to make this comeback. He is always incredibly supportive and thinks of others before he thinks of himself.  He’s an amazing father, husband, and the best human being I have ever met. I am so lucky!

Stella: 

My mother always said that when I had kids I would have a little girl that was exactly like me and I would pay for all I made her go through.  Well… that little girl is Stella.  She is mini me with big brown eyes, is incredibly active, and loves life. Her favorite things are dancing, playing any kinds of sports, and of course FROZEN… please, make it stop.  She is Ms. Independent and incredibly stubborn like her mommy. Her smile melts my heart and her hugs and kisses are delicious. 

Luiza:

I was always worried if I was going to love my second baby as much as I loved Stella and then I met Luiza, who, let’s be honest, is mini Adam.  When she arrived I had to do a double take because I was expecting my second child to look like Stella and… I was WRONG.  We call her our little Gringa with her beautiful pale skin and light eyes.  She is the happiest baby and was sleeping through the night at 3 months old… Stella still does not sleep through the night. I love her smile so much and just could not imagine our family being complete without her. 

Bubbles and Gorby: 

Bubbles is officially my first child.  I got him in 2003 and he has been with me through my life’s major milestones.  He was there when I got my LPGA Tour card, played on tour, got married, and had kids. He is truly my partner in crime. 

Gorby is the star athlete in our family.  He can play with a ball and run and catch a Frisbee mid-air all day long.  He is incredibly protective of the girls, especially Stella, and is Adam’s best buddy.  

Facing Your Fears

Last weekend was my first official event back from retirement. I have not played golf competitively in six years and I have not played in a tour event in six and a half years - now that is a long time! I did not realize that it had been so long until I read it in an article that came out in Brazil and had to do a double take... it’s CRAZY!!!!

I was extremely nervous and truly scared to get back onto the green at the Florida's Natural Charity Classic in Lake Wales, Florida. And, despite trying to block out negative thoughts, these little moments of doubt kept running through my mind:

"What if I shoot a huge number?”
“What if I run out of golf balls?”
“What if I land the ball in a bunker and can't hit it out?"

Well, to be perfectly honest, it was not my best event. Some may even say it was a failure. I was so hoping to play all three days and unfortunately I did not make the cut to play on Sunday. However, I cannot let that steal my focus. I have chosen to take the positive aspects of my week and to use them going forward.

I learned…
That my physical abilities are rusty, but by no means gone.
That I need to work on my routine, especially when it comes to putting.
That most of the girls competing with me were not even born when I started to play - sad but true!
That not making the cut did not mean that I got the day off on Sunday... instead, I had the even harder task of facing Magic Kingdom weekend crowds with a two year old. (Side note: I am still confused as to why we agreed at 11pm on Saturday night to go to Disney the next morning with no prior planning!)

Most importantly, I learned that I still have the fire inside of me to compete and have to continue to fan it by persevering.

And so I move forward, closer to achieving my goal now that I have faced the fear of playing in my first event. I have two weeks off and then it’s on to the next one, but for now I’m back to Boston (and the cold) for a few days!!!!

The Dream and the Journey

Hello and welcome! My name is Candy Hannemann and I am a wife, and mom of two little girls and an LPGA Professional golf player. I’m proud to hail from the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and currently live in Boston, MA (could I have chosen a place that is more opposite to where I was born?  I don’t think so!)

This blog is about my journey back to professional golf after two surgeries, retirement, a wedding, two kids and having moved to the North Pole…wait…sorry I meant Boston. The reason for my comeback is simple…I want to earn a spot in the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in my hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Representing my country at the Olympics is the opportunity of a lifetime and, in the months leading up to the Games, I decided that I owe it to myself to try to earn a spot on the Brazilian national team.  It will not be easy making a comeback with two kids after having been away from tournament golf for six years, but I am so excited and determined to achieve this incredible dream. 

This blog is about more than my journey back to competitive golf.  It is about my transition into becoming a working mother and wife and finding a careful balance between my family and my career; getting back into shape after giving birth only 5 months ago; and most of all it is about pursuing my dream and showing my kids that anything is possible. 

Thank you for following my journey; I look forward to sharing it with you!