New Zealand golfer Nick Voke is happy with his progress to date on the secondary professional golf circuit in the United States.

``Things are definitely different this year on the KF (Korn Ferry) Tour but I think they have done a great job with all things considered,’’ Voke said in a recent interview with the New Zealand Professional Golfers’ Association.

``They have implemented so many new safety policies designed to keep us safe and keep the tour chugging along.

``The best indicator of their success has been that no player or caddy has tested positive for covid over the last two months. I find that pretty impressive considering how much we travel.

``The biggest hurdle for me with the affects of covid has been how lonely life on the road has become. I went through a stretch there of 13 dinners by myself in a hotel room.

``Let’s say the TAB account was active during that time watching the NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs.

``The flip side of the safety policy has been that it’s really restricted what we can and can’t do (no dine in restaurants permitted as one example).

``My formula for success is quite simple over the next three weeks. My game is in such a great place

that all I have to do is enjoy myself on the road more and find things within our covid restrictions that I can genuinely get into.

``If I am genuinely happy, enjoy things off the course and have an upbeat attitude towards these last three weeks then I’ll play well.

New Zealand sports and business psychologist David Galbraith is keeping an eye on Voke.

``I really love what David Galbraith talks about when your out competing -- he loves his

athletes being fully invested into their own four-year plan versus their four-day plan.

``So what my four-year plan has will really shape if and when I get to the next level.

``My younger self would immediately run down the technical path; improving my swing will take me to the next level and although this is true on first glance, it’s not the lowest hanging fruit.

``My biggest struggle out here has been navigating everything off the golf course and that has the potential to poison what I do on the course.

``I wasn’t in the greatest mental state last year and it forced me down a pretty dark road and even though there were days I was flushing it. I was so easily rattled and pessimistic that I wouldn’t see things for what they were. Not to mention I wasn’t enjoying myself.

``But long story short, my game is in a great place to get onto the big dance floor and I’ll continue slowly getting better with the raw skill of controlling my ball flight.

``But it’s how well I am able to manage my game, optimise what I have each day, turning 71s into 69s from a purely mental/tactical standpoint and a wicked short game, that will really catapult me to the next level.''