For 15 weeks a year, professional golfers Ainil Bakar and Anais Maggetti live in various golf club car parks.
Since 2022 the two friends each tournament week set up home in “Betty”, their affectionately named Fiat Ducato Columbus campervan and compete on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
The site of the van in the car park of each event has become as much a symbol of LETAS as the light green of its logo and anyone who stops by the van can expect an offer of a cranberry juice or a sweet potato fry or a light-hearted chat.
The idea for the van first came about when Bakar and Maggetti were competing on the LET’s Australia stretch in 2018 and were faced with a lack of accommodation options.
Maggetti recalls that it was her idea. “I just thought ok let’s rent a van and try it for a month. So, we went around Australia and then later after I got back, I sold my car and bought a van.
“When we got to the first tournament everyone was shocked. Now they are used to it.”
Bakar got involved straight away even though at first it wasn’t something the 2016 EVLI Ladies Finish Open winner wanted to do.
“I was against it at first but then we did it together in Australia and it was fun.
“When Anais went back to Switzerland, she told me she was buying a van. I thought crazy Swiss! But I knew it sounded good. Good for me, I was saving a lot of money on hotels. So, I thought let’s just do it.”
The pair have been on many adventures since, visiting 23 different countries in Betty throughout their time on Tour and beyond.
Life on the road has meant the two have racked up almost as many stories as scorecards. They’ve been chased, robbed, been stuck in the snow twice but the scariest misadventure came in Australia.
Maggetti recalled the incident: “I love to take pictures, so I parked the van, and we hiked up a small hill with long grass with no track or anything.
“Then we got to the top and we heard some noise from the grass and a black panther stood up. It looked at us and we panicked, and we ran down the hill.”
“Well, we slid down” Bakar interjected.
“When we finally got to the van, we were shaking and our feet had cuts and blood everywhere. That was the scariest moment but it’s a good memory.”
Whilst a far cry away from what glossy Netflix documentaries portray the life of a professional golfer to be, Bakar and Maggetti have never looked back. They only share one downside of living in a van. Not having unlimited water. They both miss long hotel showers.
“I think for Tour life the van is fantastic. You can just park up at the golf club and then a lot of the stress is taken away. You don’t have to worry about traffic; you can get up an hour and a half before your tee time.
“You don’t have to book flights, book a hotel and you can leave and arrive whenever you want. Of course you save a lot of money too.”
Maggeti’s van is a far cry luxury. It’s not Tim Petrovic’s RV which famously features an espresso machine or a wine cellar but it’s their home away from home and Betty has been an integral part of their life.
Ainil was the brain behind calling the van Betty. “The first van was called Willy. He was small but he was a beast. Betty is big but very slow, the maximum speed is 140 and I think it just suits her, the name has stuck since then.
Maggetti added: “We will not change it.”
Bakar is now back in Malaysia and has finished her 2025 season, yet Maggetti plans to drive Betty to the final event. The Swiss player had her best result of the season last week finishing third in her home tournament.
The Iberdrola Calatayud Ladies Open is the last event on the schedule and will take place October 16-18.
You can see more about their van life on our instagram here.
