What is it about golfing and surfing?
Kelly Slater, Adam Scott, Jason “Ratboy” Collins, and Will Mckenzie. Would this be an ideal foursome on the golf course, or a small crew of friends sharing waves at their favorite surf spot? Oddly enough, it could be either.
People have long sought to explain the relationship between professional surfers and the game of golf: Why does something often thought of as vaguely anarchist go so well with something associated with western manners, proper etiquette, and ruthless courtesy? Well now, and on the other end of the stick, we are even seeing PGA tour pros (Yeah those lucky gentlemen who are all but guaranteed a million a year in endorsements and event earnings) that like to surf in their free time.
I spent a week in Nicaragua earlier this year at a surf house in Playa Iguana called Mark and Dave’s. It was there I learned one of my favorite golfers and role models for technique had stayed there just a few months prior, 2013 Master’s champion, Adam Scott. I asked our host Zach what he was like. “Really nice,” he told me, “and he was a great surfer, too.” This just begs the question: Besides relaxing and enjoying the fun waves out front, what was he doing there? Does surfing make you a better golfer? Does golfing make you a better surfer?
Another story that is often overlooked comes from PGA pro Will Mckenzie, whose name and face aren’t quite as recognizable as that of Scott’s. At the age of 14, Mckenzie took a competitive hiatus from golf. Some say it got in the way of his skateboarding, and others theorize that he was never looking for fame or fortune. In the time between his break from golf and rise to PGA tour cardholder in 2014, Mckenzie had stints snowboarding in Alaska, guiding river rafts in Montana, and surfing in Costa Rica. This is a far cry from the path many professionals take to the golfing world’s equivalent of the dream tour – The PGA tour, golf’s grand stage, has 35 regular season events, not including majors and invitationals. Once someone ascends to the PGA, the opportunity to make millions and secure exemptions for future years are at one’s fingertips. Not dissimilar is the circumstance presented to many professional surfers who qualify for the WCT after spending time on the grueling WQS circuit.
Someone who didn’t struggle much on his rise to the top of professional surfing is Kelly Slater. He is, without question, the most accomplished athlete in the history of the sport. He is also an accomplished golfer, having played in a few PGA tour events as a celebrity in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “You probably could have made it to the top in this sport too,” Tommy Armour III whispered to Kelly after seeing him hit a pure 3-iron in the Pro-Am event.
So, what is it? What makes a Santa Cruz local like Ratboy yearn to hit a golf ball as much as he craves a quality air section at Steamer Lane? From a technical standpoint, they couldn’t be more different: In one sport, you perform turns and aerials by releasing your lower body after winding-up the upper. And in the other, you release your hands and arms from the feet up.
More answers likely stem from the tactical approach and mental aspects that can lead to success in either sport. In surfing and in golf, “reading” your field is extremely important. When the waves are quality, the best surfers often end up on the best waves. When Tiger Woods drained that downhill right-to-left breaking 20 foot putt to win the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, you bet your ass he read the green properly.
Both sports also require a strong mental persistence, not only in a single round or heat, but also across one’s career. You don’t have a team to celebrate or lament a shot, a game, or a season with. Other than a close circle of family and friends, a professional golfer and a professional surfer must cope with similar lows and highs that are synonymous with high-level athletics on their own. Not an easy task by any means, and many will attest to the fact that calming yourself down after a victory can often be more difficult than staying positive after a defeat.
I caught my first wave on a BZ soft board when I was five, and swung my first golf club with my dad the same year. I played one year of NCAA golf, and then quit and joined the surf team for a year. I’ve struggled my whole life over the fun and joy associated with both sports, and to this day, it’s tough to decide which one to do when I have a day off. I often look back and wonder what would’ve happened if I had stuck with one sport from an early age. But then I wake up the next day, pour my coffee, check the surf report, and if it’s looking good, I get up, get at it!
