Ever since Kelly Slater unveiled the wave at his Surf Ranch, haters have, as they say, hated. Arguments against the proliferation of wave pools have all echoed the same idea – artificial waves will kill surfing’s soul, etc. One of the loudest criticisms of KS Wave Co.’s creation, though, has less to do with the wave itself and more to do with exclusivity. Any schmuck with access to a cheap surfboard and a wetsuit can paddle out at T-Street, the argument goes, but Kelly’s facility in Lemoore is a playground for surfing’s elite(!), the rich and famous(!), and, apparently, surf media pencil pushers(!). “Surfing has gone straight country club!” they yelled. So exclusive! So inegalitarian! Even though the majority of coastal towns in the US are bastions of upper middle class whites, which mirrors the ethnic landscape of America’s lineups, but I digress.
Anyway, Kelly Slater is either trolling the surf country club objectors or this is just an interesting coincidence. In a recent video posted by the WSL, PGA Tour golfers Adam Scott and Rafa Cabrera Bello (both of modest surf ability) met up with Kelly Slater at the Surf Ranch for a day of equal and opposite admiration. Slater has long been a fan of golf, playing in numerous celebrity tournaments himself.
