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Kiwi Steven Alker is feeling “some good vibes” as he tries to capture a title he craves but has so far proved to be elusive – the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
One of the most successful players on the PGA TOUR Champions across the past four seasons, with a total of eight victories, including one in 2024 to help him become the Charles Schwab Cup champion, the 53-year-old has arrived at Millbrook Resort for what he thinks may be one of his final chances to win his national open.
It’s his third start of the year, heading back home after finishing equal fifth in Hawaii and second in Morocco to kick off his 2025 PGA TOUR Champions campaign.
“So I’ve got some good vibes and a game not quite where I want it, but it’s early season,” Alker said ahead of a Tuesday afternoon practice round with former NZ Open champion Brendan Jones.
“Early season, you’re trying to feel out where you’re at and get into some form.
“I’m just happy to be back in New Zealand and give it another crack. I don’t know how many I’ve got left in me, so I’m just happy to be down here and play.”
One significant difference for Alker at Millbrook this year is that not only would a win gain him what he so dearly wants – his name on the Brodie Breeze Trophy – but also a spot in this year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
For the first time, the NZ Open is part of the Open Qualifying Series, offering Sunday’s winner a much sought after direct path into the year’s third major championship.
It’s one of the reasons why this year’s field at Queenstown is exceptionally strong.
Alker’s last appearance at The Open came in 2007 at Carnoustie, one of two starts over a professional career that began in 1995.
“The Open’s the greatest tournament in the world, I think,” Alker said.
“It’s a credit to the tournament too, to get that spot.
“It doesn’t just happen every day and they don’t just give them out to anybody.
“It just shows the quality of the tournament, how much it’s grown and they recognise that we get an international field and it’s special.”
Alker’s 2025 NZ Open campaign will start at 8.02am on Thursday on the Remarkables course, one of two par-71 layouts in use for the opening two rounds.
Photo: Michael Thomas/Photosport
There’s a couple of clear signs for Brendan Jones that he’s about to hit 50.
One, he’s now got a card on the lucrative PGA TOUR Champions for the first time, with his first seniors tournament coming up next month.
Two, his waistline has increased from a size 32 to a size 34.
Before venturing to the United States for his PGA TOUR Champions debut In Tucson, Arizona after coming through Qualifying School at the end of 2024, Jones has stopped off at his favourite tournament of the year, the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport, at Millbrook Resort.
It’s his second Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia event of 2025 after missing the cut at last week’s Webex Players Series Sydney event at one of his home clubs, Castle Hill Country Club.
“I missed the cut by plenty, so there’s a bit to work on, but this time of the year I’m always fresh,” the former NZ Open champion said.
“It doesn’t generally take me a lot to get back to where I want to be and I’ve got some pretty exciting times ahead, so hopefully the enthusiasm that I’ve got for the game right now is going to be enough not just for a good week this week, but for the year ahead.”
Jones is looking forward to being a rookie in the United States, thinking that at age 50 – his milestone birthday comes next Monday (March 3) – this year could be his best chance to cash in.
And far from being a “fat belly”, the moniker many seniors Tour players wear, Jones looks as fit as when he was in his prime, winning 19 titles worldwide, although he’s quick to say that isn’t the case.
“It’s funny because I’ve always been a size 32 waist and ever since I’ve sort of joined the Champions Tour in December, the waist size is going out,” the ACT resident said.
“So yeah, I can see that my body’s changed. I haven’t worked as hard on my fitness as what I should, but hopefully I’ll get into some sort of rhythm and I can do that again. But going to the US where it’s burgers everywhere, it’s going to be hard to avoid.”
The 2023 NZ Open champion will be on the Coronet course for round one on Thursday, teeing off at 8:35am local time and he’s confident of again being in the mix on Sunday.
“These two courses here at Millbrook, I think it brings a lot of people into the equation” Jones said.
“It’d be nice to have a little bit more distance, but you’ve got to position your ball on the greens here as well. I think there’s no reason why a 50-year-old can’t win.”
Photo: Michael Thomas/Photosport
A massive showdown looms at this week’s New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at scenic Millbrook Resort, the third major of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Not only is the NZ Open title on the line for the 104th time, it’s also going to be a key tournament in determining who wins the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit (OOM) with 18 of the current top 20 entered and ready to make their move.
With 760 OOM points on offer to the winner, current No.1 Elvis Smylie is no sure thing to leave Queenstown with the same status.
Back on Tour for the first time since the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Smylie has 1247.56 points, but he can be caught this week by Lucas Herbert (717.06), Jack Buchanan (626.21), Curtis Luck (523.4) and Anthony Quayle (496.54).
A victory on Sunday would also bring Corey Lamb (463.24) and Jordan Doull (399.61) right into the picture for the No.1 spot, and all the rewards that brings, heading into the final three tournaments of the season.
While the OOM winner is once again guaranteed a spot in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, that same golden ticket will be secured by one player as soon this Sunday with, for the first time, the NZ Open part of the Open Championship Qualifying Series.
The stars of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia won’t have it their own way though. This week’s field includes 60 players from the Asian Tour, headed by last year’s Order of Merit winner John Catlin, who won twice in 2024, as well as 21 entrants from the Japan Golf Tour.
The NZ Open is a pro-am event with the Remarkables and Coronet courses, both par-71s, used over the first two rounds before a composite layout hosts the weekend action.
The weekend layout takes on a new look this year with more holes from the Remarkables course in action. It is a par-71 playing to 6365m.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPION: Takahiro Hataji
PRIZEMONEY: A$1.8 million
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The NZ Open presented by Sky Sports is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 1: Thursday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Round 2: Friday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Round 3: Saturday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Elvis Smylie: BMW Australian PGA champion
Lucas Herbert: 2024 Ford NSW Open champion
David Micheluzzi: 2022/23 Challenger PGA Tour Order of Merit winner
Daniel Hillier: 2023 British Masters champion
Brad Kennedy: Two-time NZ Open champion
Nick Voke: 2025 Webex Players Series Sydney champion
Josh Geary: 2025 Vic Open champion
John Catlin: 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion
Ryo Ishikawa: Former world No.29
The start may not have been how he’d dreamt it would go but PGA TOUR debutant Karl Vilips gave a glimpse of what’s to come with a spirited fightback at the Mexico Open.
In a week in which no Australian cracked a top-30 finish on either the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour or DP World Tour, Vilips’ tenacity to even make the cut at VidantaWorld was most noteworthy.
His long-awaited first start as a member of the PGA TOUR – a delay brought on by a back injury diagnosed late last year – began inauspiciously with a double bogey at his opening hole.
A round of 74 on day one made the cut-line a challenging goal, a goal he met resolutely with a superb 6-under 65 that featured a birdie and an eagle in his final four holes of Round 2.
Three double bogeys in a round of 5-over 76 was another reminder of the class of tournaments he is now playing but he again responded positively, posting 2-under 69 in the final round wearing the Tiger Woods Sun Day Red.
Veteran Aaron Baddeley’s tie for 34th led the way for the Aussies in Mexico while Stephanie Kyriacou was the highest-placed Australian at the Honda LPGA Thailand event, shooting 67 in the final round to climb into a tie for 45th.
Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
Mexico Open at VidantaWorld
VidantaWorld, Vallarta, Mexico
1 Brian Campbell 65-65-64-70—264 $US1.26m
Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff
T34 Aaron Baddeley 67-69-68-71—275 $35,159
T72 Karl Vilips 74-65-76-69—284 $14,280
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-72—140
LPGA Tour
Honda LPGA Thailand
Siam Country Club (Old Cse), Chonburi, Thailand
1 Angel Yin 67-64-64-65—260 $US255,000
T45 Stephanie Kyriacou 69-74-75-67—285 $7,378
T50 Gabriela Ruffels 68-73-72-73—286 $6,214
T65 Grace Kim 74-75-75-69—293 $4,027
DP World Tour
Magical Kenya Open
Muthaiga GC, Nairobi, Kenya
1 Jacques Kruyswijk 69-66-64-67—266 €405,187.35
T31 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 70-70-73-66—279 €17,518.39
MC Daniel Gale 72-73—145
MC Brett Coletta 73-73—146
MC Danny List 75-72—147
After playing tourist for a couple of days, David Micheluzzi was down to business at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport today and is backing his putting to put him into contention at Millbrook Resort over the weekend.
It’s likely to be the last Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia start for the season for the former Order of Merit champion before he resumes his second campaign as a full-time member of the DP World Tour.
With top-10s already this season at the BMW Australian PGA Championship and Dubai Desert Classic, he sits in a healthy 22nd place on the Race to Dubai standings.
This week’s event, co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and with an influx of Japan Tour regulars, is his first for 2025 on his home Tour.
“Firstly it’s in Queenstown and it’s probably one of the best places in the world and I just like the golf course,” Micheluzzi said when asked why he’d locked in another trip to the South Island.
“It suits the schedule really well. We don’t really get much off time on the DP World Tour, so this is kind of my off time at the moment and it’s only three hours from home. It just fits well.
“I was playing here no matter what, but when I saw that the winner gets a place in the Open Championship it’s obviously like ‘alright, let’s get into it’.
“The course is always immaculate and I’ve got few of my mates staying with me this week, my girlfriend is here as well and it’s just going to be a fun week I reckon.”
The NZ Open is Micheluzzi’s first tournament since a missed cut at the Qatar Masters at the start of the month but he’s feeling like he’s game is in better shape following some time at home in Melbourne.
Nine holes of practice today on the Coronet course, one of two in operation for the first 36 holes, has added to his confident feeling for the week to come.
“I haven’t played fantastic over the last few weeks, struggling with ball striking a little bit, but it seems to have turned a corner a little bit,” the Victorian said.
“My putting’s really good at the moment. I feel like I’ve got just a good feel. Just everything with my putting just seems really nice at the moment.
“If I give myself a lot of chances, say tee to green, if I’m good, tee to green this week, I’m feeling really comfortable.”
With fine, calm conditions predicted for Millbrook for most of the week, Micheluzzi is tipping a score in the mid-20s under-par will be needed to be in the hunt late on Sunday.
Having first taken the lead of the Webex Players Series Sydney on Friday, Nick Voke rarely looked as if he would allow anyone a chance to genuinely challenge for the trophy on Sunday.
The Kiwi stuck to that script early during the final round before his total control of his own game loosened as Jake McLeod found his.
Matching fellow New Zealander Kazuma Kobori’s winning total of 25-under 12 months earlier, Voke’s final round of 3-under 69 was enough to finish one-stroke ahead of McLeod (66) with Will Florimo (66), Travis Smyth (69) and Tyler Wood (69) sharing third at 18-under.
What became a nerve-wracking finish that was a two-horse race from a long way out, Voke’s stranglehold on the tournament almost slipped through his fingers.
A four-stroke overnight lead grew by one after Voke made birdie at the par-5 first for the fourth straight day before McLeod clawed back that shot with a birdie at the par-3 fourth.
Voke once again stretched the lead to five with birdie at the par-5 fifth yet a mis-directed lay-up and birdie by McLeod led to a two-shot swing at the short par-4 sixth, narrowing the 30-year-old’s lead to just three shots with 12 holes still to play.
McLeod could only match one of Voke’s birdies at eight and nine as the lead moved out to four strokes at the turn, Voke’s advantage back out to five again with a birdie at the short par-4 12th.
A ridiculous putt from the back fringe down over a tier that hit the centre of the flagstick before dropping was Voke’s sixth birdie of the day and perhaps the putt of his life in the tournament wash-up.
“When I walked back to the caddie, I said, ‘Tom (Power Horan), good putt is inside eight feet’,” said Voke.
“He goes, ‘You’re a content guy, surely just hole it, give it a good roll’.
“As soon as I hit it, I was like, Oh, this looks pretty good.”
After the excitement of the following crowd settled, an unflappable challenger in McLeod again stayed in the fight with a birdie of his own from just outside 20 feet and the golden run of Voke took a stumble.
Voke dropped a shot at 14 and McLeod made birdie on 15. After taking iron off the tee at the short 16th, Voke hit his approach left of the green and had to make a putt from five feet to narrowly avoid a double bogey.
The tenacious Queenslander, who has been knocking on the door of a win all season, then converted his birdie chance from 15 feet and, after leading by five with five to play, Voke’s advantage was just one heading to the 17th tee.
“I was five back and I thought I was out of it,” McLeod admitted post-round.
“All of a sudden, coming up the last two I was one back.
“It changed pretty quickly. I’m proud of how I played.”
A superb tee shot gave McLeod another look at birdie at the par-3 17th but his 12-foot putt just slipped underneath the right edge as Voke again needed to make a clutch par save to stay one in front playing the 72nd hole.
With persistent rain dousing the final group as they played the 18t, both players had 78 metres into the par-5 for their third. Voke almost flew his shot into the hole before it released to the back edge as McLeod’s came to rest 15 feet short and right of the hole.
After Voke putted down to a foot, McLeod had a putt to force a playoff, his birdie attempt hanging agonisingly on the right edge, leaving Voke to merely tap in and claim victory.
“Like that bad fart, that just doesn’t go away,” Voke joked of McLeod’s tenacity over the closing stages.
“’Clouds’ is going to be in my nightmares going forward. He was lurking all day and great bloke … I’m sure he’ll get one shortly.”
Suggesting with a smile that he may have peaked too early ahead of the New Zealand Open next week, the affable Voke turned more serious for a moment when asked what it meant to win again after last lifting a trophy in 2018.
“Golf is so hard. You can play a while, you can go through stretches and not win,” the part-time YouTuber said.
“Gosh, that feels good. That’s why you practise as a kid. That’s why you have the late-night range sessions. It’s why you do everything.”
With a flight back home to New Zealand on Monday, Voke was left to ponder the difficulty of transporting his extra piece of luggage as he dried off the champagne sprayed by fellow Iowa State alumni Lachlan Barker and Tyler Wood on the 18th green.
“How am I going to get this to Queenstown?” he asked, holding one of the three trophies handed out for the Webex Players Series Sydney at Castle Hill.
Castle Hill Country Club junior Nicholas Heanes shot rounds of 71-75 on his home course to claim the Webex Junior Players Series Sydney by seven strokes as Lachlan Wood recorded a 10-stroke win with rounds of 70-72 in the Webex All Abilities Players Series Sydney tournament.
Nick Voke’s relentless birdie barrage finally slowed on Saturday afternoon of Webex Players Series Sydney, yet the Kiwi’s 11 straight pars to close Round 3 were enough to build a four-shot lead with one round to play at Castle Hill.
Voke’s two-stroke lead overnight quickly became six when the three-time PGA TOUR Series China winner had two birdies and a bogey to start his round as playing partner Declan O’Donovan made a double-bogey at the par-3 second and then dropped another shot at the par-4 third.
The lead would grow to as many as eight when Voke followed up an eagle at five with birdies at six and seven yet that’s when the runaway train stalled as Voke eyed a rarely-hit scoring mark.
“I was 5 (under) through seven thinking, What’s going on here?” Voke said after his 5-under 67 that has Asian Tour regular at 22-under for the tournament.
“Then I asked Tom (Power Horan), there might be a chance we get to 30 (under) and so that would be nice. But look, tomorrow, I haven’t looked at weather, the forecast all week, I’ll just kind roll up and whatever it is, I’ll just do the best I can and go from there.”
The stall in Voke’s scoring came as the wind lifted to its peak of the week and as the likes of Jake McLeod (65), fellow Kiwi Tyler Wood (64) and Travis Smyth (66) charged.
A perennial contender this Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, McLeod’s round came without a bogey as the former Order of Merit winner lifted himself to 18-under and second alone.
“It was good. Another good day today,” McLeod said.
“It’s always good when you have a bogey-free day for two in a row now, so very pleased with that. The game’s been trending for a long time now. I’ve done some really good work.”
Wood’s round was also without a bogey as he returned to a venue with positive memories of a different nature, having caddied for Kazuma Kobori on his way to victory in 2024.
His 64 took the New Zealander to 15-under alongside Smyth and Jack Munro, with Cassie Porter’s round of the day, a 9-under 63, elevating her to tied sixth with Ryan Peake on 14-under.
“The opportunities are definitely out there if you want to take advantage of them. Just requires a few good shots and hopefully a few putts drop,” Porter said after recording two eagles, including one at the par-5 first hole, in her third round.
“It’s felt close for a while, but as we all know, this game has so many swings and roundabouts.
“It’s nice for it to click every now and then.”
Despite not quite clicking as well as it has in the earlier rounds, Voke’s game was still good enough to scrape through without damage. The 30-year-old’s 194 total for 54-holes is a new tournament low, bettering the 196 mark set by Daniel Gale and Jeffrey Guan in 2022 at Bonnie Doon.
Voke’s most important, and perhaps lucky, par in a streak that began at the par-4 eighth came at the par-3 17th hole, when his ball was spared a watery grave by a collar of rough and he fashioned a superb pitch shot to four feet before holing out for par.
“Did you see the break I got on 17? Yes. Did you like that three?” Voke said with a smile.
“It was really weird. I got off to an absolute flyer, just roaring out of the gates and then I played fine. The wind got up, it got tricky; a couple of 12-footers I missed.
“I had a few birdie ops, missed them, but the ones where I was in trouble, able to make my par and move on. It’s just a weird one.
“You’ve just got to say, ‘Golf’s hard. It was windy out there. Give yourself a break. Go get some Frangos (chicken) tonight and get it tomorrow’.”
Vic Open Inclusive champion Lachlan Wood has a three-shot buffer after Round 1 of the All Abilities tournament after a five birdie round of 2-under par on Saturday, with Victorian Tom Ryan the next best with a round of 1-over 73.
Meanwhile, in the Junior Players Series, Nicholas Heanes is at 1-under and three shots in front of Owen Brightman, Cooper Giddings and Kiara Connolly-Jackson.
Webex Players Series Sydney is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Kiwi Nick Voke pried himself away from his YouTube commitments long enough to set the season-low 36-hole scoring mark and take a two-stroke lead at Webex Players Series Sydney.
On the back of an opening round of 8-under 64, Voke spent Thursday night cultivating his YouTube channel and then matched Sydney amateur Declan O’Donovan’s 9-under 63 in Round 1 to be 17-under at the halfway mark.
His two-round total of 127 is the lowest 36-hole total this season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and betters the previous tournament record of 128 set by Grace Kim at Bonnie Doon in 2022.
When he signed his scorecard, Voke was a seven-stroke leader yet had that reduced to two late on Friday when O’Donovan shot 6-under 66 to play his way into the final group on a Saturday for the third time this season.
Another amateur, Jazy Roberts, impressed playing partner and tournament host Peter O’Malley for a second straight day with a round of 7-under 65 to take her to a 13-under total and five back of Voke.
The New Zealander birdied four of his first five holes on Friday morning before a hiccup and dropped shot at the par-4 seventh. Voke, who finished tied for fifth at Castle Hill last year, closed out his front nine with two more birdies.
A second bogey at 10 ignited something in the two-time PGA TOUR Series China winner. Playing predominantly the Asian Tour this year, Voke birdied the 11th and then added a further four straight from the 13th.
“Maybe there’s a secret in being a part-time player,” Voke joked in response to the suggestion from a competitor that they were being beaten by a YouTube golfer.
“Maybe that’s the key. Who knows? Someone asked me the other day what per cent of my golf is pro and what percentage is YouTube. I kind of said like 80 per cent pro, 20 YouTube stuff, and I reckon there’s a secret in that 20 per cent helping the 80 per cent.
“There’s a couple of components to it. There’s something to look forward to away from the golf course and I think that’s really critical.
“Secondly, I’ve learned so much about myself playing with them and I can use those lessons when I compete.
“I’ve gone through a bit of a journey recently and the last six months have been incredible. I’m excited for the next six to see what happens.”
Also excited for what’s ahead is O’Donovan.
Popping up in the final group at the Queensland PGA and, most recently, the Vic Open, O’Donovan had fellow Avondale Golf Club members and coach Ben Patterson in the gallery on Friday afternoon to watch his round of 6-under.
“I’ve had a couple tournaments in a row now where I’ve had some low rounds,” said O’Donovan.
“In some situations I haven’t backed it up and others I have and I think I’m getting into a nice groove of how to back those days up.
“I love when there’s eyeballs watching. That’s something I’ve always loved having. Especially when I’ve got friends and family watching and them getting to see what I practise every day to do.
“It’s lovely, but when I’ve got a big crowd, it makes the good shots even better.”
There were also plenty of good shots from the chasing pack, who must have wondered at times if they were playing a different golf course to the leading pair.
Roberts followed the script of her fellow amateur when discussing the prospect of bigger crowds and TV cameras over the weekend.
“Not generally too phased by people watching or anything else that’s going on around me,” said Roberts, whose first TV appearance was as the winner of the Webex Junior Players Series at Rosebud Country Club in 2023.
“The last two days I haven’t really done much thinking. I’ve just kind of gone out and played and it’s been pretty decent, putter has been working nicely. Hopefully that continues.”
Continuing his good form, former Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Jake McLeod sits behind Roberts on 11-under and one in front of Nathan Barbieri, Jack Munro, Quinn Croker, Webex Players Series Perth winner Jordan Doull and the sister of last year’s winner at Castle Hill, Momoka Kobori.
Travis Smyth is the next best alongside Adam Bland at 9-under after the New South Welshman made the eighth hole-in-one of the Tour season on Friday.
The hopes of the chasers over the weekend are certainly not forlorn given the low scores through 36-holes that have been assisted by the pure conditions of the Castle Hill layout.
“The last couple of days I played very solid and I’m happy with the way I played, but there’s definitely a lot of shots out there that I could have gained,” Kobori said, no doubt echoing the thoughts of all those chasing Voke.
“You never really know what happens in a round, but probably I think there is a chance that I could probably get a low one in, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Webex Players Series Sydney is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Sydney-based right-hander Travis Smyth has added to his hole-in-one heroics at the 2023 Open Championship with another in-tournament ace in Round 2 at Webex Players Series Sydney.
Ensconced inside the top 10 late on day two at Castle Hill Country Club, Smyth gave his round on Friday an early injection of momentum by holing his 8-iron at the 155-metre par-3 11th.
A winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia as an amateur and with a single title to his name on the Asian Tour, Smyth delivered one of the tournament highlights at Royal Liverpool two years ago when he became the first player to ace the new par-3 17th, also in Round 2.
Asked post-round to tally up his total aces after this latest addition, Smyth started counting before he landed on, “I think it’s four. Yeah, it’s four in tournaments.”
Smyth’s latest ace led some in the clubhouse to reminisce on that perfect shot in golf’s most storied championship. Similarly to that occasion, Smyth lost the ball in flight and admitted his tee shot in Sydney was not always intended to be on such an aggressive line.
“I didn’t see it. I lost it completely,” Smyth conceded.
“It’s a tucked right pin. I was trying to hit it just a little bit past into the left, maybe about 10 feet left and went straight into the sun. I said to ‘Deano’ (caddie Dean Kinney), ‘Where is that?’
“He goes, ‘It’s right at it.’ And then it was like, one bounce, in.”
Happy with the achievement, Smyth noted the differences to his last ace in competition, given this one came just after 8am. He will need more low scoring over the weekend if he is to chase down clubhouse leader Nick Voke on 17-under through two rounds.
“There was no real extra adrenaline that I felt by the next shot. The Open Championship was a little bit different, but no, I felt fine,” Smyth added.
“If anything, it narrowed my focus even better. It felt like I could hole out more shots.
“I’m sitting on the fairway and I was saying to my caddie, it changed your mentality after actually holing one out. You feel like you can do exactly what you want the ball to do.”
We’ve come a long way since the first days of pizza delivery. Forget endless take-away alternatives delivered straight to your door, you can now get groceries, medication and even a nice bottle of red without ever having to leave your house.
The same now applies to golf coaching.
Like so many elements of the global golf industry, online coaching exploded in popularity as golfers sought ways to stay sane during Covid-19 lockdowns.
PGA Professionals around the world began generating content for social media, offering solutions to golf’s most common swing ailments.
Ryan Mouque was based at Wynnum Golf Club in Brisbane at that time, commuting as much as an hour each way to give a half-dozen in-person lessons each day.
Mouque now gives as many as 20 lessons a day to clients all over the world, all without having to leave his backyard.
Nominated for both the PGA Coach of the Year – Game Development, and Coach of the Year – High Performance, at the 2024 Queensland Golf Industry Awards, Mouque gave 4,000 online lessons in the past 12 months.
He is adamant online coaching is as, if not more, effective than in-person lessons.
“The biggest thing with online is realising that too much information for someone can be overwhelming,” explains Mouque.
“If they’ve got set-up issues, grip issues, takeaway issues, wrist angles at the top of the backswing issues, online you can nail the set-up as their first lesson.
“Obviously you can do that in person, but you might not see them for another month or more.
“Players on my unlimited plans can send me a video immediately after practising their set-up in their loungeroom and I will give them feedback within 24 hours.”
More and more golfers have access to simulators and many have nets set up in their backyard, yet Mouque and other PGA Professionals don’t need to see a ball in the air to make meaningful improvements.
If that sounds contradictory, consider that the great Norman Von Nida gave lessons later in his life purely by the sound the ball made off the clubface.
“Someone hitting into a net in their basement, I’ve seen that many swings I know what ball flight is coming out of that particular swing 95 per cent of the time,” says Mouque.
“I don’t necessarily think you need to see ball flight to help someone. You can make a big enough change in someone without seeing the ball flight. Most of the time you can see the swing and know the ball flight produced by that swing.”
More than anything, Mouque says that the immediacy and convenience of having a golf coach on call is why so many of his clients see consistent and sustained improvement.
“Essentially, you’ve got a coach in your back pocket 24/7,” Mouque adds.
“I’ve been able to create some pretty insane transformations to students’ golf swings and their games.
“I’ve taken one guy from a seven handicap to a plus-two. That’s even more satisfying because there are a lot of people out there that say, ‘Oh, online’s not for me. I need that personal touch.’
“My response is always, ‘I honestly bet that you don’t. And if you gave me six months, I can prove it.’”
THE PRO WILL KNOW
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