“Golf is so difficult at every level that it’s scary”. These were the words of Englishman James Morrison (Open de España champion in 2015) after seven holes with two amateurs who recently took up the game, and with me, a humble hacker stuck with a handicap of 17 after years playing this impossible sport. “Seeing you all struggle and how hard it is for you just to hit the ball is really tough”, he lamented. Our ability to surprise a professional who has plied his trade on the DP World Tour for 16 years and played this game his whole life tells you all you need to know…
Playing alongside a professional, you realise that they are on a different planet, they’re playing a different game to us mere mortals. Seeing it up close and personal is both wonderful and dispiriting at the same time. It’s feast for the senses while also messing with your mind, because you have to ask yourself: What have I been doing for the last 7 years? The answer is, nothing remotely similar to what these guys do!
The excitement of teeing it up to play in a pro-am is palpable, and Morrison, aware of that, was a true gentleman. He praised the few half-decent shots we hit and helped us read the greens. We were even treated to a free lesson on the 5th hole when he saw how we amateurs were struggling with a driver in hand. He spent 10 minutes with us trying to cure a few of the many bad habits those of us who started this incredible game later in life all suffer from.
What happened on the 3rd hole further confirmed to me just how incredible tour players are. On the 215-yard par 3, he hit a 6 iron that hooked into the bunker. Unhappy with his shot, he promptly asked his caddie for another ball. His second attempt finished 3 feet from the hole and, for a moment, looked like it might find the bottom of the cup. Their ability to correct the smallest of faults is astonishing.
On the 9th hole, our last because we only played the front nine, I urged him to play well this week in Madrid so that I can write an article on him. With a smile, he said he would try, of course, but that the conditions don’t suit his game. The fairways are soft which penalises him because he’s not the longest off the tee. We’ll see how he goes, but if one thing is sure, it’s that he allowed three adults to enjoy themselves this morning at Club de Campo as if they were children.
