GUEST - Kelly Slater 🏄‍♂️

0:00This is a podcast from Rover New Zealand golf open is on this weekend the program as well the 11 He don't mean he's a he's an amazing golfer, but just the world's greatest surfer the guy's slater There goes He's later bro welcome to the rumble. There's a huge golf club right there So you all the world's greatest surfer and you're a scratch golfer. So when did you start golf? Josh, I've been golfing for 30 years now. So all around the sort of the same time you were the world's greatest surfer I was I started playing when I was about 23 so I'd been three four years into competing full-time as a pro on the tour But I found golf and got really addicted to it kind of took away from my surf time a little bit But it actually sort of helped improve my mental game competitively. Why just because it is such a punishing game mentally Yeah, because you just start hating yourself and you're playing from Rooted issues and you you're really

1:02Cali Slater is with us on the show New Zealand golf opening happening this weekend now You're not a stranger to New Zealand and golf. I've been lucky enough to be invited and I've played it Tata Eta your couple of times, which is New Zealand's number one golf course got to be invited to play there Or be a member you've played there with a friend of ours is row out of sun You're the start last style bender. How does he go? How did those rounds go and how much have you played here? We had one round together. We played at Tiara and It was fun his brother came and a couple of friends. We had a good time He loves his golf pretty funny And I maybe maybe you wouldn't think of surf would love golf Maybe you wouldn't think of fighter would love golf But there's just some burning desire there to improve the technique that it resides within us As far as Tata Eta goes, I just love it Rick Kane who's the founder of club We became friends about both the 10 years ago and he invited me to play some member guest tournaments with him And I've become really close friends with my buddy Rubin who's a caddy up there and he surfs the area and

2:06So I really enjoy getting back there Now Cali it's melt here the WSells come into to raglan when you were at the top of your game How often did you come to New Zealand to surf and obviously competitively not that often But what are your memories of surfing New Zealand and did you just turn up at breaks and people go bro? Are you Cali Slater? I actually don't have much surf history in New Zealand Have probably more golf history. We've never had a world tour event which had qualifying series events Like just smaller events, but never had a full-fledged world tour event in New Zealand till now So that'll be great and Billy Stairman got You know your New Zealand boy got the wild card and I think there's one more up for grabs for someone through a trials of some sort So that'll be super exciting Obviously raglan sort of the premier name when you when you hear about surfing in New Zealand So it should be really great event. I imagine your crowds will turn up pretty huge Hopefully you get some really great surf it's a good time of year for it

3:07Yeah nice. It's melt here now I was mean to give surfing to go this summer and I I check and doubt which is more Challenging to learn golf or surfing. Oh, I mean, I don't think there's a person in either sport that ever says that they can't get better I'm not sure it's a big learning curve For both sports But there's sort of opposites right there. That's why I think that's why maybe I like it the balls just sitting there doing nothing taunting you By doing nothing And then you know, sir when you're surfing waves are taunting you by just Avoiding you or whatever, you know, you got to figure out in the ocean. It's all patterns, you know and humans are Into pattern recognition and you know different swells and waves and locations are It's all about figuring out the patterns once you have your skill level there, but um You were supposed to go surfing last summer, but you didn't what what why didn't you go what what's that there's no like planning He just like grab a boring girl. Just waiting for you. I think Kelly. I think she's waiting for you

4:07Arrive hearing me some surf lessons. I actually went up near I read where we're rog live's and there was a sewage spills Yeah, I promise I will give it a go. Are you blaming him? Be just down on the beach there Is actually there's a few places we've got surge in our ocean and quite a few places Kelly say to with us just before you go mate. We've really appreciated your time I mean you're an absolute legend so many of our listeners in New Zealanders love you mate So so great to have you on the country the New Zealand Gulf open though. How good that you're playing it Can you put in a good word that I can play it next year? I too love golf and I too and um I just want to be there man. Yeah, can you get me there? I mean you just threw your hand up. I think that hurt you. There you go I don't know. Hey, it's my first time. So uh, I don't know how much pull I got yet, you know Give me a few years You're playing mobile. I got to tell you there's a story. I just kind of like I got to risk tell a story I heard yesterday a guy named Michael Hill who passed away last year

5:10I don't know his handicapped, but apparently he was gunning it at that age to break a hundred The last round of golf he ever played he shot in 99 and made a hole in one on the last hole he ever played in his life Amazing. I just don't think this will ever be repeated That's amazing. What a story. What a way. Yeah. So they were honoring him yesterday here With his widow and they had a special flag in the 18th hole and stuff But what a story they said he hit this perfect five wood right on the stick and it fell in the hole It was the last hole he ever played. Oh man. That's so cool. What a dream. Why would you want to play for that? I had just before you go um How are you gonna go Millbrook? Obviously great course. I've only had one practice round at one of the courses yesterday They were markables course. I was gonna play the corner at this morning But I've got my girlfriend and my my 19-month-old here and if I did that they wouldn't see me to off to dark because I got a We're doing a I'm working with a boredot tourism to do a few things and this afternoon We're doing the helicopter ride to five different horses to play six different holes and film it and all that so

6:15Pretty exciting afternoon for me for the golf for my golf world sounds like a shit off to do Yeah We feel for you I mean I'd rather be stuck rather be in the studio Enjoy your stay. It's so great to have you here Thank you for your time. Enjoy the New Zealand golf ride. Yeah, I gotta say I really love New Zealand I mean, I'm and I'm not uh, I'm not just saying that I really really love it here. It's um It feels like I love Australia But this feels like a throwback to when there were fewer people in Australia and just around every corner is just beautiful people are super nice and I've just I've actually thrown it out there that to my girlfriend and other friends that you know I could definitely live here and consider that sometime. So Thank you guys. Everybody's been great New Zealand and I love coming down here. Thank you And thanks so much for your time. Go well. Thanks guys rova music radio podcasts