Honolua Bay is a sacred place for six-times world champion surfer Stephanie Gilmore. This corner of the world is like the Australian in many ways; where two of Gilmore’s passions meet in a truly breathtaking convergence of Hawaiian scenery.
Down by the waves was the site of the 27-year-old’s sixth World Surf League title at the season-ending Maui Pro last year. Two hundred metres back from the shore sits the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort – the self-confessed golf tragic’s “favourite golf course in the world.”
“Hawaii has some of the most beautiful golf courses but Kapalua is the best,” Gilmore tells Australian Golf Digest. “The first tee overlooks the bay where I won my world title last year. There are holes where you are literally hitting over and around surf spots we compete on.”
It was through Gilmore’s incredible day job that she was introduced to golf, when Kelly Slater – the greatest surfer of all time – put a club in her hands. The record breaking, 11-time winner of the men’s world tour leads a rather large group of surfing professionals who call themselves ‘The Golf Geeks.’
“A lot of the Quiksilver guys are mad about golf; Kelly, Jake Paterson, Julian Wilson and heaps of others are in a club called The Golf Geeks,” laughs Gilmore. “When there’s no surf we go and play golf and when there’s a US PGA Tour event on TV, the guys watch it all day.”
The two sports share a harmonious relationship, but what is it about golf that appeals to surfers? And about surfing that appeals to golfers? After all, Slater and Wilson play off single-figure handicaps and call Adam Scott a good mate, while the 2013 Masters champ and other tour pros go on regular surfing trips.
There are several reasons according to Gilmore.
“For me, I fell in love with golf when I found it useful during so much downtime with surfing,” she says. “I could actually hit it well when the guys gave me some tips and so I got more interested in it. But I think surfing is such an individual sport, like golf, and it’s so challenging.
“You go out there every day and it’s different; Kelly is the best surfer of all time but he can never perfect it. He can have a day where he struggles on the waves and golf is the same. There’s always something to learn and you can always improve. It’s that constant and enjoyable chase of perfection.
“Surfing and golf are sports, but at the same time they’re both a lifestyle and something you immerse yourself in.”
When she’s not riding the surf or hitting the turf in Hawaii, Portugal, Brazil, France, Fiji or California, Gilmore calls the golfing hotspot of the Gold Coast home. There she plays twice a week with her boyfriend at Club Banora and Pottsville golf courses, or occasionally 18 holes at Royal Pines.
And as she chases a seventh world title – a feat only achieved by her Hall of Fame mentor Layne Beachley – Gilmore believes her form on fairways can only help her win on the waves. “A lot about surfing comes down to your hips and the flow and transfer of energy, which you’re doing in the golf swing,” says Gilmore. “Mentally, golf helps you develop the composure to be able to stay in a process. Golf pros know exactly how to calm their nerves, and perform and in any sport you want to be able to tap into a zone.”
