KEY POINTS:
Anytime you think you might be getting good at golf, find a pro-am and tee it up alongside someone who really can play. You realise very quickly that the game of a club golfer, no matter how low his handicap, is of a standard which can never be compared to those who make a living from the game.
This past Wednesday, thanks to the New Zealand Open's vehicle sponsor BMW, I played 18 holes at The Hills in the company of the tournament's top-ranked player Daniel Chopra. Fresh from his runner-up finish in the Australian Masters, the Indian Swede gave us a display not just of great ball striking, but also of managing his way around a golf course by putting his ball in the right place to ensure his next shot gave him a scoring opportunity.
It helps if you are a pure striker of the ball, and know to within five metres how far a particular club will hit a shot. Chopra is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour averaging 297 yards off the tee, 32nd in that statistical category. He's such a strong player that despite The Hills being the longest course for the New Zealand Open, he used his driver only six times.
It was fascinating to hear his thinking. Holes like the 2nd and the 6th, which have extremely narrow fairways bordered by bunkers, heavy rough or water at around the 270m or 280m mark, are an absolute no-no for the biggest club in the bag.
On the 6th, a stern challenge at 395m with the second shot to be played over a yawning water hazard, Chopra hit 4-iron off the tee to ensure he was on the widest part of the fairway well short of the bunkers and the water. That meant he had a second shot of nearly 180m. But players at this level have no issues hitting full shots with a medium iron from the fairway.
On the longest hole, the 544m 9th, Chopra hit his driver during the pro-am and bombed it perfectly only 25m wide with bunkers and mountain tussock either side.
But as this was a reconnaissance round, I overheard him telling his caddy that come the tournament he would not use the driver if the hole was downwind. The reasoning was similar to earlier. If he used a three-wood to hit to the widest part of the fairway, he reduced the risk of danger from a wayward shot. The day I played with him he controlled his second shot so well it finished on a flat part of the fairway about 80m from the hole and made a comfortable birdie.
Course management, controlling distance and playing smart golf are facets of the game that New Zealand's top coaches are trying to impress on this country's rising stars. After watching the way Chopra approaches this task, it comes as no surprise to see the success he's had this year. Those who think they might have a future in the game could do a lot worse than observe him at work.
The rest of us who play for fun can learn too because in golf brains usually beat brawn.
