Ko ready with driving tips for weekend golfer

Lydia Ko offered the Herald on Sunday's Matthew Theunissen tips to improve his golf. Photo / Michael Craig

It's not every day a weekend hacker gets pointers from the hottest property in women's golf.

Despite a gruelling - but very successful - overseas tour, Lydia Ko has dedicated the past couple of days to teaching aspiring golfers and raising money for charity.

Yesterday, just two days after returning home from winning the LPGA Tour Championship in Florida, and enjoying a $1.9 million payday, the 17-year-old even made time to have a few shots off the tee with the Herald on Sunday.

I play golf maybe three or four times a year and would classify myself as a novice at best.

So there were plenty of nerves when I lined up a shot in front of the teen sensation at The Golf Warehouse at Ellerslie Racecourse.

It didn't help that next to me kids as young as 7, who Ko had been teaching, were cracking balls with pinpoint accuracy hundreds of metres down the fairway.

Or that the club I was using, I was told, was part of a kit worth twice as much as my car.

Head still. Don't try hit it too hard. It's all in the hips, right?

My shots were a bit wonky but not too bad and I managed to avoid hitting anyone.

Ko, a patient and encouraging tutor, said my weight was a little too far back and I should focus on shifting it forward. She also said my arms were too stiff and straight.

"Your down-swing is pretty good so keep your arms loose. I think you've got potential - everyone's got potential."

Today, Ko takes part in a charity event at the Takapuna Golf Course in which participants pay to play with or against Ko on the 10th hole.